This man simply does not get it does he? He keeps wittering
about the president will now serve a maximum of two-five terms the most
important issue here and has been all along is that elections must be free and
fair.
When the Copac draft as first released in July 2012,
Tsvangirai said the new constitution would deliver free and fair elections but
when corned to quote the clause that would force the Police to arrest those
responsible for the violence; he failed to do so because there is no such in
Copac clause. Copac is a very feeble and weak constitution not worth the paper
it is written on.
The Pm conceded it would be necessary to implement the democratic
reforms agreed in the GPA if the nation was to have free and fair elections. He
would get SADC to force Mugabe to implement the reforms. Considering MDC had
failed to get the reforms implemented in the last four years the whole world doubted
the party succeed now in the remaining few months before the new elections.
Mr Prime Minister Tsvangirai; are you going to have the
reforms implemented BEFORE the elections? Yes or no?
Of course the answer is no. He is too weak and feeble to have
ever get the reforms past Mugabe.
So Zimbabwe is being dragged into new elections certain of
one thing that there will be a repeat of the orgy of violence of 2008 or worse!
And the very man who has led the nation into this nightmare keeps wittering
about the next president serving a maximum of ten years.
Tsvangirai is
in Dovas Switzerland attending the World Economic Forum. He told the Bloomberg
reporter, “Since there is a national
consensus (on the Copac constitution) by all parties, the referendum will be a
formality.”
Mugabe is
88 years old and sickly; he was not going to make a fuss over being told he
could rule for a further ten years maximum. He knows he would never win free
and fair elections; force him to implement the reform and thus make it
impossible for him to use violence to force the electorate to vote for him and
he would fought like a tiger resisting the reforms!
This is like telling a woman she will be forced to marry a
man she hates and who will abuse her but not to worry because she can divorce
him in ten years when another brute will be imposed on her! How I wish the
Zimbabwean people had had someone in their corner for their basic rights, human
dignity and a democratic constitution and not this Copac rubbish!
3 comments:
@Chimbwido
The decision on whether an election is free and fair is not based on the one thing; whether the ballot paper was marked in secret or not. There are many others things too that must be taken into consideration, for example:
1) There must be a free media to allow free flow of ideas; not a few months before polling but all the time. The voters must have the opportunity to hear from all the competing candidates what they are offering and to cross examine them.
Zimbabwe should have at least 10 independent TV stations, 50 Radio Stations and 100s of independent newspapers. Instead we have 1 TV Station, 3 Radio Stations and one large public print media which are all the exclusive monopoly of Zanu PF plus a handful of independent newspapers which are muzzled by repressive laws.
Prime Minister Tsvangirai is yet to be interviewed on ZBC TV!
2) Everyone should enjoy the freedom of association and movement instead we have citizens being constantly harassed and hurried along at every turn by Zanu PF thugs, the Police, the judiciary.
The democratic reforms that were meant to end the partisan bias of the Police, Army, etc., were never implemented. All these institutions are still headed by the same Zanu PF loyalists, the Police by Chihuri, Tomana is still AG, etc.
3) The very fact that Mugabe and Zanu PF can conclude deals with companies worth billions of dollars and channel the money into individual or party accounts is totally unacceptable in a democracy, particularly when the money is then used to finance political violence and other dirty tricks as is the case here.
4) The only change on the ground since 2008 is that this dysfunctional GNU has finally agreed on this Copac constitution.
Only those who are politically naive believe the approval of this constitution in the referendum will bring the political transformation in which Jabulani Sibanda, Chipangano and all the other Zanu PF thugs be rounded up and thrown in jail where they should be, Zimrights Director and other activists will be set free, etc.; everything will fall into place and the nation will have free and fair elections.
As for me, I am a realist – not a prophet, one only to open one’s eyes to see what is there to be a realist – I believe there will be no free and fair elections in Zimbabwe unless all the reforms are implemented BEFORE elections are held. If the Copac rubbish is approved, I believe Zanu PF’s terror machine will go into overdrive and the nation will see a repeat of the orgy of violence of 2008 or worse!
Prime Minister Tsvangirai and his MDC friends will have the blood of every Zimbabwean beaten or killed in the political violence unfolding before us, as if they have done the beating or killing with their own hands, because they not only failed to get the reforms implemented in five years but they then lied that approving the Copac constitution would deliver free and fair!
@Elma Sabudo
Zimbabwe's biggest problem since independence has been that Mugabe and Zanu PF have become the law onto themselves we had a real chance to restore the rule of law by implementing a number of democratic reforms.
Not even one of these reforms has been implemented in five years. At the end of the five years is a stupid constitution that will not change anything on the ground.
We are exactly back to where we started in 2008, we still do not have rule of law. A good constitution is important. If you really think you can end a ruthless dictatorship with some platitudes about brotherly cooperation, dream on.
Gandhi was a very shrewd man, he was critical of his fellow Indians who sought to end British rule so they could take over from the British but did not care about the suffering masses. Tsvangirai is a flawed and indecisive leader; he is lying about Copac bringing free and fair elections.
If Zimbabwean listen to Tsvangirai and approve this Copac rubbish during the referendum it will only prove that we do not know where we are, what we want, who we are; we are a confused lot to whom the niceties of democracy and good governance will forever remain a pipe dream!
Like it or not; people do get the government they deserve. We certainly deserved this Mugabe dictatorship, the dysfunctional GNU and, without free elections, I can tell you the next government will never be a competent one!
@Yepec
I have said and will say it again here that this Copac constitution is too feeble and weak to guarantee free and fair elections. From your statement above you clearly agree for you are already giving excuses why this Copac rubbish is doomed to fail.
I agree there is need "for commitment to the Constitution and rule of law by all" but what you are clearly failing to get you head round is the fact that the constitution you are asking people to commit themselves must be clear, strong and precise and not weak, feeble and wishy-washy.
One of the reasons why we have the culture of political violence is that our Police, Army and CIO Officers have been politicized. There is no distinction between ZRP and Zanu PF, indeed it is no exaggeration to say in Zimbabwe the Police are there to serve Zanu PF interests above all other interests.
The SA constitution has stopped the Police behaving in partisan manner in precise and clear way;
Section 199 Subsection 6 to 8 of the SA Constitution state:
6. No member of any security service may obey a manifestly illegal order.
7. Neither the security services, nor any of their members, may, in the performance of their functions ¬
a. prejudice a political party interest that is legitimate in terms of the Constitution; or
b. further, in a partisan manner, any interest of a political party.
8. To give effect to the principles of transparency and accountability, multi-party parliamentary committees must have oversight of all security services in a manner determined by national legislation or the rules and orders of Parliament.
Mugabe did not want a something similar included in Copac constitution because the status quo in which the Police turn a blind eye and even actively take part in political violence against his political opponents suits him best and did not want that changed.
The right to free and fair elections is an inalienable right and it is the corner stone of good governance. To trade this right in return for Mugabe agreeing to the presidents serving a maximum of two five-year terms is the height of stupidity.
It is like you forcing your daughter give up her right to marry a man of her choice and instead force her to marry some savage arguing it has been agreed she can divorce him in ten years. You then strut around thinking you are very clever and did her a big favor. If her right to choice who to marry was safe and guaranteed she would never have to put up with the brute for one second let alone ten years of physical and mental abuse!
If Zimbabweans are denied a meaningful say in who will be president because the elections were not free and fair it will be little comfort to know the impostor will rule for a maximum of ten years!
I have given alternatives solutions: I would have never compromised on a constitution that does not guarantee basic democratic rights including the right to free and fair elections and the right to life. Never ever!
Since this dysfunctional GNU has imposed this rubbish Copac constitution; people must vote NO in the referendum!
If Zimbabwe had a free media and the Zimbabwean people had a real chance to evaluate the truth about the Copac constitution and know they are being lied to about it bring free and fair elections: I will bet my bottom dollar the NO vote will carry the day. The Zimbabweans are ignorant but do not make the mistake of thinking they are stupid!
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