It will be insane for Zimbabweans, across the political
divide, to freely participating in the 2023 elections by attending political
rallies, registering and voting (or trying to, for the Zanu PF regime is renowned
for denying these freedoms and rights to many), directly or indirectly by
encouraging others to do so.
What makes the participation in these elections insane is
that everyone knows or should know that Zanu PF rigged the July 2018 elections
and the whole string of other elections in the past and since not even one
token reform was implemented since the 2018 rigged elections it is as clear as
day Zanu PF will rig the 2023 elections. Insanity is doing the same thing over
and over again expecting a different result.
We all have a notion of madness; mine is the eye-witness
account of an Ingutsheni Hospital patient “trying” to water a flower bed 30m or
so from the water tap with a leaking bucket. The emphasis is on TRYING because
the leaking was so bad there was hardly any water left at the end of each trip.
Ingutsheni is a mental hospital in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
Anyone who is a full shilling would have abandoned the watering
after one or two trial runs. One could not help but feel sorry for the patient
labouring for hours but accomplishing nothing. It is most disconcerting when it
is not just one or two but the overwhelming majority of people who are mentally
challenged.
We can be poles apart on many things but there is no
Zimbabwean out there who will deny that Zimbabwe is in a political and economic
mess. Mnangagwa and his apologists will be quick off the mark to point to the “illegal
sanctions imposed by the West, etc.” as the root causes of the country’s
spectacular economic meltdown. They will talk all day and night, if we let
them, of how the country is recovering and is set to be an upper middle income
nation by 2030; although all the evidence point to the nation sinking deeper
and deeper into the abyss. Still, not even Mnangagwa and his cronies will dare
deny Zimbabwe is indeed in a political and economic mess.
Other Zimbabweans would argue the root cause of the country’s
economic and political mess are 41 years of gross mismanagement, rampant
corruption and rank lawlessness that have turned the country into Banana
Republic, a pariah state, ruled by corrupt and tyrannical thugs. The nation has
been stuck with the Zanu PF dictatorship for 41 years and counting because the
party rigged the elections.
So, we, every Zimbabwean with half a working brain, agrees
that the Zimbabwe, up to her eyes stuck in the economic and political mess (put
aside for the time being what cause the mess much less what to do about it) is NOT
the Zimbabwe we wanted. National elections are the golden chance for the people
to have a meaningful say in the governance of the country, a meaningful say in
the Zimbabwe they want, but only if the people have a meaningful say, a
meaningful vote.
Ever since the country’s independence in 1980 Zimbabwe has
never held a free, fair and credible elections. Never ever!
We have participated in elections we knew were flawed and
illegal hoping against hope that the process will deliver a competent government
that will drag us out of the economic and political mess we were stuck in. This
is the equivalent of watering the flower bed with a leaking bucket.
By freely participating in these flawed and illegal
elections Zimbabweans have given the flawed process credibility and given the
vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy. We have been participating in these flawed
elections for the last 41 years and counting the equivalent of the Ingutsheni
patient watering the flower bed in the middle of a thunderstorm! If this is not
proof of our collective insanity, then what is!
There is very little ordinary Zimbabweans can do to stop
Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies going ahead with the 2023 elections
particularly since the regime is cocksure Nelson Chamisa and the rest in the
opposition camp will participate. Zanu PF is offering the opposition a few
gravy train seats to entice them to participate no matter how flawed and
illegal the process get; that has worked in the past and is certainly working
again.
However, what ordinary Zimbabweans can do is stop Zanu PF from
getting away with yet another rigged election by pointedly refusing to participating
in the flawed and illegal elections. The key to stopping ordinary Zimbabweans
participating in flawed and illegal elections is educating them.
The day the Ingutsheni patient understood why a leaking bucket
is not the right tool; he/she is cured! After 41 years of participating in
flawed elections there is a cure to Zimbabweans’ collective insanity – will explore
that next.
10 comments:
The recall of the MDC A MPs and senators was a self-inflicted wound and no amount of denying can ever change the fact that Chamisa's succession after Tsvangirai's death was unconstitutional. MDC A leaders are notorious for refusing to acknowledge their failings even in the face of a mountain of evidence to prove it. We all know how the MDC leaders sold out during the GNU by failing to implement even one reform but pretend to this day that they did nothing wrong!
Zanu PF is illegitimate but was it not MDC who gave the regime legitimacy by participating in flawed and illegal elections? "MDC A has stringent measures to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections!" Chamisa boasted before the 2018 elections. So what happened!
Right now MDC A and the rest of the opposition opportunists are all gearing for the 2023 elections although it is clear Zanu PF will once again rig the elections.All your "luking" the beast in the eye is to improve your chance of winning the few gravy train seats and you do not care that the participation will once again give the vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy. What a hypocrite!
Zanu PF has not implemented even one token reform and the party is set to rig the 2023 elections. The regime must not be allowed to get away with it just because it has bribe the corrupt and utterly useless opposition! The EU sanctions must stay.
Less than 30 people in the Bulawayo Metropolitan Province have so far come forward to register as voters in the 2023 polls after the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) resumed the exercise on April 1 following the government’s relaxation of Covid-19 lockdown measures.
Elections in Zimbabwe are a farce! Zanu PF rigged the 2018 elections and with not even a token reform in place the party will rig these coming elections. Indeed the rigging is in full swing already, the 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora are once again being denied the vote. 3 million compared to 5 million who voted last time. How can the election be anything but a farce when 3 out 8 are denied the vote.
Zanu PF is counting of the corrupt and incompetent opposition to participate and give it legitimacy. Of course, Chamisa and company do not care that 3 out of 8 are denied the vote as long as they win the few gravy train seats Zanu PF is offering! The opposition have no red line for free and fair elections which is why MDC leaders failed to implement even one reform when they had the chance to do so.
Zimbabweans must wake-up to the reality MDC leaders will never deliver free, fair and credible elections in Zimbabwe. It is up to us to stop participating in these flawed elections until reforms are implemented.
The MDC A idea of winning rigged election does not only sound stupid it is stupid especially after 41 years of rigged election!
EXTREME poverty in Zimbabwe rose to 49 % in 2020 due to the disruption caused on the national economy by Covid-19, coupled with inadequacies in terms of social protection, the latest World Bank report has established.
The document entitled, Zimbabwe Economic Update, observes that the number of extremely poor citizens rose to 7.9 million, adding 1.3 million more people into the already existing poverty bracket in 2020.
The survey shows that nearly half a million Zimbabwean households have at least one member who lost his or her job, plunging many into poverty, while also worsening the plight of the existing poor.
Food insecurity was also exacerbated by inadequate reach or coverage of relevant social protection programmes with less than a quarter of the increased number of extremely poor households receiving food aid in June 2020.
World Bank Senior Economist and lead author of the economic update Stella Ilieva suggested the need to focus on welfare issues if lives are to be protected.
“Preserving lives during this unprecedented pandemic in this challenging economic environment will require a strategic approach to addressing underlying problems in the health sector.
As long as Zimbabwe remains a pariah state ruled by corrupt, incompetent and murderous thugs who rig elections to stay in power the country’s economic and political future will remain bleak.
The 2023 elections offer a real chance to end the country’s nightmare. We cannot stop Zanu PF rigging the elections or stop the corrupt and opportunistic opposition participating regardless how flawed the process gets.
Zanu PF has just denied 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora the vote, for example. Mnangagwa reportedly won the 2018 presidency with 2.4 million votes which is less than the diaspora vote! An election in which 3 out 8 or 38% are denied the vote is a mockery!
However we can stop Zanu PF getting away with the rigged elections by making sure the whole process is seen for what it is a political farce between Zanu PF and its partner in crime the MDC. Zimbabweans must refuse to have anything to do with this fraudulent charade.
If Zanu PF and their acolyte opposition cannot implement the reforms to ensure free, fair and credible elections then we must find others who will. The 2023 elections have been rigged in advance and we must declare them null and void in advance.
Chiweshe’s elimination by promotion opened a vacancy which is likely to be filled by either Mawadze, Makonese or Zimba-Dube (pictured) based on seniority, government sources say. Makonese is, however, seen as the favourite internally.
“Chiweshe was kicked upstairs due to the recent debacle over Malaba’s tenure renewal saga. It was clearly a political decision to remove him from the High Court where he demonstrated independent-mindedness and bold decision-making,” a senior government official said.
George Chiweshe was the one who ruled that the 2017 military coup was “legal, justified and constitutional”! Where was his independent-mindedness then!
CHIVHU – A three-roomed house belonging to MDC- Alliance spokesperson for Chikomba West Constituency Noel Kureva was set alight on Saturday afternoon destroying property worth US$3 000.
Kureva confirmed the incident to The Mirror and he suspects an act of violence from Zanu PF opponents. The matter was reported at Beatrice Police Station under RRB number 4321996
As we move towards the 2023 elections, the politically motivated violence will get worse, especially if Zanu PF feels it's hold on power is slipping.
MDC leaders should have listened to SADC leaders' advice back in June 2013 to postpone elections until reforms are in place. We need to stop this madness of trying to win rigged elections. Are we really that stupid that we cannot see the sheer stupidity of trying to build a law abiding nation by tolerating blatant lawlessness. This is like trying to build a solid stone house using mud bricks!
The opposition are promising to win rigged elections, they have devised "Win In Rigged Elections (WIRE) strategies" they claim. Yet after 41 years of rigged elections their strategies have not worked. Even if they worked, we can be absolutely certain they will not implement the reform and will, as the incumbent government expect the opposition to devise their own strategies to win rigged elections. We will never ever have free, fair and credible elections.
Many, many Zimbabweans have risked life and limb in the fight for freedom, justice and human dignity and many have died in this struggle. It is an outrage that we should now give up our basic freedoms and and rights including the right to free, fair and credible elections for the mirage of winning rigged elections.
Chamisa also said he knew the two were innocent. He took particular appreciation at Maengahama’s wife for supporting her husband and colleague during illegal incarceration at Chikurubi.
“I want to salute Mai Maengahama and all those that supported her including party members. 8 years of persecution is not a joke. I knew, you knew and we all knew that you were innocent.
“You remember Mai Maengahama, what I told you, that they will be acquitted. Of course you were doubting but God will be speaking.
The habit of assuming divine inspiration is a foolish one but is very common especially among men or women of little substance. They claim divine inspiration to cover for their glaring deficiencies.
"God will be speaking!" Now why would God choose to speak through you Mr Nelson Chamisa, one of the most corrupt, incompetent and utterly useless individuals to walk on earth?
How can Zimbabweans be so naive to believe they can win rigged elections in which Zanu PF has the licence to use it vast wealth from all the wholesale looting to bankroll its vote rigging juggernaut in which the party is at liberty to use whatever dirty trick it can think of.
Nelson Chamisa and and his MDC friends know they had their best chance ever to implement the reforms and stop Zanu PF rigging the elections during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. They failed to get even one reform implemented and wasted the chance. Chamisa and company have given up all hope of getting the reforms implemented and settled for the few gravy train seats Zanu PF has been giving away to bribe the opposition to participate. By participating the opposition have given the flawed electoral process some credibility and, by extension, given the vote rigging Zanu PF political legitimacy.
Of course, Chamisa and company would never admit they are giving Zanu PF legitimacy to feed their greed, that would be political suicide. And so the tell their feeble minded, naive and gullible supporters and public the MDC leaders have devised "Win In Rigged Elections (WIRE) strategies"! Even after 41 years of rigged elections, there are some people out there who believe it!
The Greek gave humanity democracy as the best system of government - government of the people by the people and for the people. We did not need to reinvent the wheel only to make it work for us. Before independence we were fighting for "One man, one vote!" freedom and justice for all. Just before we attained our independence Mugabe and his Zanu PF cronies scrapped "One man one Vote!" and the people were told in no uncertain terms if the party did not win the 1980 elections the bush war would continue. People voted to end the war. Once in power Zanu PF used its position to systematically erode the people's freedoms and rights.
In the late 1990s the people realised to restore their freedoms and rights they need to implement the democratic reforms to take away Zanu PF's dictatorial powers. The last 21 years the people have risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders on the understanding the party will implement the reforms.
Instead of admitting they sold-out by failing to implement even one reform, MDC leaders are making a bad situation even worse by cheating the people into believe the nation does not need reforms because MDC can win rigged elections.
We have moved from "One man, one vote!" to fearing for our lives if we dared to exercise our right to a free vote under the Zanu PF dictatorship. For a short people we genuinely sort to implement the reforms the only mistake we made was to task the corrupt and incompetent MDC leaders to do it. Now we are trying the foolish idea of trying to end the Zanu PF dictatorship by winning rigged elections even when we know by participating in flawed elections we are giving the dictatorship legitimacy. Of course, it is insane!
@ EU
“In February, the EU adopted a EU27 declaration (i.e. by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union) on Zimbabwe. In this context, the EU reviewed its restrictive measures, and decided to renew its arms embargo and to maintain a targeted assets freeze against one company, Zimbabwe Defence Industries, taking into account the situation in Zimbabwe, including the continuing need to investigate the role of security force actors in human rights abuses. With this statement, the EU reminded the Government of Zimbabwe that it had committed to adhere to its constitutional and international human rights obligations. Furthermore, the EU welcomed further opportunities for
1
continued dialogue and engagement with Zimbabwe and reiterated its ambition for a more constructive relationship. We believe today’s meeting was an important milestone in these endeavours.
Of importance was also the topic of economic development. After two consecutive years for Zimbabwe with negative growth, economic recovery is paramount to improve the serious humanitarian and socio-economic situation, which has been further exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. We acknowledged the efforts to stabilize the macro-economic situation. The European Union stands ready to continue supporting the Zimbabwean people in the current socio-economic challenges.”
EU had a very high powered team of election observers in 2018 and they found Zimbabwe’s elections were not to international standards. To prevent a repeat of this, the EU recommended that Zimbabwe must implement a number of democratic reforms BEFORE the 2023 elections. It is sad to note that not even one token reform has been implemented. Not one!
President Mnangagwa promised to extend the right to vote to the 3 million or so Zimbabweans in the diaspora. This has not happened. It should be remember that he won the presidency with 2.4 million votes or 50.7% of the cast votes. How can an election in which 3 out of 8 voters are denied the vote be anything but a farce!
Zimbabwe’s economic and political recovery depends on the country ending its pariah state status and that is only possible if the country implements the reforms necessary to guarantee free, fair and credible elections. The EU can help end the pariah curse by increasing the pressure on the Zanu PF regime to implement the reforms!
"The EU and its membership expressed concern over a curtailed democratic space in Zimbabwe over the last year and reports of continued violations of human rights such as reported cases of enforced disappearances, and lengthy unjustified detentions, arrests of journalists and other limitations to the freedom of expression and the media. The EU urged government conduct impartial investigations of human rights violations and bring perpetrators to justice the EU said.
The root cause of Zimbabwe’s economic and political problems is decades of gross mismanagement, rampant corruption and rank lawlessness that have earned the country the pariah state status. The nation has been stuck with this corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical ZAnu PF regime complete with its equally corrupt, incompetent and utterly useless opposition parties because Zanu PF rigs elections.
The best opportunity to dismantle the dictatorship was during the 2008 to 2013 GNU but sadly the chance was wasted as the MDC leaders failed to implement even one reform.
The EU had a 246 strong Election Observing Mission team in Zimbabwe and produced a catalogue of elections irregularities and illegalities. The EU Mission report gave a list of reforms the Zanu PF government was to implement to ensure free, fair and credible elections. None of the reforms have been meaningfully carried out. Zimbabwe’s 2023 elections are set to be a repeat of the rigged elections of the past.
Zanu PF is hell bend on going ahead with the 2023 elections with no reforms. The party has already denied the 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora the vote. Mnangagwa reported “won” the 2018 elections with 2.4 million votes or 50.7% of the cast votes. How can an election in which 3 out of 8 voters are denied the vote be anything but a rigged election.
There is growing number of ordinary Zimbabweans who are now understand the importance of ending the curse of rigged elections as the only sure way to end Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown and political paralysis. The EU’s refusal to re-engage with this Zanu PF pariah state will help to underline the need for reforms and therefore is the right and welcomed move.
Post a Comment