"So honoured to be in Germany, Berlin to attend the Germany Social Democratic Party SPD conference together with the ANC and Chama Cha Mapinduzi. Also had high profile meetings with the Germany government on governance, Trade and development. The future is exciting. The goodwill is amazing!” Twittered Nelson Chamisa looking as snug as a bug!
The EU had a very strong team, the strongest, of 246 individual to observe Zimbabwe’s last year elections. Like so many other observer teams from democratic nations, the EU team dismissed the elections as a farce.
“The electoral commission lacked full independence and appeared to not always act in an impartial manner. The final results as announced by the Electoral Commission contained numerous errors and lacked adequate traceability, transparency and verifiability,” stated the EU Mission final report.
“Finally, the restrictions on political freedoms, the excessive use of force by security forces and abuses of human rights in the post-election period undermined the corresponding positive aspects during the pre-election campaign. As such, many aspects of the 2018 elections in Zimbabwe failed to meet international standards.”
The vote rigging was so blatant that 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora were denied the vote. ZEC failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters’ roll for Pete’s sake. And yet Zimbabwe’s opposition parties led by the MDC Alliance, led by Mr Nelson Chamisa, still participated in the elections regardless of the glaring flaws and illegalities.
The EU, the Commonwealth and everyone else’s damning reports of the election did not count for much because Zanu PF was able to turn around and point to Zimbabwe’s crowded political field. There were 23 presidential candidates alone!
We all know why Zimbabwe’s opposition parties and candidates have been contesting these election knowing fully well that Zanu PF was rigging the elections - GREED. The opposition knows that Zanu PF would give away a few gravy train seats during the elections and it is these opposition candidates were after.
“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 David Coltart, an MDC leader, 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.”
Four of the main MDC factions did find each other to form the MDC Alliance before the 2018 elections and still they participated in last year’s elections knowing fully well that doing so undermines the national cause of fighting for free, fair and credible elections.
It is not enough to call on Zanu PF to implement democratic reforms, better still pressure the party by imposing sanctions; whilst saying nothing to MDC A, worse still rewarding Nelson Chamisa et al with brownie points; this will not change anything. We need to pressure both the vote rigging Zanu PF leaders and the MDC leaders for their part in giving the rigged elections credibility.
It takes two to tango, this is certainly the case in Zimbabwe’s muddy political waters.
6 comments:
I agree! Zimbabweans should take an active interest in what is going on and make an informed vote tomorrow. Coming from a country which has yet to hold its first free, fair and credible elections Zimbabweans must therefore cherish the opportunity to do so and, one hopes, will campaign with renewed determination to see Zimbabwe end the curse of rigged elections.
I believe the Conservatives will not only get the Brexit done and allow this country to move on but will also be decisive in other matters. Labour is still wishy-washy on Brexit and I believe they will be in others matters too. No the Conservatives have my vote!
Both Jeremy and Boris became leaders of their parties after some serious in house competition there was no such thing in the selection of both Mnangagwa and Chamisa in Zimbabwe and it shows. In Zimbabwe we really must dismantle the present dysfunctional political system which has allowed corrupt and incompetent individual to get into power only they needed is to be a thug!
When elections are going to be rigged who cares what promises parties make during the campaign or what policies the implementation once in power; the imaginary voters will vote for Zanu PF and are guaranteed to approved the policies!
Well, may the better party win tomorrow! If it does not, the electorate will have a chance to boot the party out next time - in five years (not 37 years, with the help of a gun to the head , but even then one swap one dictator for another).
A hard working and diligent person Chamisa became ICT Minister during the inclusive government. The media judged him “Minister of the Year “twice.
If Chamisa was such a diligent minister during the GNU then please explain why he failed to submit even one democratic reform proposal in five years and yet this was the most important task MDC leaders were asked to do?
@ Eddie Cross
You are right, it is a wish-list with no snowball in hell of coming true!
There will be no meaningful economic recovery in Zimbabwe until we address the curse of corrupt and rigged elections!
For the last two years you have been Minister Mthuli Ncube and President Mnangagwa's number cheer-leader applauding the two at every turn and making outrageous recovery predictions that have not materialised! Zimbabweans need to face up to the tough choices and stop this foolishness that we can still be a prosperous nation and still be a pariah state. The two are mutually exclusive!
n America, no one, absolutely no one is above the law!
If Zimbabwe was a heathy and functioning democracy then Mnangagwa would have never been president he would have been send to Chikurubi years ago for his role in the Gukurahundi for a start.
Even if people had given him a chance for a clean start after the November 2017 military coup; he would have been impeached for rigging the 2018 elections, shooting the protestors on 1 st August 2018, etc.! In just his two years in power his articles of impeachment is already several pages long!
I agree 100% that Chamisa’s repeated calls for “comprehensive democratic reforms” is but the growling of cats making love and only the naive and gullible would still take for MDC fighting for free, fair and credible elections. If MDC cared about reforms then why did the party fail to get even one reform implemented during the 2008 to 2013 GNU?
Chamisa himself dismissed those of us who said the opposition should not take part in last year’s elections without reforms. “MDC has stringent measures to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections,” he said.
“Also had high profile meetings with the Germany government on governance,” he is telling us now. No doubt his demands for comprehensive reforms was central to MDC’s virtuoso good governance. And no one in the Germany government delegation had the intellectual insight to ask him why MDC participated in last year’s elections without even something as basic as a verified voters’ roll, a legal requirement in Zimbabwe electoral law.
It is bad enough that we have naive and gullible Zimbabwe electorate but it is down right frustrating that nationals from well established democratic nations pretend not to see the deceitful machinations of upstarts like Chamisa.
Of course, the Germans know Chamisa and company are corrupt, incompetent and utterly useless; they pretend Zimbabwe is incapable of doing any better, just patronising. Some of us are fighting for a democratic Zimbabwe and the last thing we want is being patronised.
Self exiled former Cabinet Minister, Professor Jonathan Moyo has dropped a bombshell claiming that President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Presidential Advisory Council (PAC) has been hit by absenteeism with the bulk of members no-longer attending routine meetings save for a few who are in it for patronage.
The 26-member PAC was set up in January this year by president Emmerson Mnangagwa to advise and assist him in formulating key economic policies and strategies that advance his highly popularised Vision 2030.
PAC, just like POLAD, is a super numeral body with no constitutional basis and no democratic accountability. Mnangagwa has a 26 member cabinet supported by the expert in government and beyond, why does he need a parallel PAC doing exactly what cabinet is meant to do?
One third of the MPs are from the opposition camp and it is their constitutional duty to criticise and scrutinise government activities. Mnangagwa wants the opposition to air their views in POLAD for his ears alone.
Mugabe was a control freak but so is Mnangagwa. He is undermining the country’s constitutional institutions by creating parallel ones which are answerable to him and him alone. All those who have agreed to be in PAC and POLAD have joined out of greed, they know they are meant to serve no useful purpose other than message Mnangagwa’s ego and undermine democratic governance. They are all paid and paid well for selling-out and that is the only reason they agreed to join.
Mugabe used to pay cabinet member $1 000 for attending cabinet meeting; Mnangagwa should do the same and cabinet, PAC and POLAD meetings will be well attended, after all they are all in it for the money.
Both Mugabe and Mnangagwa have never had a problem recruiting Zimbabwean professionals ready and willing to prop up the Zanu PF dictatorship in whatever role the the dictator asked. We certainly have more than our fair share, per capita, of sell-outs and little wonder the country is in a real mess!
Post a Comment