“As we approach the do or die
2018 election watershed, the people are calling for a free and fair election
which will usher a legitimately elected government of the people,” wrote
Leonard Koni.
You are right is saying the
people are “calling for free and fair elections which will usher a legitimately
elected government.” What makes the elections “do or die” is this very key
point – are they free and fair. If the elections are not free and fair we are
going to sink deeper and deeper into trouble.
“Some have argued that this
election is predetermined and they find no reason to go and register to vote.
This is the duty of the opposition to break this jinks and embark on a
nationwide campaign to encourage voters to register,” you continued.
You clearly did not
appreciate the importance of the elections must be free and fair because if you
did you would know by now that the opposition have done nothing to implement
the democratic reforms necessary to guarantee free, fair and credible
elections. With not even one democratic reform in place there is no doubt that
Zanu PF will rig next year’s elections just as the party has done so many times
in the past. Without even one democratic reform in place it is utterly
pointless to take part in an election process one knows already will not be
free and fair.
It is not for the opposition
to encourage the people to register to vote when they have done absolutely nothing
to ensure the elections are free, fair and credible.
Indeed, Morgan Tsvangirai and
his MDC friends had many golden opportunities to implement all the democratic
reforms necessary to guarantee free and fair elections during the GNU. SADC
leaders did their best to remind MDC leaders to implement the reforms. Sadly,
MDC leaders paid no heed, they failed to implement even one democratic reform
in five years of the GNU. NOT ONE!
SADC leaders step in once
again to try and save Zimbabwe from making the mistake of going through yet
another futile electoral process whose results is a predetermine Zanu PF landslide
victory and warned MDC leaders not to contest the 2013 elections without
implementing the reforms first.
“If you go into
elections next month, you are going to lose; the elections are done!” SADC
warned MDC leaders at the Maputo summit in June 2013.
David Coltart, an MDC cabinet
member in the GNU, explained why MDC leaders paid no heed to the SADC leaders’
warning and contested the flawed 2013 elections.
“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,” explained Senator Coltart.
“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.”
We now know that Coltart was
only telling the half of it because the three main MDC factions have since come
together to form the MDC Alliance and yet they are all keen as mustard to
contest next year’s elections regardless of the reality on the ground that not
even one reform has been implemented.
There is growing evidence
already that Zanu PF is rigging next year’s election. The regime has dragged
its feet over the BVR exercise, there is no way, ZEC will produce a verified
voters’ roll in time for the elections. There are complains of ZEC officials
turning at 13.00, take two hours to registering one vote although the nation
was assure the process takes five minutes, etc., etc.
Those people who are arguing
the people to register to vote regardless of all the evidence the elections
will not be free, fair and credible because not even one democratic reform was
implemented, it is clear there will be no verified voters’ roll, etc. are
missing the point completely. Participating in the elections is, like
everything in life, subject to some minimum conditions being met and
guaranteed.
People should participate in
the election only if the elections are free, fair and credible; if the
democratic reforms designed to stop Zanu PF rigging the vote are implemented,
there is a verified voters’ roll, etc.
If the people participate in
flawed elections then what incentive is there for Zanu PF to implement even one
reform?
By participating in flawed
election, especially when they knew the process is flawed and illegal and had
the opportunity to boycott it, the people are giving the process credibility.
After 37 years of rigged
elections, it is insane to have anything at all; be it encourage others to
register to vote, registering as a voter, attending any rally, anything; that
can be misconstrued as participating or approving this mockery of an election.
No thinking Zimbabwean should have anything to do with next year’s election;
people must demand the implementation of the reforms before the elections,
anything else is a waste of time, money and energy!
If the people of Zimbabwe had
not discarded their thinking caps the country would not be in this economic and
political mess. There have been many opportunities to end the Mugabe
dictatorship in the last 37 years; we wasted them all because we were not
thinking. Right now, many are Zimbabweans are taking part in these flawed
elections because MDC leaders told them the party has “Winning In Rigged
Elections (WIRE) strategies.” Only someone who has taken leave of their sense
would fall for such nonsense!
Registering to vote in an
election whose result is already predetermined just to give the process
credibility is insane. Ask yourself, as any thinking person would, why should
you listen to what MDC leaders want you to do, when it was them who failed to
implement the reforms to ensure free and fair elections!
2 comments:
War veterans, not just Mutsvangwa and company but also those still in the civil service, security sector, etc. all know that if G40 win the factional war they will all be forced to retire and sink into poverty. What people like Mutsvangwa cannot understand is that it is not just Mugabe who has failed by the whole Zanu PF dictatorship.
What the nation wants right now is to implement the democratic reforms designed to dismantle the Zanu PF dictatorship. We want the dictator and the system he created gone and not just replace one dictator with another! It is proving tough to hammer this message home in many of this thick-headed individuals like Mutsvangwa, Chiwenga, etc. but be that as it may, the message will be driven home even if one has to use a jackhammer!
After all this nation has gone through these last 37 years, if all we succeed in doing is remove one tyrant only to get another then we would have failed ourselves once again!
How many people failed to register because ZEC was slow, did not have VR9 forms, etc.? How many of those who have registered will find their details missing from the polling station? How many imaginary votes will Zanu PF get?
To deny that Zanu PF will rig the vote is stupid because it is denying the regime's carte blanche powers to tamper with the whole electoral system, we all know exist, to win elections.
MDC leaders had many golden opportunities to implement the democratic reforms designed to stop Zanu PF rigging the vote; they are now burying their heads in the sand and pretend there is no vote rigging. Only fools will do likewise and bury their heads in the sand too.
As long as nothing has been done to stop Zanu PF rigging the vote, they will rig the vote. As long as Zanu PF has carte blanche powers to rig the vote, it is insane to expect the regime to rig the vote and lose the election! By participating in any way in this flawed and illegal electoral process one is giving credibility to the process. Only a fool would want to do this!
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