"Zimbabwe is one of UK's 30 human rights priority countries" - above all, help end curse of rigged election W Mukori

The British government has once again restated its commitment to human rights and good governance in Zimbabwe.

"We remain seriously concerned about the human rights situation in Zimbabwe. It is one of the UK's 30 human rights priority countries globally," said Lord Tariq Mahmood Ahmad, UK Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

"On February 1, 2021, the UK announced new sanctions against four Zimbabwean security sector chiefs for serious human rights violations. We are concerned at the high rates of gender-based violence which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 response, including reports of harassment by police officers enforcing COVID-19 lockdown laws. In an effort to safeguard women's rights, we spent £3 470 000 in 2020/21 to support the work of civil society organisations working to tackle gender-based violence."

This is welcome news to every thinking Zimbabwean out there.

The root cause of Zimbabwe’s seemingly never ending economic and political crisis is the country’s failure to hold free, fair and credible elections. The country is gearing up for the 2023 elections and there is an opportunity to break the cycle of rigged election, bad governance, political oppression and grinding economic poverty and despair. The country will never accomplish of substance until we cure ourselves of the curse of rigged elections.

Zimbabwe had it best opportunity ever to implement the democratic reforms and end the curse of rigged elections during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. Sadly, MDC leaders, the GNU partner the task of implementing the reforms fell, failed to get even one reform implemented.

The SADC leaders, who were the guarantor of the political agreement that gave birth to the GNU, advised Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends to have the 2013 elections postponed until reforms were implemented. Sadly, MDC leaders once again paid no heed.

Boycotting and/or postponing the elections rather than participating only to give legitimacy to the vote rigging Zanu PF was sound advice back in June 2013 and it is still sound advice today. There really is no point in participating in an election process so flawed and illegal the regime failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters’ roll.

Free, fair and credible elections is not just a basic human right, it is the essence of good governance and our ticket to ending the curse of bad governance, economic meltdown and the political oppression.

Whilst there is no chance of getting any democratic reforms implemented now, just over two years to the July 2023 election or of getting MDC and the rest in the opposition camp to boycott the 2023. Still, the British and the rest of the international community can bear pressure to bear on both Zanu PF and MDC leaders to end this cycle of flawed, illegal and meaningless elections by:

·        reminding Zimbabwe’s errant politicians of the need to implement democratic reforms to ensure free, fair and credible elections.

 

·        Stop funding, directly or indirectly, all 2023 elections activities until meaningful democratic reforms have been implemented

 

·        Making it clear that if the 2023 elections go ahead with no meaningful reforms in place then the process will be condemn for failing “to meet international standards”, as stated in EU (2018) Election Observer Mission report. The process will be considered null and void and the vote rigging regime illegitimate.

 

After 41 years of rigged elections what the people of Zimbabwe want above all else is an end to the curse of rigged elections. Surely, that is not too much to ask!