“Thousands
of Zimbabwean opposition supporters took to the streets of Harare on Wednesday
demanding fair elections following alleged irregularities in the electoral roll
ahead of the July 30 vote,” reported AFP
“The electoral register has long been a contentious feature of Zimbabwe's elections, fuelling accusations of vote rigging in previous polls.”
“The electoral register has long been a contentious feature of Zimbabwe's elections, fuelling accusations of vote rigging in previous polls.”
The
spirit is willing but, sadly, the mind is weak! It is heart-breaking to
see human being behaving like panicked houseflies flying repeatedly into the
glass window!
If
MDC leaders were ever serious about stopping Zanu PF rigging elections, then
why, oh why, did they fail to implement even one democratic reform during the
GNU? They had five years to implement the reforms but failed to get even one
reform implemented.
SADC
leaders did they best to remind Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends to focus
on the reforms, but no one listened. MDC leaders had their snouts in the
feeding trough, one could have fired a short-gun right into their faces and still
they would not have to heard it!
When
SADC leaders realised that MDC had failed to implement the reforms, they made
one more desperate bid to get MDC leaders to see sense. They told Tsvangirai
and company should not take part in the 2013 elections without first
implementing the reforms. “If you go into next month’s elections, you will
lose; the elections are done!” they told Tsvangirai & co, looking them
straight in the eyes. It still did not work.
MDC
leaders participated in the 2013 even when they themselves could see the
elections were being rigged. Once again, it was greed that got the better of
them, as David Coltart, MDC senator and minister in the GNU, later 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 (2013) 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.”
If
anyone thought the MDC leaders had learned their lesson after Zanu PF blatantly
rigged the 2013 elections, just as SADC leaders had warned would happen; they
were wrong. MDC leader vowed not to take part in future elections until reforms
were implemented. “No reform, no elections!” they said. But as the 2018
elections approached, greed once again got the better of them.
They
are taking part in these elections to try and win those few gravy train seats
Zanu PF gives away as bait, knowing fully well Zanu PF will rig the vote.
It
is the MDC supporters and the ordinary Zimbabweans one feels sorry for, they
are the panicked houseflies flying repeatedly in the window pane. 38 years of
gross mismanagement and rampant corruption under this Zanu PF dictatorship has
seen unemployment soar to 90%, ¾ of the population are living on US$1.00 or
less a day, basic services such as health and clean running water have all but
collapse, etc., etc.; of course, they desperate for regime change.
The
people know that Zanu PF has been rigging elections but instead of accepting
the futility of participating in flawed and illegal elections they are now
stuck in the rut of hoping to win rigged elections. Desperate people do
desperate things!
Just
as Coltart rightly admitted above, by participating in the flawed elections MDC
and their mindless supporters are, unwittingly, giving the flawed election
process some modicum of credibility and keeping Zanu PF in power!
"We
want a proper voters’ roll, a free and fair election. We are tired of Zanu-PF
machinations," said Rebecca Amon, 39, a housewife and mother of two, one
of demonstrators.
Rebecca, put yourself in President Mnangagwa
and his junta’s shoes: would you risk losing power by implement the reforms
taking away all your advantage to rig the elections and stay in power,
especially when you know that the opposition will participate in the elections
even if you do not implement even one reform?
SADC
leaders, who are a key referee in Zimbabwe’s elections as we saw in 2008 – they
are the ones who forced Mugabe to accept the need for the reform -, have
already said the elections should be postponed to allow the reforms to be
implemented. It is incompetent, corrupt and greedy MDC leaders and their morbid
supporters who are insisting in the elections going ahead regardless, much to
the joy of Zanu PF.
13 comments:
MDC are calling for reforms but everyone knows that they will participate in these elections even if not even one reform in implemented. Zanu PF knows that only too well and hence the reason the party is dangling a few gravy train seats which they know MDC leaders will find impossible to resist.
Why should Zanu PF implement even one reform and risk losing power when they know MDC will never boycott an elections even if there are no reforms! The MDC members need to wake up to the reality that MDC leaders are just string them along. "Jema newadya!" as one would say in Shona.
@ Noble Ngara
At least the people demonstrating know these elections are being rigged and what that means which cannot be said of you! You say ED has your vote. He does not need your vote, you idiot. He has the veto that is what vote rigging means! You can flatter yourself saying you have a vote your have nothing compared to those with a veto!
"Today's demonstration where you go back home, we are giving ZEC next week accessing whether our petition is sorted, if they do not give in to our petition we will engage the next gear which will be very hard on ZEC and Ngwena (Mnangagwa)," bellowed Chamisa.
Chamisa is like a snake with a forked tongue, he will tell you of his iron resolve to have his reforms implemented, "bring Zimbabwe to a stand-still" if his red-line demands are not met. The next minute he is talking about his unshaking determination to take part in the elections even with no reforms in place!
Chamisa is just stringing his naïve and gullible followers along who can now see for themselves that these elections are being rigged. He just needs to make them believe that even such problems as the failure to produce a clean and verified voters' roll can still be fixed in these remaining three weeks to voting day. One has to be incredibly naïve and gullible to believe all that nonsense and, fortunately for Chamisa, they are exactly that incredibly naïve. It is no exaggeration to say many of them are braindead!
Chamisa will be telling his followers the reforms will be implemented tomorrow even when tomorrow is the day after the voting day! Of course, such a naive and gullible electorate is a curse to all our efforts to build a democratic Zimbabwe. Democracy demands an alert and vigilant electorate that will hold those in power to account and not follow blindly like sheep to the slaughter!
"In our view, the voters' roll is not fit for purpose," said main opposition leader Nelson Chamisa, who is in a coalition with several smaller parties that also took part in Wednesday's demonstration.
I agree with you 100% but why are you hell bend on still contesting these flawed elections in which you do not know who the voters are. When the voting is done, you do not who voted and how many times they voted!
How many times has MDC been told not to go into these election without first implementing the reforms!
Ever since Mugabe bribed MDC leaders into kicking the reforms into the tall grass Zanu PF knew that MDC will never boycott the elections and force the implementation of the reforms as long as Zanu PF dangles a few gravy train seats before MDC's noses! It does not matter how many other glaring irregularities are uncovered in in the voters' roll Chamisa will contest these elections no matter what.
Only if it was clear the international community is declaring the elections null and void, only then will Chamisa withdraw from this rat race! He would want to pre-empty the international community's decision and claim the credit!
@ Solomon Mashayangombe
"This is a tired argument from Mukori, take for example ZEC is supposed to avail the roll before nomination, did that happen, so whether or not reforms are implemented ZEC & Zanu Pf will simply not adhere to them. What more evidence do you need to have that ZEC is an extension of Zanu Pf, where did they get our phone numbers?" You say.
You are right this is the same "tired argument" because people like you have no clue what their wittering about and so one has to repeat the same thing over and over again and hope something will sink in!
You are right that ZEC did not produce a clean and verified voters roll but in your shallow mindedness go on to argue that with would have happened "whether or not reforms are implemented". I repeat, the primary purpose of the reforms is to end the corrupting influence of Zanu PF in ZEC so that the commission is truly independent and can carry out its duties without fear or favour. If the reformed ZEC was to fail to produce a clean and verified voters' roll then it will only be because the reforms were not carried out properly!
If we are serious about seeking to end Zanu PF's contemptuous disregard for the rule of law, then we must take our responsibility to hold those who break the law to account. You are right that ZEC was required by law to produce a clean and verified voters' roll BEFORE nomination day. Have you ever asked Chamisa and his banded mongoose friends submitted their nomination paper regardless of the serious breach of the law? The voting day is now three weeks away and still there is no clean and verified voters' roll and the banded mongoose will still go ahead with the elections regardless.
What incentive, much less pressure, is there for Zanu PF to reform ZEC is they know MDC will participate in the elections regardless of flawed and illegal the process gets?
What incentive, much less pressure, is there for MDC leaders to demand reforms and mean it if people like you have no clue, even with the benefit of hindsight, what the reforms are and are easily bamboozled into believing MDC can win rigged elections?
@ Silungisani Ndlovu
"Mr Wilbert Mukori.....it seems all Zimbabweans do not follow their Constitutional Guidelines, ZEC is doing the same, the Opposition Parties do not respect the ZEC....ZANU-PF keep quite while the Opposition Parties cries foul about the ZEC conduct....Mr Mukori who is correct here in Zimbabwe...and how?....
In 2008, Zanu PF proved beyond all reasonable doubt that the party will NEVER EVER lose an election as long as it has the carte blanche powers to rig the vote. NEVER! EVER! SADC leaders forced Mugabe to agree to the need for the country to implement the raft of democratic reforms designed to end Zanu PF's carte blanche dictatorial powers as the pre-requisite for free, fair and credible elections.
The task in implementing the reforms was given to Morgan Tsvangirai and his banded mongoose MDC friends. Mugabe presented the mongoose with a banquet of beetles, toads, etc. and they immediately forgot about the reforms.
SADC leaders told banded mongooses they should not go into the 2013 elections with no reforms in place. Mugabe dangled a few gravy train seats, juicy beetles, he knew the mongooses will find totally irresistible!
"MDC leaders were too busy enjoying themselves during the GNU, they forgot why there were there," one SADC leader told The Independent reporter in disgust at the mongooses' betrayal.
Who is correct, you asked? SADC leaders are 100% correct. There is no chance of Zimbabwe holding free, fair and credible elections as long as Zanu PF retains its dictatorial carte blanche powers to rig the vote.
Anyone who has come to the conclusion that the banded MDC mongoose will never ever implement the democratic reforms properly is 100% correct. If the mongoose failed to get even one reform implemented in five years of the GNU; when they had the power, opportunity and support of SADC and the world; it is naïve to believe they can do so without any of these!
Please tell us whether MDC failed to implement the reforms, as Mukori is saying, or they did. Mukori has never disputed when MDC was launched, for example, so why is that impartant.
The trouble with simple minded people like you is you are locked into this foolish notion that MDC can do no wrong and all those who dare criticise MDC must be Zanu PF supporters, even when there is a mountain of evidence as is the case with Mukori saying otherwise.
MDC failed to implement even one democratic reform during the GNU and that is a historic fact!
@ Temba
Being in the trenches alone means nothing as one can be in the trenches shooting the enemy, in the trenches wasting ammunition, in the trenches as a double agent, etc. The people of Zimbabwe risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders so they can bring about democratic change. They have been in the trenches for nearly 20 years now, please tell me what democratic reforms have they managed to bring in all this time?
After 20 years of blundering from pillar to post it is absolutely vital that we take a hard look at what is going on. We went through the elections in 2013 after we were warned, simpletons amongst us who did not figure it out for themselves, that the elections will be rigged. It is insane that the nation is be dragged by the same idiot into yet another election still with no reforms in place. This is exactly what Mukori has been saying and that makes a lot of sense.
Mukori has provided the way forward, we must implement the reforms BEFORE holding elections.
If what Mukori is saying is "froth no beer" then address the points he has raised and tell why you say he is wrong. To argue that he is in an air condition office and not in the trenches not addressing the points he raised.
After 38 years of utterly useless political leader from both sides of the political divide, what Zimbabwe needs right now is some individuals with some working grey stuff between their ears. For decades the nation has had to put up with the Zanu PF dogma that only Zanu PF cadre can rule the country because they have liberation war credentials and now we are being asked to do the same for MDC leaders because “they have been in the trenches!” We must dismiss both with the contempt they both deserve.
Only the Zimbabwean people in a free, fair and credible elections have the say on who will govern this nation!
In an urgent chamber application for joinder to an urgent chamber application filed by Ethel Mpezeni, a registered voter, the opposition political parties and the pro-democracy campaigners protested that they will be seriously prejudiced by the order sought by Mpezeni, who wants to bar ZEC from releasing a voters’ roll bearing voters’ photographs.
The fact still remains that if ZEC has released the voters' roll at least a month before nomination day as is demanded by law the verification would have been done and dusted by now. There are so many things wrong with this election it is impossible to see how they can be put right to make these elections free, fair and credible. The best foot forward now is to have these elections declared null and void!
Professor Chan has failed to accept that Zanu PF rigs elections, it is hard to take him as a serious intellectual given what happen in Zimbabwe in 2008!
@ Mupiwei
So, I am an idiot for pointing out that Zimbabwe is in a serious economic mess that has seen unemployment soaring to 90% and left 3/4 of our people living on US$1.00 or less a day. I am an idiot for pointing out that root cause of our economic mess is because the nation has been stuck with a corrupt and tyrannical regime that rigged elections to stay in power. I am an idiot for pointing out that the nation would have ended the Zanu PF dictatorship by now if MDC leaders had not sold-out on reforms because they are corrupt and incompetent.
You have not denied that what I have said above is true because you would not dare. You are angry with me for saying these things because you do not want them said. Well I am not here to say what you want me to say, I am here to say what must be said because it is true and, most important of all, what must be said to get this nation out of this hell-on-earth.
Of the two of us, who is the idiot? I will leave the readers to make up their own mind!
Anyone who believes Zanu PF will ever implement any meaningful reforms without being pressured to do so is naive. As long as the party knows that MDC will participate in these elections regardless how flawed the process the party will never have to worry about being pressured to implement reforms.
Ever since Zanu PF was able to bribe MDC leaders to kick the reforms into touch, the regime has never worried about MDC pushing for reforms, it has had the MDC leaders in its pocket! The sooner the ordinary Zimbabweans woke-up to the political reality that MDC are hunting with the hounds and running with the hare the sooner this nation can engage the difficult task of finding quality opposition leaders.
Anyone who believes Zanu PF will ever implement any meaningful reforms without being pressured to do so is naive. As long as the party knows that MDC will participate in these elections regardless how flawed the process the party will never have to worry about being pressured to implement reforms.
Ever since Zanu PF was able to bribe MDC leaders to kick the reforms into touch, the regime has never worried about MDC pushing for reforms, it has had the MDC leaders in its pocket! The sooner the ordinary Zimbabweans woke-up to the political reality that MDC are hunting with the hounds and running with the hare the sooner this nation can engage the difficult task of finding quality opposition leaders.
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