“It's better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt,” said Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known to many by his pen name Mark Twain, a renowned American novelist and humorist.
“Wadzi pakata hwamanda, hauna kudzi ridza!” (You have been asked to carry the bugle horn, not to play it!) as the Shona would say.
There is no denying that Zimbabwe is in a serious economic mess with the economy in total economic meltdown and equally serious political paralysis with both the ruling party and opposition parties clueless as what to do. Some people have taken it into their stupid heads that the country needs political dialogue and been blowing the bugle horn to add to the cacophony of mind numbing noise.
“The people are suffering. The current situation should bring everybody on board,” said Manase, the young brother of the late MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai.
“It was not the dream of Morgan Tsvangirai to see the people suffering. That is why after defeating Mugabe in March 2008, he accepted to enter into a unity government (GNU) with him to save people from suffering. He was a selfless leader who put people first in all his decisions.”
Shocking that over a decades since the signing of the Global Political Agreement in 2008 and with the benefit of hindsight of what happened here is someone who still has no clue that the primary purpose of the GNU was to implement the democratic reforms to stop Zanu PF rigging elections.
Of course, Manase must have known that his brother, Morgan, was the MDC presidential candidate in 2013, the first elections post the GNU, and that he once again lost the election to Robert Mugabe. Mugabe rigged the elections because MDC failed to implement the reforms.
By failing to implement even one democratic reform in five years of the GNU, Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends sold-out big time because the allowed Mugabe to keep the Zanu PF dictatorship. The country is in this economic mess and political paralysis because Zimbabwe is a pariah state ruled by corrupt, incompetent and murderous tyrants.
The proposed dialogue between Mnangagwa and Chamisa will result in a power sharing arrangement in which Zanu PF will maintain its 2/3 majority in parliament. There is no way this parliament will ever approve any meaningful reforms to end the curse of rigged elections.
Zanu PF will never ever reform itself out of office.
During the 2008 to 2013 GNU MDC would have got the reforms implemented because MDC had the majority in parliament and had SADC’s backing, the regional body was the guarantor of the GPA.
So unless the power sharing arrangement between Mnangagwa and Chamisa will result in the implementing of the reforms, it is a waste of time. Given the seriousness of the country’s economic crisis and the tragic human suffering and deaths it is causing; the country cannot afford another time wasting gimmick.
“Implement the reforms” is one of the most commonly used phrase in Zimbabwe in the last 12 years. If Manase Tsvangirai has failed to comprehend what it means, that is clearly the case, then he should just shut up and not be telling the world just how stupid he is!
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The trouble here is that some people have never understood what the true purpose of the GNU was, even now with all the benefit of hindsight they still have no clue. The true purpose of the GNU was to implement the reforms and stop Zanu PF rigging the elections. Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends failed to get even one reform implemented in five years of the GNU when the party had the golden opportunities to do this.
The people have continued to suffer during the GNU and since precisely because MDC failed to implement the democratic reforms designed to stop Zanu PF rigging elections.
If you do not know what you are talking about, you Manase Tsvangirai has clearly failed to understand what the GNU was about, then please shut up and not to be telling the world how stupid you are by opening your trap!
Sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by western countries cannot stop international businesses from investing in this country, French Ambassador to Zimbabwe Richard Boidin has said.
“You may hear sanctions this, sanctions that, but the truth of the matter is they do not stop any company from investing. Companies are after profit that is the main thing they pursue anywhere around the world,” said Boidin.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Zanu PF have blamed sanctions for the poor state of the economy but the opposition and western governments have insisted on corruption and reluctance institute political reforms as the stumbling block to foreign direct investment.
The government has also escalated its anti-sanctions fight to SADC and the African Union who have also joined the chorus in denouncing the embargo.
Zanu PF has failed to explain why the rest of the world is not investing in Zimbabwe, there are no sanctions to stop them.
Zimbabwe is a pariah state and it is notoriously difficult to do business in a pariah state with or without sanctions!
The last GNU failed to implement even one meaningful reforms and this one will do no better. All Chamisa is fishing for is gravy train seats, cabinet posts, for himself and a few MDC leaders. Zimbabweans will be foolish to fall for this.
Both Zanu PF and MDC must go. We want a new GNU, yes, but the two parties are no play no part this time!
Of course, Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends sold-out big time during the GNU by failing to implement even one token reform. The very fact that there are thousands, if not millions of Zimbabweans who still do not know this going to show how ill informed the Zimbabwe electorate are. It is little wonder the politicians have committed murder in broad day and got away with it every time. An ill informed electorate will never hold the leaders to account!
Of course, Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends sold-out big time during the GNU by failing to implement even one token reform. The very fact that there are thousands, if not millions of Zimbabweans who still do not know this going to show how ill informed the Zimbabwe electorate are. It is little wonder the politicians have committed murder in broad day and got away with it every time. An ill informed electorate will never hold the leaders to account!
Morgan Tsvangirai and many of his fellow MDC leaders have never understood that the GNU was about implementing the reforms. Yes the trappings of high office did help them forget about the reforms but that was only to be 100% certain. One has only to ask them the process of implementing the reforms and it is clear they have no clue what you are asking.
Our friend Manase Tsvangirai is a simpleton, even now with hindsight, he still has no idea what the reforms are about much less what they have to do with good governance. I agree, people like him must accept their limits and should not be commenting on matters they do not understand.
We do not need another dialogue leading to another Zanu PF and MDC GNU!
We Will Fix Our Country This Year -Chamisa
Any reason why you did not implement even one reform during the 2008 to 2013 GNU when you had the golden opportunity to do so?
“MDC has stringent measures to stop Zanu PF rigging elections” you boasted before the 2018 elections. What happened?
You are like Mnangagwa and his vision 2030 with its promise of upper middle income status and yet all income indicators show the nation is sinking deeper and deeper into the economic abyss. MDC keeps promising to end Zanu PF oppression and yet the party is doing everything to keep Zanu PF in power!
MDC had the best chance ever to end the Zanu PF dictatorship during the 2008 to 2013 GNU; you wasted the chance and now you are content winning the few seats Zanu PF gives away. You are fishing for a cabinet post in the Mnangagwa government. MDC will never stop Zanu PF rigging elections, never!
Speaking Friday to hundreds of party supporters at Mucheke Hall in Masvingo where the party was celebrating two years since the death of founding leader Morgan Tsvangirai, Chamisa suggested his party may boycott the 2023 elections.
“Zanu PF should accept they rigged the 2018 harmonised elections. If they do (not) accept that, we might not take part in the 2023 elections until the 2018 elections dispute is resolved,” he said.
This is just the usual nonsense from MDC! We are back to “No reform, no elections!” MDC participated in the elections with no reforms!
Zanu PF is going to amend the constitution to create the post of “Leader of the opposition party and shadow ministers” who will be entitled to cabinet post salary and allowances. Any one who believes MDC will boycott the elections will be naive!
“The way forward is for me and you to organise our country. The whole country should be prepared. We don’t want to reach May or June before we have dealt with these issues. Mnangagwa won’t lead this country after that,” Chamisa said.
Last year we were told something big was coming in May, nothing happened. Next, we were promised the rolling demos until Mnangagwa goes, they did not even last a week. The nation was told to expect fireworks on 21 January 2020, again nothing happened. Now the mirage has been moved to May/June! There is no doubt that MDC has no clue what to do!
“Tinotenda dzamwa dzasvera nebedzi!”
@Tshombe
“If MDC boycott the election, they will become irrelevant as other parties will win a seat here and 2 seats there.”
This is a nonsense argument - with no beginning and no end.
You boycott elections because the process is so flawed and illegal the result is not a reflection of the democratic wishes of the electorate.
If you are participating in the elections to win the few seats that Zanu PF is giving away as bait, then it is another matter; you do not worry about the elections being rigged.
MDC leaders had the opportunity to implement the reforms during the GNU and they failed to get even one reform implemented proof they did not care about elections being rigged. SADC leaders warned Tsvangirai and company not to take part in the 2013 elections without implementing the reforms. They ignored the warning because they were after the few seats Zanu PF was giving as bait.
Do you really think SADC leaders and the world at large would not have noticed if the opposition boycotted the elections and Zanu PF had its own agents contesting as opposition?
How has MDC participating in rigged election helped the nation?
@ Mikis 4 sure
Tsvangirai boycotted the June 2008 elections and Mugabe won the run-off but not even SADC and the AU accept the his victory. In the end Mugabe was forced to accept the GNU.
Mnangagwa would have been declared illegitimate if the opposition had not participated giving the process credibility. Chamisa is withholding of the presidential only because he is fishing for a cabinet post or two from Mnangagwa.
“Mbeki — who helped to broker the stability-inducing 2008 government of national unity between former opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and ex-president Robert Mugabe, who are both late — was in the country last December to try and nudge Mnangagwa and Chamisa to hold direct talks.”
The Daily News may have its own agenda but it must respect historic facts. The 2008 Global Political Agreement was about implementing the democratic reforms so that the blatant vote rigging and wanton violence that had marred Zimbabwe’s 2008 elections will not be repeated. In 2013 it was clear that none of the reforms were implemented and SADC leaders moved to try to get the 2013 elections postponed until reforms were in place. Sadly MDC leaders ignore the warning.
The failure to get even one reform implemented was a disaster for SADC and Zimbabwe, it is nonsense to suggest the GNU brought stability.
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