Britain could extend financial support to Zimbabwe to help
stabilize its economy and clear its debts with international lenders but such
support will be linked to ‘democratic progress, UK Foreign secretary Boris
Johnson has said.
“I am encouraged by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s words so far (promising democratic change). For as long as the President acts on his words, then Britain is willing to work alongside him and offer all the support we can.”
Only the other day
former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan was saying a similar thing.
“The only legitimate and
sustainable way out of the Zimbabwe crisis is through elections with integrity
in 2018,” he warned.
“The political crisis in
Zimbabwe is not yet resolved. The enthusiastic crowds who marched in the
streets of Zimbabwe’s major cities … were demanding freedom, not just a change
of leadership.”
It is pleasing to see
that there is a clear understanding that the departure of Robert Mugabe, after
some roughing up at gun-point, does not change anything. The tyrant was the
head of an incompetent, corrupt, vote rigging and murderous regime his
departure does not mean these things will stop because the same thugs who
carried out these things at the behest of the tyrant are the ones still in
government. The cabal has chosen Emmerson Mnangagwa, Mugabe’s right hand man
and chief enforcer, as Mugabe’s successor; underlining that it is business as
usual!
Until there is
meaningful democratic reforms followed by free, fair and credible elections
Zimbabwe will never get out of the political and economic mess Mugabe landed us
in. Only a democratically elected government will have the mandate and
political will to dismantle deeply entrenched political culture of political
patronage behind the gross mismanagement and rampant corruption; the two
cancers behind the country’s economic meltdown. It is therefore pleasing to
note the growing consensus that nothing of substance can ever be accomplished
in Zimbabwe until the country implements the democratic reforms paving the way
for free and fair elections!
4 comments:
A good place to start would be the repeal of the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act.
It is not our contention that the controversial law alone is responsible for Zimbabwe’s economic malaise. But it is a huge part of it.
It is instructive that Zimbabwe’s FDI flows, since independence, have not exceeded US$3 billion, much lower than Zambia and Mozambique, which boast of over US$10 billion and US$16 billion, over the same period.
It will be interesting how long President Mnangagwa is going to take to scrap this stupid law. It took him three weeks to appoint his cabinet only to appoint the same foolish idiots of yesteryears.
In way people should expect very little from Mnangagwa, we must not forget that he is the man who did all Mugabe’s dirtiest work. Only a first-class idiot would have accepted to be so abused even for one day, he stayed on for 37 years!
Zimbabweans are just waiting for free, fair and credible elections so they can finally to boot out this Zanu PF dictatorship. They are not holding the breath over Mnangagwa doing even the obvious things!
Tsvangirai and MDC have campaigned for another GNU ever since they were booted out of the gravy train in the 2013 elections. The party has flip-flop on GNU and NTA when they realised that many people were questioning what another GNU would achieve. For Tsvangirai is lying in deny that there have never been any informal discussion not even rumours thereof between MDC members with Mnangagwa supporters on the GNU/ NTA.
There are many Zimbabweans out there who wanted a GNU and would have happily postponed next year's elections - not knowing this was both unwise and unconstitutional. These people will be angry to know Tsvangirai block this and no wonder some people are already calling for Tsvangirai to go. This was one blunder too many!
It is a great pity that whilst everyone else outside Zimbabwe is pushing for meaningful free, fair and credible elections the people who are putting the brakes are none other than Zimbabweans themselves. When the mob marched on 18 November 2017 it was to get Mugabe to resign, free and fair elections was the last thing on their minds. Of course, Mnangagwa and the rest of the Zanu PF dictatorship are hoping that the people will be so happy with Mugabe's demise they will forgive the cabal for all their past sins including that it was the cabal who imposed the tyrant on the nation.
Zimbabwe is in this mess because people have been slow to think, if they are still capable of such a fit!
However much you, Mawarire, povo and me may wish it; the truth is it was not the ordinary people who forced the changes we have seen in Zimbabwe today. It is the Army and the war veterans who brought about the changes. As for the changes themselves, this was the removal of one dictator to be replaced with another.
If we make the mistake of assuming that the removal of Mugabe is tantamount democratic change; we are wrong.
Post a Comment