“On
Thursday, Morgan Tsvangirai’s former advisor, Alex Magaisa attempted a
statement claiming that he has been defamed in a ZimEye news article which
quotes his own published statement with comments which criticise his former
boss, Tsvangirai for being as he claimed, UNREASONABLE AND UNSTRATEGIC,”
reported Zimeye.
Alex
Magaisa is such a confused individual it is not surprising that he is all over
the place on this matter. Is he saying he was defamed, because he did not say
Tsvangirai is unreasonable and unstrategic? He has been quoted in other
publications suggesting the same sentiment when he was criticizing the
opposition repeated calls for electoral reforms. Magaisa argued it was not
strategic to concentrate on the negative.
It
has not occurred to Magaisa, even now with the benefit of hind sight, that
there is nothing strategic in contesting elections knowing fully well the
result will be rigged. It is dumb!
Alex
Magaisa's time as Morgan Tsvangirai's adviser is one he himself should be
ashamed of and issued his "a thousand apologies" at every
opportunity! If he did not advise Tsvangirai to implement the democratic
reforms then he was an ass because that what surely the single most important
task MDC was supposed to do during the GNU.
If he
did advise Tsvangirai to implement the reforms but was ignored, just as
Tsvangirai has ignored the same advice from many, many other people including
SADC leaders; then Magaisa should have resigned in protest. The matter is so,
so important, it was self-deprecating to allow oneself to be even associated
with such stupidity.
Magaisa's
name is mud and rightly so too!
Tsvangirai
and his fellow MDC leaders have failed to implement any reforms since the 2013
rigged elections and are now lining up to contest next year's election in
blatant disregard of their own "No reform, no election!" pledge. They
were hoping to create the grand coalition to justify why they are contesting
flawed elections again but even this feeble excuse has not materialised.
It is
glaringly obvious that they are taking part in next year's elections knowing that
Zanu PF will rig the vote and once again ruthlessly deny the people of Zimbabwe
their basic right to a meaningful say in the governance of the country. They
know, or should know, the nation is right now sitting on the knife edge of
political instability after 37 years of misrule; another rigged election could
be the last straw. Tsvangirai & co. do not care the elections will be
rigged or about the dire consequences that will follow; all they are after are the
few gravy train seats Zanu PF gives away to entice the opposition to contest
elections no matter how flawed the process.
But
with the opposition totally discredited, President Mugabe is rightly worried that
the international community, but especially SADC leaders, would condemn the
election as a sham. SADC Leaders know another rigged election in Zimbabwe will
worsen the economic and political mess in that country and none of them would
not want to be the ones to have endorsed the fraudulent election.
Tsvangirai
and his MDC friends have proven beyond all doubt that they are corrupt and
incompetent. So, Magaisa calling Tsvangirai “unreasonable and unstrategic”, for whatever reasons, was the smartest and honest thing he has ever said of the man!
11 comments:
I will agree with all you have said about Eddie Cross especially on uncovering the looting that has been going on in Marange and Chiadzwa, he has been outstanding. My bone with MP Cross is that he was in the MDC team that failed to implement even one democratic reform in five years of the GNU. There can be no doubt that the MDC leaders sold-out on this matter and the fact that none of them have had the common decency to go down on their knees and apologise, even now with the benefit of hind sight is an affront to every thinking Zimbabwean.
The fact that Eddie Cross and his follow MDC sell-outs have gone to contest the 2013 elections even after they were warned by SADC leaders of the folly of doing this shows that these MDC leaders did not give a damn about the suffering masses. They are now dragging the nation into next year's flawed election against MDC's own "No reform, no election!" pledge for the same reason the failed to implement any reforms during the GNU and contested the 2013 elections - greed. If there is justice in this world, then justice will be served if the nation institutes a full judiciary inquiry into why MDC leaders failed to get even one democratic reform implemented during the GNU.
It is not their fault that many of our political leaders, on both sides of the political divide, are breathtakingly incompetent, but that they are also breathtakingly corrupt is something no nation should ever sweep under the carpet.
Millions of Zimbabweans are now living in poverty. We are the poorest in Africa all because corruption has been rampant. We must recover as much of the looted wealth as we can and use it to help rebuild the lives of the victims of this crime. We must also punish all those guilty of corruption, especially those who abused their position of public office and trust!
We must have a zero tolerance on corruption!
Zimbabwe’s First Lady Grace Mugabe turned 52 on Sunday, and state officials and media went into overdrive to sing her praises.
“A mother, a philanthropist, a First Lady,” gushed the headline on a special six-page supplement published in her honour by the state-run Sunday Mail.
Zimbabwe's public media and all that remains of our industries are totally owned and/or frighten of Zanu PF it is not surprising they are all tripping over each other to sing Grace Mugabe's praises. Zimbabwe's whole social, economic and political environment has been thoroughly brainwash or brow beaten into submission it is nonsense to even think the country can hold free, fair and credible elections under these conditions.
SADC leaders' advice to Morgan Tsvangirai in 2013 not to contest the elections with no reforms was valid then and, if anything, it is even more valid today. Zimbabwe cannot afford another rigged election and it is sheer madness to contest an election you know will be rigged!
Our people have waited for their first free, fair and credible elections for the last 37 years there is no excuse why they should be cheated of their freedoms and basic human rights for one more time. NONE!
President Mugabe has always used violence to augment his vote rigging schemes. Why the 2013 elections were relatively free of violence is because the regime upgraded its vote rigging expertise thanks to the significant increase in funds from the looted diamond windfall. Many people believe President Mugabe spend at least $4 billion to bankroll his vote rigging schemes in 2013 and at the rate he is spending money already will spend $10 billion for the 2018 elections. He has the cash to buy his way to another landslide victory.
The chaos in the opposition camp has only made his victory a walk in the park. Tsvangirai and his opposition friends have lost all political credibility, everyone can see they are not contesting the elections because they have any chance of dislodging Zanu PF. They are contesting for the few gravy train seats Zanu PF gives away. The opposition are nothing more than well paid hired hands - Zanu PF needs the opposition to participate to give the electoral process some credibility and the regime rewards those who participates with the few gravy train seats.
Zanu PF has the 2018 elections in the bag the party’s biggest worry now is making sure the process is not condemned as a sham election.
The use of wanton violence in the 2008 elections was one reason the whole world refused to accept President Mugabe's victory and forcing him to agree to go into the humiliating and hated GNU. He does not want to see that happen ever again and hence the reason he is taking the extra precaution of deploying a crack force of Zanu PF thug with power to beat up unruly Zanu PF thugs “without having to wait for the Police”.
With not even one democratic reform in place, Zanu PF will blatantly rig the 2018 elections to secure another landslide victory. The regime does not need to augment its vote rigging with elections violence and so the 2018 elections will be even more peaceful than 2013!
“The recent by-elections have exposed lack of planning, maladministration and mismanagement of the electoral process by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC). The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CiZC) is seriously concerned and doubt ZEC’s institutional capacity to manage peaceful, free, fair and credible elections that will further the realisation of Section 67 of the constitution of Zimbabwe,” reported CiZC.
Zanu PF has resorted to using violence to secure electoral victory as happened in 2008. The party paid dearly for that as it was forced to go into the GNU because the whole world refused to accept the election as free and fair. President Mugabe learned his lesson.
In 2013 elections Zanu PF beefed up its vote rigging activities and so did not need to resort to violence to win. CiZC can rest easy, the 2018 elections will be peaceful alright because the regime has an even better funded vote rigging scheme than 2013 it does not need violence.
Indeed, President Mugabe has already deployed crack units and highly mobile Zanu PF thugs with power to beat up “Zanu PF thugs who soil the party’s name without having to wait for the Police”.
As for ZEC delivering free, fair and credible elections it is shocking that anyone, anyone at all with a half working brain, would talk as if that could possibly happen when not even one democratic reform has been implemented.
In the people in CiZC are serious about wanting to see free, fair and credible elections in Zimbabwe then they should be calling for a boycott of next year’s elections until all the reforms are implemented.
SADC leaders called for the boycott of the July 2013 elections to force the implementation of the reforms. Sadly, many Zimbabwean NGOs and civic society groups failed to appreciate the wisdom of SADC leaders’ advice and support the boycott. We all know that contesting the flawed July 2013 elections accomplished nothing of any substance. What CiZC and all the other NGOs’ excuse for piously pretending there is even a snowball in hell chance of the country having free, fair and credible elections with not even one reform in place.
After 37 years of rigged elections, there are still some people who will not accept the political reality that we cannot have the Zanu PF dictatorship and have free, fair and credible elections. They cannot bring themselves to look the tyrant, Mugabe in the eye, and demand the implementation of the reforms and, as a consequence of their stupidity, the nation has drifted deeper and deeper into this hell-on-earth of poverty and hopelessness.
It the truth be told Zimbabwe is in this political and economic hell-hole not just because the country has some of the most corrupt and incompetent political leaders but, sadly, the leaders in civic society have not been any better neither. It is a crying shame!
“Further CiZC will collaborate with broad section of pro-democracy movements to call for a free, fair and credible electoral process. Once again, CiZC emphasises its readiness to fight for a democratic Zimbabwe in which each citizen makes electoral choices freely,” concluded the report.
How touchingly pious and yet how utterly useless and stupid!
Does anyone, anyone at all, believe there will be time to implement even one token reform now with less than a year to go before the elections?
The sheer political naivety of some of these NERA people only serve to underline why the country is in a real mess. The time for calling for reforms and expecting them to be implemented is over. There was not even one reform implemented and there will be none implemented. The decision you should have made by now and cannot postpone any more is are you going to contest the elections knowing, as you do, that with no reforms Zanu PF will rig the vote?
There is still something in the flawed elections for anyone in the opposition who contest the elections - Zanu PF will give away a few gravy train seats. The opposition know they have no excuse to justify why they will contest elections they know will be rigged other than to fight over the scraps Zanu PF throws away.
The opposition have lost political credibility, they cannot claim to represent the ordinary people and yet contest flawed elections in which they the ordinary people will get nothing other than the certainty of yet another five years of corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF rule. And for what – a few gravy train seats for the opposition!
@ Tererai
“All progressive youths concerned about the future of this country should take the responsibility upon themselves to decisively deal with the aged and aging leadership of ZANU-PF which no longer has any future to think of let alone to protect. The unity of the youths holds the aptitude to change the status quo of this country therefore it is my humble opinion and plea that the youths of today converge and resolve on the best way to deal with the mess that we see ourselves in as a nation,” you said.
It is all very well to write volumes calling on the youth to “converge and decisively deal with Zanu PF” but without saying what exactly they are supposed to do.
Zimbabwe’s political paralysis is simple enough to understand; Zanu PF has corrupted our State Institutions to create a corrupt and tyrannical de facto one party dictatorship which we been stuck with for the last 37 years.
SADC leaders spelt out what we needed to do as a nation to end the dictatorship – implement a raft of democratic reforms designed to dismantle the dictatorship. Sadly, MDC leaders who were tasked to implement the reforms failed to get even one reform implemented.
If we want free and fair elections and an end to corrupt and tyrannical rule then we must demand the implementation of the reforms. I have not heard you mention once the need to implement the reforms.
By the way implementing the reforms has nothing to do with age, tribe and all the other nonsense you sometimes hear at these NERA, opposition and much less Zanu PF rallies!
We must demand the implementing of all democratic reforms before the holding on the next elections – that is the only issue that really matter. Keep your eyes on the ball my friend!
Ever since MDC suffered that humiliating electoral defeat at the hands of Zanu PF in July 2013 exposing MDC leaders' folly in contesting the elections against the advice of SADC leaders many MDC leaders have looked real foolish. There is no doubt that failing to get even one reform implemented in five years was just inexcusable! Alex Magaisa was Morgan Tsvangirai's adviser and he has looked just as foolish as Tsvangirai himself!
If I was Alex Magaisa, I would apologise to the people of Zimbabwe for the blundering incompetence of MDC during the GNU. By denying the incompetence or pretending MDC leaders did nothing wrong these MDC people are making a bad situation worse because people then conclude that they have, in fact, learned nothing from their past mistakes!
There was no logic in MDC participating in the July 2013 elections as David Coltart admitted in his book.
“The worst aspect for me about the failure to agree a coalition was that both MDCs couldn’t now do the obvious – withdraw from the elections,” wrote Coltart in his recent book.
“The electoral process was so flawed, so illegal, that the only logical step was to withdraw, which would compel SADC to hold Zanu PF to account. But such was the distrust between the MDC-T and MDC-N that neither could withdraw for fear that the other would remain in the elections, winning seats and giving the process credibility.”
The only reason MDC leaders contested the July 2013 elections was for the scraps Zanu PF throws away as bribes. Now MDC leaders are contesting next year's flawed elections for exactly the same reason - greed.
Zimbabwe is in this hell-hole because we have failed to hold free and fair elections for the last 37 years. MDC is now helping Zanu PF to stay in power by contesting the flawed elections for the same of the bribe gravy train seats the regime gives away. We, the ordinary people, are the real losers in this cosy but corrupt Zanu PF-MDC scratch my back and I will scratch yours arrangement!
It is for us, the people to disrupt this and demand the implementation of the reforms BEFORE the elections. We have had rigged elections for the last 37 years it is sheer madness to allow this charade to carry on.
Is Dr Alex Magaisa still working as a University lecturer? If he is then good luck to his poor students because his performance as Tsvangirai's adviser does not say much about his intellectual ability!
This is a nonsense argument; if Tsvangirai has the numbers to dislodge Mugabe then why has he failed to do so already? These MDC idiots must make up their minds, it is either the elections were rigged and therefore numbers count for nothing and therefore they should be telling us how they are going to stop the vote rigging. Or the elections are free and fair and Tsvangirai must tell us how he is going to increase his support base to win the elections!
@ Chinyama
Many Zimbabweans are beginning to realize what is going on here. MDC cannot explain why they have dropped their "No reform, no elections!" stance to contest elections they and everyone knows will be rigged! The only explanation is they have settled to the few gravy train seats Zanu PF is giving away to those opposition members who contest, as Coltart admitted above.
Of course, no Zimbabwean in his/her right mind will want to be used by Zanu PF and opposition politicians as pawns in their political chess games of power and greed! There is simply no logic in any Zimbabwean taking part in next year's elections until reforms are implemented. Zanu PF are playing with a dice with sixes on ALL six sides only a fool will bet on Zanu PF failing to throw a six and a landslide victory!
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