“President Mnangagwa denies previous elections were
unfair, especially in 2008, when NGOs reckoned that at least 270 activists of
the MDC were killed,” reported the UK Economist.
“Where is the evidence for violence? Not a single
case was taken to the police. There was no evidence,” he insisted.
That is a nonsensical argument, after the 2008
election not even the many Zanu PF minions and apologist would deny Zanu PF
rigged the elections. Whilst they had accused the West of falsely accusing the
regime of rigging elections because they had an axe to grind they could not say
the say of SADC and the AU. The two African bodies had too condemned the
elections as not being free and fair.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police had not only turned a
blind eye to Zanu PF inspired political violence, which was the norm, but that
year they had gone beyond the pale. The Police, together with the Army and CIO,
had orchestrated and even carried out some of the politically motived violence.
Although hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans were
beaten and/or raped and 270 murdered only a few people were ever arrested,
charged and convicted of committing these heinous crimes. When those committing
the crime are also responsible for enforcing the law; the criminal activities
are swept under the carpet and the evidence, even if someone took the
initiative to collect it, is suppressed or lost. Before independence, Ian Smith
was doing this all the time; of all people Mnangagwa knows this only too well.
If President Mnangagwa and Zanu PF thugs are denying
they ever rigged elections, even the well documented cases like the 2008, what
reason is there that they will not blatantly rig this year’s elections and
flatly insist the elections were free and fair? This is exactly the reason why
we must insist on agreed benchmarks Zanu PF must deliver on long before we look
at what happens on the voting day itself. Fortunately, these benchmarks are
already there.
After blatant cheating and wanton violence that
marred the 2008 elections, SADC leaders forced Mugabe and his Zanu PF party to
sign an agreement stipulating a raft of democratic reforms that were to be
carried to stop the vote rigging. The agreement also called for the formation
of the GNU which was then tasked to implement the reforms.
Sadly, not even one democratic reform was
implemented throughout the five years of the GNU. It is another day’s tale as
to why no reforms implemented; it will suffice for now to that Morgan
Tsvangirai and his MDC friends sold out on reforms.
SADC leaders appreciated the importance of implementing
the reforms BEFORE holding elections and so, they called for the 2013 elections
must be postponed.
“In 2013 the Maputo Summit, in June 2013, before
the elections, the Maputo Summit was all about having the elections postponed –
the SADC summit,” Dr Ibbo Mandaza explained.
“I went there. I was there at the Summit and Mugabe
pretended to agree to a postponement of the elections. If you recall, the
postponement was based on the need to reform at least electoral laws.
“After that Summit, Morgan Tsvangirai, Tendai Biti,
Welshman Ncube, all of them were called to a separate meeting by the Heads of
State of SADC in the absence of Mugabe, that same evening. And they were told;
I was sitting there outside the room with Mac Maharaj; they were told ‘if you
go into elections next month, you are going to lose; the elections are done’.”
Sadly, MDC leaders did not listen, incompetence and
greed got the better of them; they took part in the flawed and illegal
elections. Zanu PF went on to rig the elections as SADC leaders had foretold. How
Zanu PF rigged the 2013 elections is also another tale for another day, it will
suffice for now to say with no democratic reforms the sky is the limit to the
vote rigging options open to the regime.
What must be made emphatically here is not for the election
observers, foreign or local, to supervise the Police, make sure they record and
investigate cases of cheating and violence. Or to supervise ZEC, make sure the
country has verified voters’ roll; etc. They task is to observe the election
process, period.
President Mnangagwa and his government’s
responsibility make sure the coming elections are free, fair and credible. As the
State President, the bucks stops with him to ensure State Institutions like the
Police and ZEC are adequately resourced and empowered to delivery free, fair
and credible elections.
If there should ever be any cause to doubt the
nation’s ability to hold free and fair elections it is the duty of the relevant
State Institution, be it the Police, ZEC or both, in the first instance, to
thoroughly investigate the cause, put it right and punish those found guilty of
causing the incident. They must also produce detailed report(s) giving recommendation
to ensure a similar thing will never happen again. Government has the legal
obligation to ensure the relevant authorities have carried out the statutory
duties and confidence in the country’s ability to hold free, fair and credible elections
is fully restored.
It is not for President Mnangagwa to ask us, the
public; “Where is the evidence of Zanu PF rigging elections in the past?” In
2008 SADC and AU did not force Zanu PF to sign the agreement to implement the
raft of democratic reforms on a whim, they had witness the blatant cheat and
wanton violence that took place that year.
Of course, there is evidence that Zanu PF rigged
the 2008 elections and many more beside. The line of questioning is the height
of mischievous political arrogance; why ask the public for evidence you yourself
has helped to bury for selfish reason of staying in power regardless of the
public’s democratic wishes.
But even if SADC or anyone failed to produce even
one shred of evidence of any election irregularities much less the barbaric
violence; the raft of democratic reforms we are demanding must be implemented
before the coming elections will be guarantee the elections are free, fair and
credible. Even if you, Mr President do not want the guarantee, we want it and
demand it!
You see, Mr President Mnangagwa, the bottom line
is; it is not for you to ask us, why we want guarantees to our basic freedoms
and fundamental rights such as the right to a meaningful say in the governance
of the country. We know you have been short changing us all these last 38
years.
You and the rest of your Junta friends are public
servants; we the people are the public and you and your Junta friends are our
servants. You lot are accountable to us the public. As long as you are able to
rig elections, you short circuit our power to hold you lot to account, this is
why we demand that all the democratic reforms are implemented without further
ado BEFORE the elections.
Mr President, read my lips! It not for you to ask stupid questions but to answer: “Where is the
evidence you have implementing all the democratic reforms to guarantee the
people of Zimbabwe their first ever free, fair and credible elections?”
If the elections go ahead with no reforms in place,
let me tell you here and now, the process will be declared null and void!
12 comments:
@Don Chigumba
"There is no reason for the opposition forces to participate in a predetermined election, were it is obvious that ZANU PF will rig the processes of that election. No electoral reforms took place during the first 100 days of President Mnangagwa in Power. The president has not yet announced to the public the actual date of 2018 elections. The chairperson of ZEC Judge Chigumba is reluctant to remove workers with security background in her team for the reasons known to her. There is no clear roadmap of how the ballot papers should be printed and verified by all the presidential contestants. We don't know how ZEC is going to verify the voter's roll to the best interest of all the Zimbabwean voters," you said.
"At the moment, every evidence is pointing to the rigging of 2018 elections in favor of the ruling party. Opposition parties are not given slots on the national television and government radio stations. This piece therefore seeks to advise the opposition forces to refused to legitimize ZANU PF government by participating in a rigged election. The opposition forces have not shown seriousness in pushing Judge Chigumba and ZEC, so that everything happening become transparent to electorate."
I agree with you 100% by participating in these flawed and illegal elections the opposition will only be give the process some modicum of credibility they do not even deserve.
The only reason these opposition politicians are falling over each other to participate is for the few gravy train seats Zanu PF gives away as bait.
No foreign investors have flooded into Zimbabwe contrary to Mnangagwa's hopes following his "Zimbabwe is open for business' clarion calls. Foreign investors are a savvy lot, they how Zanu PF has not changed. It is a party of ruthless thugs who will never hold free and fair elections.
MDC leaders lost all political credibility by failing to implement the democratic reforms during the GNU. SADC leaders know that another rigged election will only drive Zimbabwe even deeper into the political and economic mess the country is in already.
I believe SADC leaders are going to tell Mnangagwa some home truth this time; they know he has refused to implement any reforms and they will reject the elections because they are not free and fair. SADC cannot let Zimbabwe sink into the abyss and take the region with it for the sake of appeasing a handful of corrupt thugs in Zanu PF!
China and Russia and the sort of friends you know are there to exploit you!
What is Putin telling Mnangagwa, "Rig the elections and Russia will help you get away with it?"
Marallas, there are years of man-time footage of the violence of the 2008 elections. Is it not the work of the Police to investigate? Why has the Police failed to do so. When the Police fail to do their public duty, is it not the duty of the government to rope in the Police and demand an explanation why, in the face of all these prima facie cases of serious and barbaric violence the Police failed to stop it?
It is outrageous even for a simpleton like you to be asking where is the evidence of the violence when all you have to do is open your eyes and ears. When you hold high public office much less the highest office in the land outrage becomes high treason in such serious matters!
@ Jameson
SADC leaders made many mistakes in their handling of the Zimbabwe political crisis in 2008 but credit where credit is due, they did three things right:
1) They refused to endorse Mugabe and Zanu PF's victory giving the blatant cheating and wanton violence.
2) They forced Zanu PF to agree to the implementation of the raft of democratic reforms designed to end vote rigging. It is a great pity that not even one reform saw the light of day but that was because Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC banded mongooses sold-out.
3) They were right in demanding that the 2013 elections must be postponed until reforms are implemented. Again it was the banded mongooses who sold-out and participated for no better reason than the scraps that Zanu PF throw away knowing the mongoose with find hard to resist!
SADC leaders' advice not to take part in the elections without implementing the reforms is even more relevant today given Zanu PF has made it crystal clear their will "not reform themselves out of office". The blundering ED even has the chutzpah to deny the party rigged the 2008 elections.
The thug has already deployed his war veterans plus 2 000 regular soldiers to start intimidating the people, reminding them the violence of 2008 will return if they do not vote for Zanu PF. Zimbabwe will have yet another rigged election even complete with the wanton violence of 2008 and Mnangagwa will still claim the elections were free, fair and credible.
"Where is the evidence of cheating and violence?" he will ask even after seeing man-years of footage of evidence.
The most foolish thing we can do now is give these flawed and illegal elections the modicum of credibility by participating. As for the people who are being coerced, especially those in the rural areas, it is foolhardy to resist and foolish to associate with the opposition who have landed the nation in this mess by taking part in the flawed elections.
@ Moto
Zanu PF blatantly cheated and used wanton violence in the 2008 elections; that is not an allegation that is a historic fact. It is an outrage that ED should have the chutzpah to deny such a well-documented historic fact. What is more, it is high treason that he should be using the denial as a smoke screen for refusing to implement the democratic reforms to end this scourge of rigged elections that has plagued this nation all these last 38 years!
If the regime does not implement the reforms, then the elections will be declared null and void. Enough of all this nonsense, we need to implement the reforms and free the nation to move on.
Zanu PF has held this nation to ransom for 38 years, that must end and end NOW! Not after ED has had five years in office, Chiwenga had his turn, etc. NO! This political charade must end NOW!
@ Samatha Murapa
Exactly! ED has appointed Engelbert Rugeje, Zanu PF political commissar, a well known veteran of the 2008 and 2013 wanton political violence for the sole purpose of reminding the people Zanu PF will repeat 2008 if the people do not vote for the party. The intimidation has already started in earnest, Chris Mutsvangwa has deployed his war veterans, the storm troopers in the 2008 and 2013 election violence. The Chiefs have been paid, with the new trucks, and they are out doing their bit! I can go on and on!
Zanu PF is already rigging the coming elections. Without implementing the reforms first, there is no point in talking of free, fair and credible elections.
I agree, ED will cheat and set up on the violence if need be and will insist the elections were free, fair and credible. "Where is the evidence of cheating and violence?" he will ask even if there are hundreds of dead bodies murdered by his thugs!
We must demand that the regime either implement the reforms or the elections must be declare null and void. Doing nothing but twiddle our thumbs in helpless despair is what ED would want us to do.
Part 1 of 2
@ zigotsirangu
Do not forget that we are in this political mess because MDC sold-out during the GNU by failing to implement even one democratic reform. Nelson Chamisa was a cabinet minister in that MDC team.
What is important to understand here is that there will be no compete political leaders on the political stage at present because the politically poisonous environment Zanu PF has imposed on the nation has made it impossible for quality leaders to emerge be it in the opposition or within Zanu PF itself.
This is why we must insist on implementing the democratic reforms to allow open debate, free flow of information and democratic competition. The new environment will sort the good, the bad and the ugly; that is the beauty of democratic competition.
If you participate in these elections with no reforms; it will be assumed you know the process is flawed and have devised ways of winning rigged elections, whether you care to admit it or not it is immaterial. What the international community will not want to hear from you is complains that the election was rigged because you were warned ahead of the elections and ignored the warning.
If the flawed elections go ahead with the active participation of the opposition and ordinary Zimbabweans, the international community will have to accept the process as acceptable. By actively participating when they could have stood their ground and demand reforms Zimbabweans themselves would be accepting the flawed process.
There are three possible outcomes of the flawed elections:
1) Zanu PF will rig the process and win. To expect Zanu PF to lose an election the party has carte blanche powers to rig is like expecting the regime to fail to throw a six when it has not just a loaded dice but one with six on all six sides!
Zanu PF will never implement any reforms because the party refuses to acknowledge that it is rigging, as ED has made abundantly clear here. The opposition will complain of vote rigging, as usual, and, as usual, nothing will ever be done about it. Nothing!
2) Neither Zanu PF or any of the opposition emerge with a clear majority, it does not matter whether Zanu PF lose the presidency as long as the party has a voice; the new government that emerges will be dysfunctional as Zanu PF will use it overwhelming political influence in every sector of Zimbabwe society to disrupt everything. The party will certainly make sure no meaningful reforms are implemented.
Zanu PF's mission will be to make sure Zimbabwe descends even deeper into the abyss and thus rub it in that it is the only party complete to govern.
Part 2 of 2
3) The opposition win the with a landslide, unlikely as that might be. All the main opposition parties contesting are a coalition of one form or another and they have all failed to agree on anything. One can only imagine how they will ever agree on anything of substance when in power.
However, you be 100% certain they will agree not to implement any meaningful reforms, since they will know that they have inherited the flawed system and they are the ones, not Zanu PF. So the nation will be calling for reforms even if the opposition win this election.
That anyone, anyone at all, should even be taking anyone from Zanu PF (ED, Mujuru or the new kid on the block, Mutinhiri), after what these have done to destroy the country these last 38 years or from the MDC, after they sold-out on reforms; as a potential president, speaks volumes about the individual. What will it take, one has to ask, to open your eyes, ears and mind to see these Zanu PF or MDC candidate for the corrupt, incompetent, vote rigging and murderous tyrants they are?
Nations get the government they deserve, we in Zimbabwe certain deserve this Zanu PF dictatorship complete with its entourage of corrupt and incompetent opposition parties who follow it like the lifeless and desolate planet Satan and her many moons and many rings of dust.
You my friend, no offence intended, are no more the worthless dust, totally incapable of thinking for yourself! It is Zimbabwe's greatest curse that we should have more than our fair share of brain-dead people, with no clue what is in their own interest!
@ Chinono
This is just another nonsense argument from the usual Zanu PF apologist!
The decision to lifted sanctions was made by the American government, those tasked to make the decision listened to the arguments from both sides, but when the chips were down it was the USA officials alone who decided one way or the other.
We are being told our government is denying ordinary Zimbabweans in the diaspora their vote because of the decision to retain the sanctions. Instead of slamming the regime down Chinono has the stupidity to suggest the regime is justified in taking that course of action.
Every Zimbabwean has the right to a meaningful vote and it is the legal obligation of the government of the day to do everything possible to make this possible. Instead, if one was to believe Chinono's nonsensical wittering, our government is denying millions of Zimbabweans their vote as punishment for the American sanctions.
The right to a meaningful vote is not a privilege Zanu PF can give to some and deny to others as a punishment. And why should Zimbabweans be punished for something over which they have no control! Why Chinono is failing to understand this beggars belief!
This Zanu PF regime has stubbornly refused to implement any democratic reforms, proof it has no intention to hold free, fair and credible elections. The regime will rig the vote denying millions more Zimbabweans a meaningful say in the governance of the country. So, the regime is punishing the whole nation because of the sanctions?
If the truth is told; here, it must be told; the sanctions is just an excuse to justify rigging elections. Indeed, the sanctions were imposed in 2002 and the vote rigging goes back to the first elections in 1980.
Zimbabwe is in this economic and political mess because for the last 38 years the nation has been stuck with a corrupt and tyrannical regime that rigged elections to stay in power. If Zanu PF does not implement the democratic reforms BEFORE the elections then the whole process will be declared null and void, period.
Chamisa meet diplomats.
We want our elections judged to well established international standards for free, fair and credible elections and it is important that everyone knows that MDC leaders are so desperate to win the few scraps Zanu PF throws at them that they have taken part in flawed elections in the past. They are certain to do the same again this year. Chamisa and friends have deliberately lowered the election standard to justify taking part.
There is nothing the ordinary Zimbabwean can do to stop MDC and all the other opportunistic contesting flawed elections what the international community must understand is that we, the people of Zimbabwe do not agree with what Chamisa and company are doing. We do not want meaningless elections because someone lowered the standards.
We want the international community to judge whether the process as they find it could ever deliver free, fair and credible elections, judge to international standards and not Zimbabwe's opposition camp's lowered standards!
@ Davison Gomo
This whole article is premised on the argument that the Zimbabwe before the November 2017 coup and is totally different from the Zimbabwe post the coup.
"Donald Trump's attempts to thwart Zimbabwe's transformation from one system to another under the leadership of ED Mnangagwa is obviously based on unmitigated ignorance to distinguish between a historical watershed in the Zimbabwean politics," you said.
"Trump's decision is not new and novel because it is a mere reappearance of US international relations behaviour and Zimbabweans must not accept to have their sovereign right to determine their own future."
Let us agree that where Zimbabwe is today; a country whose economy is in a real mess, unemployment is 90%, ¾ of our people are living in abject, the country is in total political paralysis, etc., etc.; is not where the nation wanted to be. Unless we understand why we got here then we cannot be certain we are not going down the same route that got us here.
We are in this economic and political mess because for the last 38 years the country has been stuck with this corrupt and tyrannical regime. Zanu PF has rigged elections to stay in power. For 38 years Mugabe and his Zanu PF thugs have ridden roughshod over the ordinary Zimbabweans' freedoms and basic human rights including the right to free and fair elections and even the right to life.
It is nonsensical to talk of Zimbabwe as a sovereign country when the ordinary people have been denied a meaningful political say and are languishing in abject poverty.
The West imposed the sanctions to force Zanu PF to hold free, fair and credible elections. Restoring the people's democratic right to a meaningful say in the governance of Zimbabwe is at the very heart of restoring the country's sovereignty and the economic recovery. So, even if the Americans had other motives for imposing sanctions, the motive to pressure for free and fair elections is important and noble.
Davison Gomo is arguing that the sanctions must now be lifted and yet has failed to show that this new dispensation is different from Mugabe's Zanu PF. More specifically, can Gomo confirm that Mnangagwa will hold free, fair and credible, that is important?
@ Kadada
President Mnangagwa's "Zimbabwe is open for business!" clarion cry has had no takers because the foreign investors he was wooing were not convinced the country was indeed open for business. The investors had taken flight decades ago and have shied away ever since because Zimbabwe had descended into a corrupt and lawless nation ruled by thugs. Zimbabwe was pariah state and investors do not do business in such a country.
Mnangagwa and his coup cabal had the common sense to accept that Zimbabwe's economic meltdown would not go away without massive foreign investment and hence the reason they abandoned Mugabe's anti-West empty rhetoric. Given how much the regime had all been brainwashed into mindless zombies, full marks to the coup posse for even making this break.
However, Mnangagwa and his Junta got way ahead of themselves in proclaiming tha Zimbabwe was ready for business. After the coup the country was still a pariah state because the coup removed the dictator Mugabe but only to replace him with another dictator Mnangagwa. The country was still ruled by ruthless thugs, the same thugs who had ruled it with an iron fist all these years. All the coup had done clothed the iron fist with a velvet glove!
Mnangagwa and his cabal fooled many Zimbabweans and beyond with his "new dispensation" talk when in reality the Zanu PF dictatorship was alive and thriving. The certain did not fool everyone especially the savvy foreign investors!
Zanu PF is gearing up to rig the coming elections in total disregard of its own promise to hold free, fair and credible election. The rigged elections will convince even the naive and gullible that Zimbabwe is indeed still a pariah state ruled by thugs.
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