The window to implement reforms has closed, "2023 elections are done" and so are we - or are we W Mukori

 Zimbabwe’s opposition leaders are becoming masters at making a mountain out a molehill whilst ignoring the real challenge before the nation.

 

"We have voiced our concern about objectionable clauses. Our concerns are reasonable, our concerns are legally grounded, our concerns are sustainable, and the choice is there for the honourable minister to remove those clauses," said MDC-T leader, Douglas Mwonzora.

"Of course, we are trying dialogue to make sure that those objectionable clauses are removed. We are also against the amendment of clause 3:28, sub clause 7 of our Constitution.

"In terms of that sub-clause, if there is a need to extend a term limit for judges, that extension cannot benefit the incumbent (President). That's 1.

"It also goes on to say that if there is a need to amend that clause, that amendment can only be done via a referendum."

If any clause in the Amendment Bill No 2 can only by changed by national referendum then why did MDC’s MPs not bring this up in parliament?

My understanding is the running mate clause was suspended for 10 years in 2013, there was no referendum then. Surely Zanu PF can use the same mechanism to suspend the clause for another 10 years.

As for those criticising the MDC MPs for supporting the Amendment Bill in parliament. My understanding is that the Bill needed 2/3 majority in parliament to pass. Zanu PF, thanks to its dictatorial powers to rig elections, has 2/3 majority and so the Bill would have passed even if all the opposition MPs had objected. The critics are making a mountain out of mole hill and, worse still, they are making a farce over bolting the stable door when the horse has already bolted free.

MDC leaders deserved all criticism for failing to produce a democratic 2013 Constitution.

Paul Mangwana, the Zanu PF co-chairperson on the parliamentary committee that drafted the 2013 constitution, boasted that it was Mugabe “dictated” the new constitution. Morgan Tsvangirai, with his usual exaggerated exuberance boasted it was “MDC child!”. The very fact that the new constitution has failed to deliver free, fair and credible elections speaks volumes of whose words were hot air.

Beside drafting the new constitution, MDC leaders were also expected to implement a raft of democratic reforms to free the state institutions and existing laws from the control and corrupting influence of Zanu PF.  MDC leader failed to submit even one reform proposal in five years of the GNU. Not one!

In June 2013, SADC leaders literally begged the MDC leaders not to participate in the coming elections until some of the key democratic reforms were implemented. “In 2013 the Maputo Summit, in June 2013, before the elections, the Maputo Summit was all about having the elections postponed – the SADC summit. I went there,” Dr Ibbo Mandaza, Director of SAPES, told Journalist Violet Gonda.

“I was there at the Summit and Mugabe pretended to agree to a postponement of the elections. If you recall, the postponement was based on the need to reform at least electoral laws.

“And after that Summit, Morgan Tsvangirai, Tendai Biti, Welshman Ncube, all of them were called to a separate meeting by the Heads of State of SADC in the absence of Mugabe, that same evening. And they were told; I was sitting there outside the room with Mac Maharaj; they were told ‘if you go into elections next month, you are going to lose; the elections are done’.”

David Coltart one of the MDC ministers in the GNU admitted in his Book, The Struggle Continues 50 years of Tyranny in Zimbabwe, that boycotting the 2013 elections was indeed “the obvious” thing to do. However, MDC leaders did not boycott the flawed elections because of greed.

“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,” wrote Senator Coltart.

“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.”

By participating in the flawed and illegal elections, the MDC did not only give the electoral “process credibility” but most important of all gave the vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy.

SADC leaders had seen the flaws and illegalities in the Zimbabwe electoral process and it was obvious Zanu PF was blatantly rigging the elections, “the elections were done”, as they told the MDC leaders. But when the regional leaders were confounded with the reality of the MDC defiance, which gave the flawed process credibility and the illegitimate Zanu PF legitimacy they accepted that reality.

Five years later, 2018, the political situation on the ground had not changed; not even one token democratic reform was implemented since the 2013 elections. It was obvious Zanu PF was once again going to rig the elections.

Four of the main MDC factions plus three more opposition parties had come together to form the MDC Alliance just before the 2018 elections. Leaders like Coltart could not hide behind the excuse of “the failure to agree a coalition” to justify their participation in flawed and illegal elections. They once again failed to do the obvious thing of boycotting the flawed and illegal elections out of greed.

And so, SADC leaders were once again confounded with the reality of the MDC defiance, which gave the flawed 2018 elections process credibility and gave legitimacy to the illegitimate Zanu PF regime. This time they not only accepted that reality but endorse the flawed process. “The elections went well!” said President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa.

Zimbabwe is going to hold elections in July 2023, in just over two years from now. The country has not implemented even one token democratic reform and the window of opportunity to implement any reforms has closed. It takes three years, at least, to formulate the reforms, implement them and for the reform to be felt by the ordinary people. And so, it is certain Zanu PF will rig the 2023 elections, “the elections are done”, as SADC leaders once aptly put it.

It is as clear as day that Nelson Chamisa and his MDC A, Douglas Mwonzora and his MDC-T and all the other opposition parties and candidates who participated in the 2018 elections will, if they can, participate in the 2023 elections, flaws and all. If they did not boycotting the flawed and illegal 2018 elections, why should they do so now!

It should be said that many ordinary Zimbabweans had no idea what the 2008 to 2013 GNU was about and therefore failed to grasp the enormity of the MDC leaders’ treasonous betrayal in failing to implement the reforms and in participating in flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy.

The penny has since dropped as many Zimbabweans now see MDC leaders for the corrupt, incompetent and sell-outs they are. And, more significant, they now acknowledge the futility of participating in flawed and illegal elections.

Whilst there is very little one can do now to force Zanu PF and their MDC acolytes to postpone the 2023 elections there is a lot people can do to ensure the plebiscite is declared null and void and the vote rigging Zanu PF does not get legitimacy.

 

·        Zimbabweans must finally take this matter by the scuff of the neck; demand that there should be no elections until reforms are implemented. They must refuse to participate in political rallies, voter registration or any election activities. If the 2023 elections go ahead with no reforms then the process must be declared null and void.

 

·        SADC leaders must repeat their demand for Zimbabwe’s elections to be postponed until reforms are implemented and finally put an end 41 years and counting of rigged elections. SADC leaders have endorsed rigged elections because MDC leaders had let them down but it in doing so SADC leaders have not only punished MDC leaders but all Zimbabweans. Surely the nation cannot continue to suffer for the sins of a few.

 

·        The international community, notable the EU and the Americans, condemned the 2018 elections as having “failed to meet international standards” and produced a list of recommended democratic reforms. None of the reforms have been implemented and the international community must make it clear they will be consequences for failing to implement reforms. There must be no financial or material assistance to Zanu PF government to stage what is clearly yet another flawed and illegal election process. The vote rigging Zanu PF must not get legitimacy; saying the election “failed to meet international standards” is not enough.

MDC leaders are just wasting the nation’s time focusing on such issues as the Amendment Bill No 2; if Zanu PF rigs the 2023 elections and gets legitimacy the party will do as it pleases. Our task is to put an end to the curse of rigged elections and bad governance once and once for all.

With not even a token reform implemented the 2023 “the elections are done”! But what President Mnangagwa and his MDC cohorts must understand is that we are not done because this time they will not get legitimacy, they will not get away with rigged elections!