Zimbabwe is now facing a very serious economic meltdown because
of decades of mismanagement and corruption by this Mugabe regime and as long as
Zanu PF remains in power the economic situation will only get worse. To finally
end Zanu PF’s now 36 years in power, we need to stop the regime rigging
elections by implementing the democratic reforms.
We have known this since 2000 but instead of implementing
the reforms we have wasted time on building opposition coalitions and other
gimmicks. Building opposition coalition is a gimmick on par with Shona adage of
setting a mouse trap to catch an elephant! (Kuvaraidza zura kuteya nzou neriva)
Coalition will never
stop vote rigging just a mouse trap will never catch an elephant
To some people uniting the opposition into a coalition has
become the panacea to Zimbabwe’s political paralysis.
“It is such a desperate situation that the people of
Zimbabwe find themselves in - and we all know that a desperate person is
capable of doing anything and is unpredictable - as desperate times call for
desperate measures,” wrote Tendai Ruben Mbofana.
It is very true that our political and economic situation is
pretty desperate, there is no denying that.
Mbofana is right in saying “a desperate person is capable of
doing anything and is unpredictable”.
But if he had posed to think then he
would have come to the logical conclusion that, no matter how desperate the
situation may be one must always resist acting out of desperation because more
often than not one will do the wrong thing making the situation worse and not
better. Instead he opted for the easy but irrational solution of desperate
measures and offered one such desperate solution for one political and economic
mess.
“However, the fact is
that this country is headed for calamity if no concrete efforts are made
immediately to remedy the situation,” acknowledged Mbofana.
“This is where the opposition needs to show real leadership. The opposition needs to step up and play the role that the people of Zimbabwe expects of them.
“The opposition is fraught with such divisions that come 2018, the vote will seriously be split that no one party will claim the honours.
“This had been a serious challenge in a number of countries where dictators have thrived - they have thrived not necessarily as a result of their oppression of the people, but because the opposition failed to act as a united force, and therefore, split the popular vote,” proposed Mbofana.
“This is where the opposition needs to show real leadership. The opposition needs to step up and play the role that the people of Zimbabwe expects of them.
“The opposition is fraught with such divisions that come 2018, the vote will seriously be split that no one party will claim the honours.
“This had been a serious challenge in a number of countries where dictators have thrived - they have thrived not necessarily as a result of their oppression of the people, but because the opposition failed to act as a united force, and therefore, split the popular vote,” proposed Mbofana.
A united opposition may have been the answer in other
countries; it is NOT the answer here because Zanu PF did not “win” the last
elections because the opposition vote was split, it rigged the vote.
President Mugabe had total control of the whole electoral
process; ZEC did nothing to stop him paying NIKUV to tamper with the voters
roll so deny many opposition supporters were denied the vote and ZEC and the
Police turned a blind eye to Zanu PF youths were bussed in and were able to
cast multiple votes. Mugabe bought each Zanu PF candidate contesting the
elections a new car plus $10 000 compared to the opposition who got $700 or less.
As long as Zanu PF retains total control of the State institutions like ZEC,
Police, etc. and has unfettered access to billions of dollars of looted wealth
to bankroll its vote rigging schemes the party will continue to “win” future
elections.
The only way meaningfully end Zanu PF’s dictatorial control
of State Institutions like ZEC and Police and force transparency in the funding
of elections by implementing the democratic reforms designed specifically to
break the dictatorial umbilical cords, etc. To talk of uniting the opposition
when nothing has been done to implement the democratic reforms is an exercise
in futility comparable to wasting time setting a mouse trap and hoping to catch
an elephant!
7 comments:
Zimbabwe has been ruled by fear, ignorance and a generous helping of the mystic - which goes down a treat amongst the ignorant.
All this talk of grand coalition is nonsense, MDC did not lose the 2013 elections because the opposition vote was split. Mugabe rigged the elections so that nearly one million opposition voters were denied the chance to vote whilst his supporters were bussed from one polling
station to the next casting multiple votes.
The problem here is not one of splitting the opposition vote but rather one of stopping vote rigging. A grand coalition will stop splitting the vote but will not stop Zanu PF rigging the elections.
The only way to stop Zanu PF rigging the next elections just as they rigged the 2013 elections is
for the nation to implement the democratic reforms.MDC failed to get even one reform im-plemented throughout the GNU and since the July 2013 they have still failed to get one re-form implemented.
The opposition loves talking about forming a coalition as if it is the panacea to end splitting the vote and vote rigging when they know it is not. The only reason they do so is because they have no clue how to implement the reforms. They are therefore banking on the hope that the voters are not smart enough to see they are being short changed!
What the opposition parties are doing is talk full advantage of the electorate's ignorance, they really do not know the difference between splitting the vote and rigging the vote and so they led the voter down the garden path making them believe by stopping the splitting of the vote they have also stopped vote rigging.
If a mouse-trap can catch a mouse it must necessarily be able to catch an elephant too! Even now 36 years after independence the voters still do not know the difference between splitting a vote and vote rigging; that something as flippant as a mouse-trap will never catch an elephant!
@ Zunde
To believe someone like Mai Mujuru, Dudymus Mutasa, Jabulani Sibanda, Kudakwashe Bhasikiti can be rehabilitated is to believe that a wolf in sheep coat can become a grass eating sheep and even get to love chewing the cud! Of course Mai Mujuru will promise the nation anything, anything at all if that will them get back on the gravy train, they are pretty desper-ate to get back on that train because life is tough for anyone off the train.
They cannot wait to get back so they can take up the looting from where they left off when they were booted out of Zanu PF. We may get the likes of Mutasa, Bhasikiti and Sibanda to slow down on the bloodletting when they are back in power but as for the looting that will not stop. These men and women have watched with satisfaction these net-worth climb year on year for 34 years and in the last two years they have seen their fortune drop like a stone in a pond; they greatest concern right now is to get back in power and revive their fortune.
Zim PF are builders alright, they have all done very well thank you building their own fief-doms and fortunes and that is all they will ever do.
The trouble with Zimbabweans is we love recycling everything esoecial our corrupt and in-competent leaders because we are just too lazy to think of the good qualities we want in our leaders and then go out and find such leaders.
Those who want to marry Mai Mujuru can go ahead. "Chembere mukadzi hazviedzani nokuvata mugota!" the Shona would say. (Having an old lady for wife is better than having no wife!) Except in this case she will be a disaster for not just you, the village but the whole nation if she was ever to be president; of that we can be certain because she has a proven track record of being lazy, corrupt and incompetent! Mujuru has changed her party name from Zanu PF to ZimPF just as she changed her maiden name but as for being lazy, corrupt and incompetent that will never change!
There are reports of rioting in places like Epworth in Harare.
The trouble with rioting is that, like all violence revolutions, no one can control it. President Mugabe and his Zanu PF thugs must be held responsible for all the destruction of property, beating and even deaths that may result from the rioting because it was they refusal to embrace peaceful change that has left the nation with no choice other than the route of violent change.
@ Gaba
True but you should have asked why MDC failed to implement reforms during the GNU and you would understand our situation even better.
Yes I agree that an opposition party that boycott elections will be replace by half a dozen other opposition parties but what of it. The party that decides to boycott elections should do so on principle and not on condition other parties boycott elections too. If the elections are not free, fair and credible then the opposition are fighting over the crumbs, scraps and the bones that Zanu PF thrown at them.
Ask yourself, would you betray the whole nation's right to meaningful democratic say and even the right to life for the sake of scraps? For me the answer is a no. It is another matter for someone whose mind is set on getting a seat on the gravy train and how many others they betray along the way is of no consequence.
This madness could have been avoided if Mugabe had not rigged the 2013 elections. He told he would go on to rig economic recovery and that has proven a bridge too far! He has been warned a thousand times to accept peaceful change but he would not listen and now he will be forceful booted out of State House.
If MDC had implemented the democratic reforms during the GNU then Mugabe would have never rigged the nations and the country would not be in this mess
@ Tanonoka
Grace has tried hard to position herself as Mugabe's successor; the spirit is willing but the brain is weak. Ever since she burst on the Zimbabwe political stage she has been shooting herself in the leg. Joice Mujuru and many others are probable as dumb as Grace but whilst the former has said very little and left people to guess who dumb she is the later her opened her mouth and left no one in any doubt that she is dumb.
The final nail in Grace's presidential ambitions was when she cross swords with the war veterans and the security sector big wigs; she wanted them kicked out not knowing they are the ones who have done all the dirty work of intimidating, beating and evening murdering of opposition party supporters and civilians to keep Mugabe in power.
Robert Mugabe tried threatening the war veterans but they stood their ground because they knew if they did not they will be in the dog-house as the scraps of food and bones the regime is throwing their way would be stopped if Grace was top dog.
Grace has accepted that she will not be president with her usual hot-headed arrogance. She knows her privilege lifestyle is only secure as long as Mugabe is president and so she has made it clear he will remain president. She will get him a wheelchair if he should be too old to walk and when he dies she wants him to rule from behind the grave!
It is almost certain that Mugabe will not be in State House for much longer, whether he or his wife likes it or not. When he rigged the 2013 elections he thought he would rig economic recovery too, that was a bridge too far. The nation is sick and tired of unemployment, poverty and other economic hardship and the recent rioting is the beginning of the end of his reign. If he does not leave the state house now then he will be booted out!
@ Tawanda
If Mugabe manages to stay in power – it is doubtful, given the rioting of the last few days - until the 2018 election then he will win those elections hands down.
The opposition has failed to get even one single reform implemented although they promised to after the rigged 2013 elections. As long as Mugabe has total control of the whole electoral process and all the key players like the Police and ZEC then the regime will come up with a very elaborate vote rigging scheme. The regime continues to looted billions from Marange - most people have completely forgotten Zimbabwe has diamonds reserves worth $800 billion - it can afford to be very generous with everyone and there is nothing money cannot buy particularly as relates our corrupt politicians!
Post a Comment