Biti added, “I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that this is
going to be a violent election”.
SADC leaders advised MDC leaders in June 2013 not to contest in
that year’s elections without implementing the democratic reforms, designed to
stop the vote rigging and political violence, first. The MDC leaders did not
listen because of greed as David Coltart readily 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,”
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.”
Tendai Biti, David Coltart and the rest of MDC leaders and the
rest in the opposition camp are contesting this year’s elections knowing fully
well the process is flawed, illegal and will be marred by political violence
for the same reason they contested the 2013 elections – greed. We learn nothing
from the past and thus repeat the same foolishness again and over and over
again.
Tendai Biti; clearly unable to contain his greed and that of his
opposition friends, they will contest the elections no matter how flawed and
illegal the process gets and how many innocent Zimbabweans risk life and limb; urged
the involvement of the United Nations to stop the Zanu PF-led government from “brutalising
civilians”.
“To Odysseus,
who is bewitched by the song, the Sirens look as beautiful as Helen of Troy. To
his crew, made deaf with beeswax, the Sirens seem like hungry monsters with
vicious, crooked claws,” so goes Homer’s epic story of the Greek Trojan War
Hero, Odysseus.
“The ship speeds forward and
soon the song of the Sirens is an echo of an echo. Only then do the crew
members stop rowing and unplug their ears.
“Eurylochus unbinds his
grateful captain, Odysseus, who has now come to his senses.”
Zimbabwe is in stuck in a hell-hole, with its national economy
in total meltdown, unemployment a nauseating 90%, 72.3% of our people now
living on US$1.00 or less a day, etc., etc. The kind of doom that awaited Odysseus
and his men had they landed on Sirens’ Island.
Whilst it was Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF thugs who landed the
nation into this hell-hole because they could not resist Sirens’ beguiling offers
of absolute power and the sweet intoxication of influence and a life of
unparalleled leisure and eye-popping wealth it brought. The nation risked life
and limb to elect Tendai Biti and his MDC friend to wrestle power from the Zanu
PF thugs and get the nation out of the hell-hole. Sadly, Biti and friends have
themselves become victims of the Sirens’ beguiling but deadly temptations.
Their greed for power and wealth has become as insatiable as that of Zanu PF thugs,
if not worse; they appetites were roused during the GNU years only to be cut
short.
As Coltart has acknowledged, what the nation needs to do is
boycott these meaningless elections and get the democratic reforms implemented.
Nothing of any substance will ever be accomplished until we implement the
reforms. Nothing!
The people of Zimbabwe risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders
on a ticket they will bring about democratic change. They had the golden
opportunity to bring about the changes by implementing the democratic reforms
during the GNU; they did no such thing. It is sad and tragic that today it is
none other than the MDC leaders who are in fact stopping the implementation of
the reforms by stubbornly insisting on contesting flawed and illegal elections.
Yes Mr Biti, even if you got your wish and had UN officials in
the country and they stopped the “brutalising of civilians”; what about the blatant
vote rigging. There was hardly any violence in the 2013 elections but, as we
all know, that did not stop Zanu PF blatantly rigging the elections.
6 comments:
Zimbabwe's political situation in which the nation is yet again being dragged into an election process everyone knows is flawed and illegal and is certain to be violent, by Tendai Biti's own admission. There is nothing to be gained from the process. What is annoying here is that it was Tendai Biti and his MDC friends betrayed the nation by failing to implement even one reform during the GNU who are now making the situation worse by contesting these flawed elections against the express advice of SADC leaders and logic.
Zimbabwe's political mess is certainly one of our own making, we the ordinary people. We should have been paying attention and seen to it that the reforms were implemented during the GNU. Since the GNU we have had five since to reflect on what happened during the GNU and the very fact that so many Zimbabweans still have no clue what happened during the GNU and continue to follow these corrupt and incompetent MDC leaders blindly even today is unforgivable.
A healthy and functional democracy demands an electorate that is vigilant and awake and take its duty of understanding the issues of the day, electing competent leaders and holding them to democratic account very step of the way very seriously. If so many people have no clue what the democratic reform required for free and fair elections are about even now with the benefit of GNU hindsight that only shows we have an extremely naïve and gullible electorate, one not fit for purpose of creating a healthy democracy.
Tendai Biti and company would have never got away with selling-out on reforms during the GNU much less get away with dragged the nation into a dangerous electoral process for selfish gain.
"Nyika vanhu!" (A nation is only as robust, strong and successful as the people, bricks, used to build it!) So, goes the Shona adage.
"Biti also warned that the November 15 military intervention which toppled former President Robert Mugabe would be reproduced in future as had been the case in many African countries where soldiers staged coups."
Biti is spot on there, the military coup of 15 November 2017 is certain to be repeated. Indeed, it goes without say; if we cannot have peaceful democratic change of government then we will have violent revolutionary change be it a military one or a street protest. It is clear that this coup regime is not going to hold free, fair and verifiable elections, it has no intention of doing so, never had.
What is infuriating here is that all this could have been avoided. If Biti and his MDC friends had implemented the democratic reforms as agreed in the 2008 Global Political Agreement Zimbabwe would have had free, fair and credible elections in 2013. Worse still by keeping on contesting flawed elections we are not solving anything here, we are just kicking the can down the road whilst we wait for the next violent change.
"There is nothing that will stop the tanks from moving again no matter who has been elected in July 2018. So, it is critical that we find an answer to making sure that the barracks remain sealed off from interfering with the process because that's the elephant in the living room," admitted Biti.
MDC contested the 2013 against the sound advice from SADC leaders not to. Now Biti and company is dragging the nation into yet another utterly pointless election process! This is insane!
There is nothing to be gained from contesting elections we know are being rigged already and now have the added danger that there is going to be violence. WHY ARE YOU CONTESTING THESE ELECTIONS, MR TENDAI BITI? WHY? OH WHY!
Former USA Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Chris Dell, once said that Tsvangirai is "flawed and indecisive character". History has proven him right. Why the people of Zimbabwe have failed to see this for themselves, especially after what happened during the GNU; it is a testimonial on their own flawed characters.
If we want to be a successful and prosperous nation then we must elect competent leaders, not "flawed and indecisive characters".
The very fact that we failed to see Tsvangirai for the corrupt and incompetent leader he is before he ever got into power is regrettable. Tsvangirai was in power during the GNU and MDC failed to implement even one democratic reform because the party sold-out. Mugabe bribed them with the trappings of high office and they kicked the reforms into the tall grass. Why so many Zimbabweans still follow the corrupt, incompetent and sell-out MDC party beggars belief!
What is annoying here is that we are trying to reinvent the wheel! We are after a good and competent government and instead of implementing the democratic reforms everyone else says will end the dictatorship we are instead trying to get a good government and keep the dictatorship!
Biti and his MDC friends had the golden opportunity to implement the democratic reforms during the GNU, they failed to get even one reform implemented. As long as there is no meaningful progress in getting the nation out of this hell-on-earth the danger of the country sliding into chaos will remain a reality. Where there is no reason for hope there is room for mischief. Zimbabwe would be out of this hell-hole by now if MDC had implemented the reforms!
“The President’s days in office are numbered,” reads part of the intelligence report. “Land reform and indigenisation policies have become a component of national security, and a legacy of the former president. The reversal and revision of these twin policies under the current leadership will cost the ruling party crucial votes. Many Zimbabweans, are not going to be comfortable to have imperialist capital having its way in the country, as they continue to suffer.”
Yes President Mnangagwa was brave, very brave indeed, to have ditched these two Zanu PF’s flagship policies. Zanu PF is a party of thugs and thugs like to be roused into a frenzy of mindless anger, passion and hatred; the land reform and indigenisation roused all these emotions with the violence farm seizures bring the added bonus of revenge!
Mugabe was clever enough to turn these issues into highly emotive issues, it has been near impossible to make many ordinary people, much less Zanu PF hard-liners, see the reality of these two being the root causes of the country’s economic meltdown and, by the same token, the ticket to the economic recovery.
Whilst President Mnangagwa was right to ditch both policies in his drive to revive the Zimbabwe economy he is naïve to think that alone is enough to deliver the economic recovery. Under Mugabe’s leadership Zimbabwe had earned itself the pariah state status because of the regimes rampant corruption, lawlessness and brutal denial of other people’s freedoms and basic rights.
There will be no meaningful economic recovery from the reversal of the land and indigenisation policies because Zimbabwe is still a pariah state ruled by thugs. Mnangagwa will not hold free and fair elections this year and thus confirm his regime is one of thugs.
Mnangagwa will get all the criticism for reversing Zanu PF’s flagship policies without any economic recovery benefits to show for it!
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