The Americans, the opposition and everyone who genuinely want to see an end to Zimbabwe’s curse of rigged elections and bad governance must be careful not to send mixed and confusing messages.
The 2018 elections proved, as if we needed any such proof, that it is impossible to hold free, fair and credible elections in Zimbabwe without first implementing democratic reforms. We know, for example, that 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora were denied the vote. And that ZEC failed to produce something as fundamental to democratic elections a verified voters’ roll; a legal and common-sense requirement.
It should be noted here that the law calls for the production of a verified voters’ roll at least a month before nomination day. ZEC not only failed to meet the nomination day deadline it failed to produce a verified voters’ roll for the voting day itself or thereafter. There is no verified voters’ roll in Zimbabwe! None!
“We also note the government’s selective enforcement of Covid-19 regulations to indefinitely postpone by-elections and prohibit MDC Alliance gatherings, while permitting internal elections and gatherings for the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (Zanu PF) party and its allies to go forward,” said US Department of State, according to a New Zimbabwe report.
“Zanu PF is misusing the levers of government to silence critics, neutralise opposition, and entrench its political power over the Zimbabwean people.”
The US Department was reacting to recent reports that ZEC would resume voter registration and other activities. However the holding of by-elections will remain suspended.
Are we saying it is ok to hold by-elections with no verified voters’ roll?
In less than two and half years Zimbabwe will once again go to the polls and not even one of the raft of democratic reforms has been implemented. I would rather pressure this Zanu PF regime to implement the reforms and make sure 2023 elections are free, fair and credible than waste time and resources holding fraudulent by-elections.
If Zanu PF fails to implement the reforms before the 2023 elections; millions of Zimbabweans in the diaspora are denied the vote, there is no verified voters’ roll, etc., etc.; the plebiscite must be declared null and void. We must not give Zanu PF the excuse for failing to implement the reforms.
We know that
Chamisa and his friends in the opposition camp are the ones itching for the
by-elections regardless how flawed and illegal the process happens to be. They
have participated in similar fraudulent elections in the past because they also
know that Zanu PF gives away a few gravy train seats to entice the opposition –
these they find irresistible.
Of course, Chamisa et al are selling out in participating in flawed and illegal elections giving the process credibility and the result legitimacy to feed their insatiable greed. We should be condemning these opposition opportunists and not be seen as their cheerleaders!
3 comments:
Senator Risch tweeted on Monday that Mnangagwa's government - increasingly growing authoritarian - was undermining the will of the people who voted the lawmakers into office.
"The recall of Biti and other members of parliament in Zimbabwe last week is yet another example of the systematic dismantling of the elected political opposition and subversion of the will of the Zimbabwean people," he said
Senator Risch should know that the July 2018 elections were rigged and Zanu PF has been allowing a few opposition politicians to win seat to entice them to participate in flawed and illegal elections.
The Senator should also know that Tendai Biti and the other MDC leaders were in the 2008 to 2013 GNU and they sold out by failing to implement even one reforms hence the reason the nation is still stuck with Zanu PF.
In short Tendai Biti and the rest of the recalled opposition MPs are sell-out who should never have contested the flawed July 2018 elections in the first place. We are not going to get the reforms implemented and end this curse of rigged elections as long as there are sell-out opposition opportunists willing to give Zanu PF legitimacy for a share of the spoils of power.
ZEC is supposed to produce a verified voters' roll at least one month before nomination day. Where is the verified voters' roll?
Why the opposition agreed to participate in elections without something as basic as a verified voters' roll shows just how corrupt and incompetent they are!
Why are we holding all these meaningless elections whose results are predetermined by Zanu PF? We do not want any elections until the reforms are implemented!
“What you should consider seriously and understand is that Magufuli was not fighting against the existence of the Covid-19 virus per se. Rather, against what the West is doing in Afrika, ranging from efforts to continue colonizing the continent indirectly, exploiting the natural resources for next to nothing pennies to the dollar. If you stay long in the Diaspora, your eyes get muddied and your brain gets washed and before long, you begin to think and talk like "them".
You are not the only one who welcomed Magufuli as a breath of fresh air given the decades of foul hot air coming from the likes of Robert Gabriel Mugabe.
Still, Magufuli certainly lost the plot when he failed to take the threat of corona virus with the seriousness and urgency the matter demanded. Yes, Magufuli did fight against covid-19 per se! Worst of all, the consequences of his failed leadership on the matter will have costed many people in Tanzania untold human suffering and many lives. And it is right and proper that Nomazulu and many others held him to account for this.
The trouble with some people, I am not saying this is the case here, is that they make the mistake of placing leaders on such high pedestals they view them as infallible demigods. It is no surprise that some African leaders have often viewed themselves as infallible demigods with tragic consequences as was the case with Mugabe and now Mnangagwa in Zimbabwe and in Tanzania with Magufuli.
Legend has it that as each time a conquering Emperor rod back to Rome in triumph some one would ride beside him whispering “Remember you are human!” I would not dare suggest that to Mnangagwa, he will take it as a person insult!
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