I
was both disappointed and ashamed to see President Mnangagwa make a complete
fool of himself in his widely publicised, but wrongly named, article “Towards a
new Zimbabwe.”
“In
November, the Zimbabwean people, led by our youth, went to the streets
peacefully and joyfully, determined to have their voices heard. They called for
freedom, progress and a new way of doing things. Though supported by the
military, this was a popular, peaceful revolution. Watching the events unfold
from exile, I was deeply proud of my fellow Zimbabweans,” he started off.
The
world woke up in the small hours of November 14th to the announcement that the Zimbabwe Defence
Forces had seized strategic state institutions and the then President Mugabe
was under house arrest. It was not until Saturday 18th that ordinary
people poured into the street, in answer to the call from the war veterans, to
pressure Mugabe to resign. To therefore suggest that events of the 18th
led the events of four days earlier is a shameless attempt to distort historic
facts.
Although
there was no physical violence used to coerce Mugabe to resign others around
him were rough-up; Professor Jonathan Moyo and Saviour Kasukuwere were lucky to
escape with their lives and a few security personal lost their lives. What
happened in November 2017 was a coup and there is nothing “peaceful” about a
coup!
“Zimbabwe is changing —
politically, economically and societally — and we ask those who have punished
us in the past to reconsider their sanctions against us. Zimbabwe is a land of
potential, but it will be difficult to realize it with the weight of sanctions
hanging from our necks,” he continued.
Another
blatant lie!
For
decades the Zanu PF propaganda mill has blamed Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown and
the heart-breaking misery it has brought on the millions of ordinary
Zimbabweans on sanctions. President Mnangagwa cannot talk of the post November
coup as a new era and yet continue to pedal same lies of the Mugabe days.
Zimbabwe’s
ruling elite are some of the richest individuals on earth, they have business assets
worth millions of dollars, farms, mansions and enjoy extravagant and wasteful lifestyles.
It is no sanctions that has made the filthy rich, rich; it is corruptions. One
does not need a university degree to see how the criminal waste of resources by
the filthy rich has sucked the life out of the national economy resulting in
the economic collapse and mass poverty.
It
is the decades of gross mismanagement and rampant corruption, not sanctions,
which are the root causes of Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown and abject poverty.
There
reason why the people of Zimbabwe have mismanagement and corruption have been
allowed to grow and spread for the last decades is because the nation was stuck
with a corrupt and incompetent Zanu PF government. The regime rigged elections
making it impossible for the people to remove it from office.
For
the last 20 years, at least, the people of Zimbabwe have been fighting for
democratic change, reforms that will stop Zanu PF rigging elections and allow
them to have a meaningful say in the governance of the country. The nearest the
nation ever came to having their wish was during the GNU, if only the country’s
opposition politicians had not sold-out and failed to get even one reform
implemented in five years.
“I commit that in the new
Zimbabwe, all citizens will have the right of free speech, free expression and
free association. At the heart of this will be free and fair elections, to be
held as scheduled in 2018, with all impartial observers who wish to witness the
new Zimbabwean democracy at work welcome to attend. I extend that invitation
once again,” President Mnangagwa promised in his article.
“Zimbabwe is changing, and quickly. So, in this light I urge
the international community to heed the saying, “when the facts change,” change
your minds.”
But
that is just it, the facts on the ground have not change one bit and yet he
expects everyone to see what is not there. President Mnangagwa has been
promising free and fair elections and yet has stubbornly refused to implement
the democratic reforms designed to take away Zanu PF’s carte blanche powers to
rig elections.
Indeed,
President Mnangagwa has retained the dictatorial power such as bribing the
Chiefs with new trucks so they can continue to frog march villagers to vote for
Zanu PF. Mnangagwa even has the chutzpah to denounce those calling for reforms
as barking dogs!
Everyone
with eyes, ears and a working brain can see that Zimbabwe is heading for yet
another rigged election. It is disappointing that the people of Zimbabwe are
once again being denied this basic human right.
The
New York Times flattered President Mnangagwa by publishing his article, “warts
and all” as Oliver Cromwell would has said. Sadly, for Mnangagwa the article all
hot air and devoid of substance.
How
is it possible in this time and age, 2 500 years after the Greeks gave the
world democracy, we still have someone who has no clue what constitute free and
fair elections, he is foolish enough to masquerade his stupidity on the world
stage and, worst of all, he is, by military coup and rigged election, Zimbabwe’s
President!
Of
course, I am embarrassed for Mnangagwa, he has no sense of shame to have penned
of such trash, and angry that the country should be so cursed to have such an
empty head for president!
6 comments:
107 political parties in a country with 210 MPs!
As a nation we have become obsessed about quantity there is not even one credible opposition party in that lot! Everyone with half a brain will tell you without reforms the elections will be rigged and the only reason all these parties are taking in the flawed elections is to win the few gravy train seats they all know Zanu PF throws away as bait to the opposition. They are all taking art in the flawed elections out of greed.
"Uku ndiko kunonzi kunyangira yavona!" (This is just stalking game that is aware!)
The international community have already seen enough these last three months to know President Mnangagwa have no intention of holding free and fair elections.
Only last week President Mnangagwa was foolishly denying that the 2008 elections were rigged. "Where is the evidence of the rigging?" Knowing that there is a mountain of evidence of all the intimidation, harassment, beatings, rapes and murderers.
The crying shame is that he himself does not even see the futility of promising free and fair elections when it is already evident he is rigging the elections. He can cheat the naïve and gullible Zimbabweans like Pastor Mawarire, Church leaders like Jimayi Muduvuri, etc. but cannot cheat the shrewd international community and foreign investors.
"Our recovery strategy is based on creating conditions for an investment-led economic recovery that puts a premium on job creation. In three months, we have secured $3.1 billion worth of commitments from across the world, which will create jobs and opportunities," said Mnangagwa.
Only the Russians, who are seeing the opportunity to join China in the wholesale looting that has been going on in Zimbabwe these last four decades, have shown any interest!
Investors are not interested in investing in a pariah state, Zimbabwe is a pariah state ruling by the same thugs under a new dictator.
THE Zimbabwe National Elders Forum - bringing together the clergy, traditional leaders and academics - engaged former president Mr Robert Mugabe to step down and rein in his wife, Mrs Grace Mugabe, in vain.
ZNEF chair Bishop Felix Mukonowengwe said after noticing that Mr Mugabe was no longer in charge of Government and Zanu-PF, the elders held several meetings to persuade him to leave office.
But Mr Mugabe ignored them.
Other ZNEF members are Father Fidelis Mukunori, Fr Paul Mayeresa, Engineer Muchechetere, Reverend Murombedzi Kuchera, Rev Dr Phineas Dube, James Mafinyana, Fr Emmanuel Ribeiro, Chief Fortune Charumbira, Rev Dr Admire Chisango, Rev Shoko and Bishop Never Muparutsa.
Bishop Mukonowengwe said ZNEF was organising a National Day of Prayer ahead of the 2018 elections to cultivate peace and tolerance.
"We are going to bring the nation together regardless of political affiliation," he said.
ZNEF last week organised a meeting between President Mnangagwa and church leaders in the capital, where the latter endorsed the Head of State and Government's administration.
So, after years of being ignored by Mugabe and his wife this bunch of busy bodies must accept that they strategy of appeasement, because that is all they have been doing appeasing Mugabe and messaging their own totally misplace egos, has not worked. Instead the carry-on continues!
ZNEF should have told Mugabe, now Mnangagwa to implement the democratic reforms as the only way to ensure free, fair and credible elections. God does not do for mankind what mankind can do for himself. As a nation we have had many opportunities to implement the democratic reforms and end the Zanu PF dictatorship once and once for all. The best opportunity by a long mile was during the GNU when MDC has the change to implement the reforms.
The dog-eat-dog infighting in Zanu PF was left the dictatorship weak, the weakest it has ever been in 38 years; we can force the implementation of the reforms if we are focused.
A National Day of Prayer ahead of the 2018 elections to cultivate "peace and tolerance". It is the democratic reforms we want implemented and the peace and tolerance will follow guaranteed!
It is bad enough that the nation has corrupt and incompetent political leaders, but do we really need a bunch of self-appointed braindead and utterly useless elders to boot! No wonder the nation is in a real mess!
@ Bhogwe
Yes, ED can rig the elections without Mugabe, after all he is the one who has been doing the donkey work when it comes to rigging elections. Mugabe has been careful to document all ED and the Junta have been doing with every intention of blackmailing each one of them.
Mnangagwa and the Junta gave Mugabe everything he asked for except the presidency after the November coup because they all fear him. Mugabe must have since come to the conclusion that he cannot trust the Junta to protect his family after he is gone. He knows that he and his family will be better off in a democratic Zimbabwe than in a Zanu PF dictatorship whose hold on power is very shaky.
Even without Mugabe threatening to spill the beans, it is looking increasingly doubtful that Mnangagwa would get away with another rigged election.
Even if he did, how long will the regime last, given the foreign investors have already decided to shy away from Zimbabwe. The regime will come under increasing pressure from the millions of ordinary Zimbabweans keen to escape the poverty trap. The street protests of 2016 would return only the anger of the protestors will be fiercer than before!
Mnangagwa's regime is doomed to fail. He, unlike Mugabe, inherited a bankrupt economy and therefore has very little wriggle room; Mugabe's chaotic reign lasted 37 years Mnangagwa's reign will not last 37 months!
By holding elections without implementing the reforms Mnangagwa has shot himself in the head!
President Mnangagwa's New York Times article came hot in the wake of his interview with the UK Economist Magazine. The real Mnangagwa was revealed in the latter and none of the things he is promising in the article would ever be implemented by the real ED Mnangagwa.
In the Economist Mnangagwa categorically denied that Zanu PF rigged the 2008 elections. "Where is the evidence of vote rigging?" he insisted.
You know what, the appointment of this Peace and Reconciliation Commission on the Gukurahundi massacre has become the clever way of Zanu PF leaders kicking the can down the street and never having to acknowledge what happened much less resolve the matter. There have been many judiciary inquiries whose reports have never been made public.
During the GNU, the portfolio of Peace and Reconciliation had more ministers that any other. They wrote reports which were never tabled in parliament much less made public.
President Mnangagwa was Minister of State Security during the Gukurahundi years and has already denied ever being involved with what happened. The appointment of yet another commission on the matter is clearly him saying: "Where is the evidence of Gukurahundi massacre?"
I have never ever heard Mnangagwa ever talk about the need to implement the democratic reforms except to denounce the calling for reforms as barking dogs.
So, as far as Mnangagwa is concerned the 2008 elections were free, fair and credible and even if the events of that year are repeated again this year, he will claim the elections free and fair.
Of course, Mnangagwa KNOWS what constitute free, fair and credible elections, he is just playing the school bully who pretends that stepping on someone's toes hurts! Unless the victims can produce x-ray evidence of broken bones, he will never admit he stepped on their toes!
The real surprise is that Mnangagwa's even bother writing to New York Times readers to talk about a new Zimbabwe when he has been giving them all the evidence that he and his Zanu PF Junta are the same ruthless thugs wearing a different regalia! Why bother, indeed!
Caleb Moyo, it you who need to wake up and smell the s***t the country is drowning in!
Last week ED denied that the 2008 elections were not rigged. "Where is the evidence of the vote rigging?" he asked dismissively. ED has the one who planned and carried out the blatant vote rigging that year but now he is denying not only that he was involved but that anything amiss ever happened.
He was Minister of State Security during the Gukurahundi years and we know the CIO, he was their minister, played a major roll in the massacre that took place and yet he has flatly denied ever being involved. He has appointed this Peace and Reconciliation Commission to do what? What can they uncover that has not been uncovered by all the other busy bodies appointed to investigate Gikurahundi? Appointing the commission is just his subtle way of asking: "Where is the evidence Gukurahundi ever took place?"
Mnangagwa has not implemented even one reform because he has no intention of ever giving up Zanu PF's carte blanche powers to rig elections and stay in power. He has already deployed 2 000 soldiers to work with Zanu PF leadership like Engelbert Rugeje, the war veterans and the Chiefs to make sure the rural people are frog marched to vote for Zanu PF.
Even if the cheating and violence this year was to reach the nauseating heights of 2008, Mnangagwa will still claim the elections were free and fair. "Where is the evidence of vote rigging?" he will maintain.
What is there to be proud of in a country that cannot even hold free, fair and credible elections and, worse still, having failed to do so bury its head in the sand and refuse to acknowledge its failures! The people who are being frog marched, beaten, raped and worse are Zimbabweans and not foreigners. Whose interests are you saving by turning a blind eye to their suffering and continued abuse?
Post a Comment