Thucydides' "something is not quite fair" with elections - is no licence to rigging P Guramatunhu

One of the things that has helped to drag us into the economic and political mess we are in as a nation is our failure to distinguish the wood from the trees, the trivial from the important, lies and wishful thinking from facts and reality. The situation is made a hell-lot worse when there is no freedom of expression and freed media. The individual is bombarded, day and night, with lies and propaganda for the purpose of complete brainwash the citizenry; lies and wishful thinking become the new facts and reality. It is little wonder Zimbabwe is a mess!

"In a democracy, someone who fails to get elected to office can always console himself with the thought that there was something not quite fair about it," remarked Thucydides, a respected Athenian historian and army general,” wrote Gibson Nyikadzino. 

“In any election, the minority are always a victim of the democratic process. This is the way democracies really work and Zimbabwe is no exception to that in reality. Those that deny the existence of a democracy, aptly put, losers, are often forgetful that there is no second place in politics, hence when they face defeat, they blame the electoral process using Thucydides' words that "there was something not quite fair about it".”

What Nyikadzino has failed to grasp here is that Zimbabwe’s election was not a democratic process. How can this be a free, fair and credible elections when there was no free public media so the electorate had an opportunity to study for themselves what each of the candidate stood for? 2 to 3 million potential voters were denied the vote because they were in the diaspora. ZEC failed to produce a clean and verified voters’ roll so only the authorities know how many of the 4.5 million cast ballots were from real voters whilst the rest were ghost voters.  

Zanu PF has been rigging elections ever since the country gain her independence in 1980. It is a history fact that Zanu PF did not withdraw all its freedom fighters as agreed in the Lancaster House agreement for the sole purpose of intimidating the electorate and its political opponents, for example. So the 1980 election was more about stopping the civil war, Zanu PF had warned that if the party lost the war would continue, than electing leaders freely.  

“Thucydides' view is proof in an opposition context that Mr Nelson Chamisa has for a long time been exhibiting. The losing MDC-Alliance presidential candidate has denied everything democratic in Zimbabwe,” continue Nyikadzino.

“The continued rejection of presidential results, the denial of the Constitutional Court ruling and his blind eye to the reality that the progressives are moving ahead are signals to his evaporating "legacy". When people embrace change, they ought to be careful and diligent about the decisions they make, because the political path is highly spiked with thorns.”

Poor Nyikadzino, he is trying hard to give his nonsensical diatribe credibility by clothing it in a democratic cloak! No amount of distortions and lies will ever turn Mnangagwa’s corrupt, tyrannical Zimbabwe, a pariah state, into Thucydides free and democratic Greece. The two nations are poles apart.

There was order, freedom and rule of law in Thucydides’ Greece and the Athenians paid meticulous attention to detail. This was the golden age of Greece! In Zimbabwe chaos rules the roost, we have failed to benefit from the 2 500 years of human development and progress that separate us from the ancient Greeks. Thucydides was a wise and just man unlike the buffoons and thugs ruling in Zimbabwe today.  

The blunder Nelson Chamisa made was to agree to participate in these elections with no democratic reforms in place. “MDC has stringent measures to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections!” he claimed.

It is now self-evident Chamisa was lying as Zanu PF has blatantly rigged these election. MDC leaders are their golden chances to implement the democratic reforms during the GNU; they failed to get even one reform implemented in five years because the sold-out.

It is therefore not a matter of consoling oneself that "there was something not quite fair about” Zimbabwe’s elections. We know the elections were rigged, the evidence is there, a mountain of it. And to ignore the evidence and the facts is down-right foolish!

Detail matters! Detail is everything!

Only a dim-wit like Gibson Nyikadzino, masquerading as an intellectual, would confuse chaos for order, tyranny for democracy, a rigged election for a free and fair elections. Thucydides was a wise and just man unlike the corrupt, vote rigging thug Mnangagwa; one cannot compare the two, the latter is not even fit to untie Thucydides’ sandals – he will steal them!

"ED is Mugabe mark 2!" - skunk is out, UK want it doused with GNU, Chanel 5 perfume

There are certain events which, on their own would not even be noticed, assume ginormous significance because of the circumstance under which they take place. The last straw that broke the camel’s back!

In Hans Christian Andresen’s fable The Emperor’s New Clothes it was the little child that cried out, "But he isn't wearing anything at all!" who forced everyone to admit what everyone knew was true but too foolish to admit. After nearly a month of avoiding to give their finally verdict on Zimbabwe’s recent elections, it took the British MP, Kate Hoey, to spell out what everyone else had witnessed but did not want to be the first to say it. She did not mince her words, the elections were NOT free, fair and credible.  

“Without doubt the election has been cleverly rigged but even worse is the fact that it is the military that is behind the regime and they are now unleashing a similar fear and terror campaign on leading opposition activists and curbing all protests by killing and arresting innocent Zimbabweans,” she wrote in her article in Zimeye.

“The courage and self-sacrifice of the Zimbabwean people is humbling to behold. We, in the international community cannot accept the result of the election and the UK government must take a lead to ensure that the Zimbabwean government is seen for what it is a mark 2 Mugabe regime and one that deserves no support whatsoever.”

The elections were rigged, Mnangagwa is Mugabe mark 2 and the international community must not support his regime. The genie is out of the bottle and there is no putting it back.

“Despite the denials in the officialdom, the European Union (EU) and the British government seem to be succeeding in mellowing protagonists in the Zimbabwe crisis and nudging them towards some form of a unity government,” reported Bulawayo 24.

“The international media first leaked reports of the talks mid this month, which were later corroborated by the Daily News.

“The EU and the UK, it would appear, want President Emmerson Mnangagwa's government to officially recognise the MDC Alliance - Zimbabwe's main opposition party - in exchange for international recognition, which is critical in unlocking economic aid and access to financial institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

“As part of the arrangement, this could see Zimbabwe adopting the British parliamentary system, where the leader of the opposition and his chief whip are paid by the State.”

If this is indeed true then this is nothing more than EU and UK conspiring to administer sugar coating pill to the long suffering people of Zimbabwe.

If these western nations accept that the elections were rigged then they must accept that this Mnangagwa regime, “Mugabe mark 2”, as MP Hoey rightly called it, is corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical and all it cares about is retaining absolute power at all cost, as it has just proven by rigging the elections. The addition of the equally corrupt and incompetent MDC leaders to the regime will change nothing.

Zanu PF and MDC leaders worked together before in the 2008 to 2013 GNU. They tasked to implement a raft of democratic reforms designed to stop the blatant vote rigging and wanton violence the nation was subjected to in 2008. After five years they failed to get even one reform implemented. It is naïve to believe the same protagonist will do any better.

If there is no guarantee that the 2023 will not be blatantly rigged as happened this year; then, what is the purpose of this GNU other than securing ministerial limos and fancy job titles for MDC leaders.

President Mnangagwa promised to hold free, fair and credible elections this year. He was told that he needed to implement the democratic reforms agreed at the onset of the last GNU, but he refused to do so. He failed to deliver free and fair elections.

After 38 years of rigged elections and the nation is serious economic and political trouble, Zimbabwe must face up to this problem of rigged elections and act decisively. Mugabe mark 2 must be told in no uncertain terms that he must step aside and allow the nation to appoint others who can be trusted to implement the democratic reforms and finally get the nation out of this hell hole.

A Zanu PF and MDC GNU is NOT a sugar coated placebo! We already know the politicians from both sides of the political divide are not interested in implementing any democratic reforms. They failed to get even one reform implemented in five years of the 2008 GNU.

A Zanu PF and MDC GNU is NOT a sugar coated painkiller! The international investor know that Zanu PF rigged these elections and will remain the dominant partner in this fudged political marriage of convenience. They know Zanu PF will rig the next elections just as readily as they rigged this year’s elections. Zimbabwe is a pariah state and no investors want to do business with thugs.

A Zanu PF and MDC GNU is certain NOT a sugar coated cure! The presence of Chamisa and a few MDC leaders not transform the Zanu PF dictatorship into a competent and democratic anything!

So the Zanu PF and MDC GNU the EU and UK are proposing is nothing more than a sugar coated sedative! The West would want the ordinary Zimbabweans to believe the GNU will solve the nation’s problems of bad governance and make them suffer in silence. The GNU will serve the West the blushes of  having to deal with the vote rigging Zanu PF without being seen as done something to tame the thugs; the GNU will be dousing the Zanu PF skunk with Chanel 5 perfume – it kill the stench, at least for a short while!  

"Mnangagwa is mark 2 Mugabe and deserves no support" say UK MP - Hallelujah! Amen! P Guramatunhu

If President Mnangagwa was beginning to feel that he had blatantly rigged the elections and going to get away with it he has just had a very rude wake-up call. British MP Kate Hoey has spelt it in plain English that Zanu PF rigged the elections.

“Without doubt the election has been cleverly rigged but even worse is the fact that it is the military that is behind the regime and they are now unleashing a similar fear and terror campaign on leading opposition activists and curbing all protests by killing and arresting innocent Zimbabweans,” she wrote.

If the truth be told Zanu PF counted on the sheer incompetence and greed of Zimbabwe’s opposition politicians than the cleverness of President Mnangagwa et al to rig these elections. There was simply no excuse for the opposition to go into these elections without something as basic as a verified voters’ roll, for example. They did because they knew that Zanu PF was giving away a few gravy train seats in these elections, to entice the opposition to participate regardless how flawed and illegal the process got.  

“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,” confessed MDC Senator David Coltart in his book. 

“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.”

Three of the main MDC factions did come together to form the MDC Alliance but that did not stop them, once again, go after the bait gravy train seats on offer. As expected Zanu PF won its landslide 2/3 majority and a few of the opposition leaders like Tendai Biti and David Coltart won the bait seats. Biti and company are over the moon and do not care that these rigged elections only means another five more years of the same corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF to the ordinary Zimbabweans out there.

It should be remember that the MDC leaders wasted the golden opportunities during the GNU to implement the democratic reforms designed to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections. They failed to implement ever one reform in five years. Not one! 

“The courage and self-sacrifice of the Zimbabwean people is humbling to behold. We, in the international community cannot accept the result of the election and the UK government must take a lead to ensure that the Zimbabwean government is seen for what it is a mark 2 Mugabe regime and one that deserves no support whatsoever,” concluded MP Hoey.

Could not agree with MP Hoey more! 

The international community must now move swiftly to impose the targeted sanctions on President Mnangagwa, his junta friends and all those such as ZEC and Con-Court judges who played their part in rigging the elections and/or in trying to hide the evidence. The sanctions must be extended to include the opposition politicians like Tendai Biti and David Coltart who wasted many golden opportunities to end the Zanu PF dictatorship because they have been running with the hare but hunting with the Zanu PF hounds!

PM May praised ED for "inquiry into violence" and refused to praise rigged elections P Guramatunhu

No fewer than 50 nations or institution were in Zimbabwe to observe the country’s recent elections. President Mnangagwa promised to hold free, fair and credible elections, a far cry from what happened. Many nations have not yet produced their official reports on the elections; their silence has said volumes, it is now nearly a month since voting day. One notable exception was China who gave their thumbs up but then what do they know about free, fair and credible elections!

The British Prime Minister, Mrs Theresa May, who is visiting SA, chose to speak about President Mnangagwa’s promise to investigate the wanton violence following the street protests in Harare on 1^st August. When she was pressed on the recent elections, she again pointedly avoided answering the question.

"The President is an elected President, and he is making an important step in saying he is setting up a commission of inquiry into what has happened in relation to the violence,” said British Prime Minister, Mrs Theresa May. She was speaking on SA’s eNCA television. 

"I think that is a very important signal from him about the Zimbabwe he wants to see for the future, and the Zimbabwe that is taking opportunities for the future of its people."

It is the reaction of the Zanu PF apologists that has been telling.  

"Our elections were free, fair and credible, which no one in his/her rightful mind can criticise and the legitimacy of the election of President Mnangagwa can, therefore, not be questioned," said political analyst Mr Gabriel Chaibva, in a Chronicle report.

The guilty need no accuser! Chaibva is fuming and frothing at the mouth defending an indefensible position!

Like everyone else, PM May would have been astonished to hear that ZEC failed to produce a clean and verified voters’ roll, for example; a must have in any election and a legal requirement in Zimbabwe. She then heard of 16 polling stations in which two or more neighbouring stations had exactly the same number of ballots cast and President Mnangagwa had received exactly the same votes.

One does not need a degree in mathematics or anything to know these were bussed voters casting multiple votes. The reason why ZEC had refused to release a verified voters’ roll is immediately obvious, it would have been the smoking gun to the blatant vote rigging taking place!

Even if nations like Britain never come out and openly condemn the flawed and illegal elections in Zimbabwe, choosing to dwell on the side issues such as the 1^st August violence; their silence has said it all. The foreign investors and lenders KNOW the elections were rigged.

Zimbabwe needs the investors to kick start her comatose economy. President Mnangagwa has underline this with his all out “Zimbabwe is open for business!” carrion call. Sadly, the much hoped for flood of investors will never happen because investors do not do business in pariah state ruled by vote rigging thugs!

The investors will never be fooled into believing Zimbabwe is a democracy when they can see with their own eyes the blatant vote rigging and thuggery!

The Zanu PF junta may well have gotten away with calling last November’s military coup a “military assisted transition” but it is not getting away with calling a blatantly rigged election “free, fair and credible!”

You can fool the blind on fufu (cassava or yam) but not on chilli in the relish dish.