I would like to thank the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference (ZCBC) for their well thought out letter of appeal and advice on the possible way out of the present political and economic mess Zimbabwe finds itself in. The letter, entitled “Catholic Bishops urge Zanu PF and MDC to unite” is available in Bulawayo 24.
I wish to comment on a few issues the Bishops raised.
“On another note, we have also followed with surprise a concerted vilification of the Catholic Church in The Patriot following the publication of the post-elections report of the 30 July 2018 harmonised elections by the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP). In our view, the CCJP report and critical analysis of the elections was objective and factual. Fairness demands that analysis of the report, positive or negative, be challenged based on facts to the contrary and not on an imagined patriotism,” said the letter.
It was not just CCJP but all other election observers with any democratic credentials of note including the Commonwealth and EU have all condemned the July 2018 elections.
“The electoral commission lacked full independence and appeared to not always act in an impartial manner,” state the EU mission in its final report. “The final results as announced by the Electoral Commission contained numerous errors and lacked adequate traceability, transparency and verifiability. … As such, many aspects of the 2018 elections in Zimbabwe failed to meet international standards.”
It is tragic that many professionals in state institutions like Police, Army, judiciary, ZEC, etc., in civic society like the church and NGO and private sector and individuals have turned a blind eye to abuse of power including the blatant denying of individual freedoms and rights. ZEC and Con-Court’s role in last year’s rigged elections is shameful. CCJP is under fire for being objective and factual. Thank you everyone!
“Government's failure to arrest the deteriorating economic situation that has seen many companies close, many breadwinners losing their jobs, the cost of living soaring beyond the reach of the majority of people; these have been the cause of industrial unrest in the country's key service sectors, particularly Health and Education,” you said.
You have hit the nail on the head, right there! “Mabaya gudo mukanwa!” as one would say in Shona.
Worse still, Zanu PF has refused to accept its failure and has imposed itself on the nation by rigging elections to extend its corrupt and tyrannical rule. After 38 years of gross mismanagement and rampant corruption that has cause total economic meltdown forcing unemployment to soar to 90% and 3/4 of the people living on US$1.00 or less a day; it is now imperative that Zanu PF’s de facto one party dictatorship must end.
“A new Zimbabwean politics needs to be more collaborative, inclusive and based not on one or two leaders, however effective and charismatic, but rather on strong democratic institutions that embody and secure the values of our democracy, regulate our politics, build trust and administer peace, truth and justice to all,” you suggested.
The 2008 Global Political Agreement signed by Zanu PF and the two MDC factions and SA’s President Thambo Mbeki on behalf of SADC as the guarantor spelt out a raft of democratic reforms Zimbabwe needed to implement to have the new politics you described above. Sadly the parties in the GNU, Zanu PF and the two MDC factions, failed to get even one reform implemented in five years. Not one!
“We call upon Government and the Opposition to put their differences aside and work together to free Zimbabwe from economic shackles and international ostracisation. …. We hasten to say a precedent for working together between Government and Opposition was set when the Government of National Unity (GNU) was formed under similarly difficult circumstances in 2009 and Zimbabwe's economy and prospects were positively revived and only began to regress yet again from the time the GNU expired in 2013,” Bishops recommended.
Yes, Zimbabwe’s economy did revive following the 2008 GNU but regressed at the expiring of it precisely because the GNU had failed to implement even one democratic reforms designed to stop Zanu PF assuming its carte blanche dictatorial powers to rig elections, etc.
“We believe in a God of second chances, who is always offering us new opportunities,” you argued.
Just how many chances did Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends have to implement the democratic reforms during the five years of the GNU alone? Yet they failed to get even one reform implemented. Clearly it was not for want of a chance to implement the reforms. They failed to implement even one reform because Mugabe bribed them with the trappings of high office; ministerial limos, generous salaries, a $4 million mansion for Tsvangirai, etc., etc. In return, MDC leaders kicked reforms into the prickly pear thicket.
Mugabe and Zanu PF did not want any reform implemented because they did not want to lose the dictatorial powers that kept them in power.
When it comes to implementing the democratic reforms we need to end the corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship, MDC leaders have already proven that they cannot be entrusted to do this because they are corrupt, incompetent and sell-outs. They have wasted many golden opportunities already to implement the reforms it is insane to reappoint them again.
Worse still, to have MDC team up with Zanu PF in the new GNU! Zanu PF will be playing for time just as happened in the 2008 GNU!
Yes we need a new GNU but both Zanu PF and MDC must step aside to allow the appointment of technocrats who will be tasked to implement the raft of democratic reforms agreed in 2008.
“We wish to state our firm belief that Zimbabwe would easily become one of the best countries to live in on earth if only all of us, it's people, committed to living and working with each other in harmony, tolerance and peace, putting the interests of the country before selfish and political party interests. "Behold how good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity" (Ps133),” concluded the Bishops.
Amen!
It must be stated here and now, that Mnangagwa and his junta rigged last July’s elections. The regime has no democratic mandate to govern and must step down. Zanu PF’s continued stay in power must be seen for what it is - Zanu PF is holding the nation to ransom. No nation on earth can tolerate that!
9 comments:
“We have also followed with surprise a concerted vilification of the Catholic Church in The Patriot following the publication of the post-elections report of the 30 July 2018 harmonised elections by the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP). In our view, the CCJP report and critical analysis of the elections was objective and factual. Fairness demands that analysis of the report, positive or negative, be challenged based on facts to the contrary and not on an imagined patriotism,” you said.
CCJP was confirming what many other international and local elections observers had said - the July 2018 elections were “unfair and not to acceptable international standards”. The regime is trying to brow beat CCJP to falsify its report and join others who cowed down and passed the elections as free, fair an credible.
Zanu PF rigged last July’s elections and therefore the regime is illegitimate and must step down. The offer for Zanu PF to be in the GNU is nothing but a pathetic attempt to appease the regime. After 38 years of appeasing Zanu PF with the disastrous consequences we see all round it is unforgivable to continue to do the same.
Zanu PF’s continued stay in power by hook and by crook must be seen for what it is - the party is holding the nation to ransom. No nation worth its salt can permit that!
Zanu PF has dragged this nation right up to the edge of the precipice, we must not be allowed it to take nation over the edge! If there was ever a time when the people of Zimbabwe must stand firm it is now.
“While we condemn the violent behaviour of some protestors, and unlawful acts such as arson and looting, we are deeply concerned that Zimbabwe’s security forces have acted disproportionately in response. In particular, there are disturbing reports of use of live ammunition, intimidation and excessive force,” Minister of State for Africa, Harriett Baldwin, told Zimbabwe Ambassador.
“In addition, the Government of Zimbabwe shut off access to the internet on 15 and 16 January and continues to block a number of social media sites.”
Zanu PF rigged last July’s elections confident the regime will rig economic recovery; sadly, that has proven a bridge too far. The economic meltdown has pushed unemployment to soaring heights of 90% and 3/4 of the population are living on US$1.00 or less a day. The country has shortages of cash, foreign currency, fuel, food, medicine, etc. And as if life was not hard enough the regime has introduced 2% tax on all electronic transactions aimed mainly at the vendors and a nearly 300% fuel increase.
By rigging the last elections Zanu PF confirmed Zimbabwe was still a pariah state ruled by corrupt and vote rigging thugs. No investor, local or foreign, will invest in a pariah state. Zimbabwe’s economic recovery is now irrevocably linked to the nation ending the curse of rigging elections and pariah state.
This Zanu PF regime is illegitimate, the very embodiment of a pariah state, and must step down. The country needs the political time and space to implement the democratic reforms culminating in the holding of free, fair and credible elections.
The economic situation is unsustainable and the violent street protests are the only avenue the people have left to express their bottled up anger and frustration with this illegitimate regime. Zanu PF must step down now and save the nation more human misery and the consequence of escalating violence.
It is Zanu PF that is holding the nation to ransom by hanging on to power when it has no mandate to rule. Pressure must now be brought to bear on the regime to step down!
@ Andro
Was it the opposition or NGO who increased the fuel prices by nearly 300%? Was it the opposition and NGO who rigged last year's elections?
The trouble with idiotic tyrants and their apologists is you do know when the game is up and so you hunted down to the bitter end. Ian Smith was smart enough to step down when there was time for a negotiated exit; you lot will have to be smoked out of your fox-holes and shot!
Everyone who is anyone agrees that Zanu PF rigged last year's elections and in rigging the election the regime confirmed Zimbabwe was still a pariah state ruled by corrupt and vote rigging thugs. The economic meltdown has got worse because the much hoped for investors have shied away. Investors do not do business in pariah state.
The only way out now is for Zimbabwe to cast off its pariah state and only then can the nation focus of rebuilding the shuttered economy. Zanu PF must step down to allow the nation the political time and space to appoint an interim administration that will be tasked to implement the democratic reforms and culminating in the holding of free, fair and credible elections.
All pressure, local and international, must now be brought to bear on Zanu PF to step down. The regime is holding the nation to ransom and that cannot be permitted!
War veterans are know for doing Zanu PF's dirty biding in helping impose the de facto one-party dictatorship. The overwhelming majority of the war veterans are as poor as a church mouse and many have died paupers and instead of them accepting the political reality that Zanu PF's misrule is the root cause of the country's economic ruin they still bury their heads in the sand and continue to support the dictatorship.
For 37 years Mugabe has looted and promise to make the war veterans equally rich but have instead got progressively poorer. Now Mnangagwa is doing the same and the war veterans are foolishly going along.
Blaming the MDC for the on going street protests is the most foolish thing to say. Was it MDC who increased the fuel price by nearly 300%? Was it MDC that told Mnangagwa to rig last year's elections?
War veterans are a brainwashed lot whose utterings must be dismissed with the contempt they rightly deserve.
Credible reports show that the state carefully organised ZANU PF youths, who would infiltrate the mass stayaways and loot a few shops for their personal benefit. These were not paid and were told that the loot would be their salary.
Secondly, the Genocidal former Fifth Brigade military personnel of the Gukurahundi fame were deployed in uniform to residential areas whereupon they would use North Korean repression tactics. This large group was deployed nationally and was supplied with heavy drugs.
In and around the areas of demonstrations automatic gun wielding Presidential Guards were deployed, ununiformed to do the killings, while avoiding identification as soldiers. This means victims would not know a killer was around until there are hit. These tactics are not allowed even in active war zones. This group was sober and is more closely linked to Mnangagwa than Chiwenga.
There is no doubt that having blatantly rigged last year’s elections this Zanu PF regime will try to hang on to power by hook and by crook. These Zanu PF thugs are not smart enough to know they have failed and they should allow a peaceful change. They are going to hang on to power to the bitter end, just like other tyrannical dictators like Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein.
Zimbabwe had it golden opportunity to end the Zanu PF dictatorship peacefully during the 2008 GNU; MDC leaders had five years to implement the democratic reforms. They failed to get even one reform implemented and now the nation is paying dearly for this betrayal.
Dr N Sibanda has theories about how Zanu PF using all manner of dirty tricks to stay in power but has never honoured us with an explanation why MDC failed to implement even one reform. If MDC leaders are corrupt and incompetent then why are they still on the political stage and, worse still, wants to stay in power.
This comes as organisers of the demonstrations gave Mnangagwa a 30-day ultimatum, by which he should have drafted a framework for negotiations, or face a “tsunami” of more mass protests.
The groups, which organised the total business shutdown, vowed to continue with sustained protests despite the government’s heavy-handed approach in crushing dissent.
Zanu PF rigged last year’s elections and any settlement seeking to appease these Zanu PF thugs by allowing them to remain in office will get the nation nowhere. If there was a time when the nation needed to be focused and resolute it is now.
Zanu PF has dragged the nation right up to the very edge of the abyss and one false move and the nation will tumble over into the abyss. The solution we propose now must be foolproof and sure footed.
Zanu PF has failed it must step down and so too must MDC. The nation needs the political space and time to appoint an interim administration that will be tasked to implement the democratic reforms in preparation to the holding of free, fair and credible elections. Zimbabwe cannot afford yet another 2008 GNU which failed to get even one reform implemented.
Any attempts by both Zanu PF and MDC to hang on to power must be seen for what it is - holding the nation to ransom and no nation should ever tolerate that nonsense, particularly from individuals whose incompetence and corruption are the root cause of this mess.
@ Msipa
Here we go again! For decades we heard that Mugabe needs a proper team because those saying did not have the guts to admit Mugabe was a corrupt and murderous tyrant who had to go. Mnangagwa has blundered from pillar to post proof he is just another brain-dead tyrant who should not be allowed to stay in power for even one more day!
"Mnangagwa needs a proper team!" What foolishness is this!
“The West Collapsed Our Currency,” Mnangagwa tells his Belarus counterpart.
Every thinking Zimbabwean will hang their head in shame to hear this. Was it the west who forced Zimbabwe to print money fuelling the country's hyper-inflation which peak at 500% billion with the scrapping of Z$?
Mnangagwa had made a concerted effort to fix the country's economy when he took over from Mugabe over a year ago. All his efforts have come to naught. By rigging last July's elections, Mnangagwa told the world Zimbabwe was still a pariah state ruled by corrupt, incompetent and vote rigging thugs. The world responded by shying away from investing in the country. Without the much needed direct investment to kick-start the comatose economy and with the corruption still raging on Zimbabwe's economy had no chance of any meaningful recovery.
Instead of Mnangagwa acknowledge he has failed he is resorting to the same foolishness of Mugabe of blaming the West for the nation's economic misfortune. No one, not even himself, much less his world audience, believes any of these feeble excuses.It is utterly foolish to keep repeating a lie which everyone knows is a lie!
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