“An elephant in the room! means a very large issue that everyone is acutely aware of, but nobody wants to talk about. Perhaps a sore spot, perhaps politically incorrect, or perhaps a political hot potato, it's something that no one wants to touch with a ten foot pole,” according to Urban Dictionary.
The root cause of Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown, political paralysis and the heartbreaking human suffering and deaths is 41 years and counting of corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF rule. As much as the people know that Zanu PF misrule is at the heart of all the nation’s economic, political and social problems and they cannot remove the regime from office because it rigs elections; very few Zimbabweans have had the guts to say so.
Zanu PF rigging elections is the elephant in the room for Zimbabwe.
“The second republic led by President Emmerson Mnangagwa needs to be proactive than being reactive and employing knee jerk policies,” wrote Leonard Koni in Zimeye.
“This cold winter have seen the government giving a thumb up to the demolition of people’s homes and livelihoods in Mbare Harare.
“A country run on partisan grounds and nepotism will struggle to stand on its feet. President Emmerson Mnangagwa must learn to embrace a diverse, dynamic and democratic youthful and streamlined cabinet with new ideas, skills and experience required to achieve our goals.”
After 41 years of dishing out all this advice, most of it is common sense really; it is clear Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies are not listening and/or learning nothing. Comrade Koni, it is us, the people of Zimbabwe, you should be asking why we have failed to learn the simple and obvious lesson that Zanu PF leaders are not listening and/or are refusing to learn?
We have not dared ask why Zanu PF is ignoring us because we fear the followup question: after 41 years of being ignored, what are we going to about about it? After 41 years of the regime rigging the elections to stay in power, what are we going to do to end this curse?
The right to free, fair and credible elections is at the very heart of good governance and that is why the right to a meaningful say in the governance of one’s country is included in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) along with the freedom of expression and the right to life.
By rigging elections Zanu PF has effectively denied the ordinary Zimbabweans their right to a meaningful vote and governance of the country. The party has turned the right into a privilege it can deny to some as the regime sees fit.
In September 2018, President Mnangagwa promised that the 3 million or so Zimbabweans in the diaspora will have their right to vote restored (proof the only reason they were denied the vote until then was the lack of political will on the part of the Zanu PF leaders). With two years to go to the 2023 elections it is too late to do anything to get the 3 million in the diaspora to register; they will, once again, be denied the vote.
The regime had the time to amend the constitution in no fewer than 30 different sections to consolidate President Mnangagwa’s dictatorial strangle hold on power but it failed to amend the electoral law to extend the postal vote to the Zimbabweans in the diaspora.
President Mnangagwa won the 2018 elections with 2.4 million votes or 50.8% of the cast votes. The 3 million diaspora votes are therefore 3 out of 8 potential voters or 38% - a very significant number indeed.
By denying the 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora the vote, Zanu PF has already rigged the 2023 elections long before the first ballot is cast. It is almost certain Zanu PF will push for the 2023 elections to go ahead with no democratic reforms in place.
The 2023 elections have been rigged in advance and therefore must be condemned in advance. Participating in an election process that has already been rigged in advance is an act of idiotic folly!
The people of Zimbabwe have ignored the elephant in the room, the curse of rigged elections, and the nation has paid for this folly in terms of the economic mess, political chaos and the tragic human misery and deaths. We must confront and confound the elephant in the room.
The people of Zimbabwe must demand the implementation of the democratic reforms to guarantee free, fair and credible elections. Just because Zanu PF and MDC have failed to deliver free, fair and credible elections these last 41 years does not mean no one else can do so.
6 comments:
After 41 years of asking Zanu PF to embrace democracy and the dictatorship has grown worse and worse, it is for us to finally face reality that Zanu PF is a dictatorship and deal with it accordingly.
“President Emmerson Mnangagwa must learn to embrace a diverse, dynamic and democratic youthful and streamlined cabinet with new ideas ,skills and experience required to achieve our goals.”
After 41 years of asking Zanu PF to embrace democracy and good governance and all that time things have got worse and worse, the regime has become more corrupt and tyrannical. It is insane to keep up this pretence that Mnangagwa and his cronies are dictators by accident and not by design.
Zanu PF is a party of incompetent, corrupt and murderous thugs whose long stay in power was only possible because they blatantly rigged the elections, time and time again. Zanu PF does not have the divine right to rule Zimbabwe, via cheating and wanton violence, and it is absurd that we have allowed this to happen.
Zanu PF blatantly cheats and use brute violence to remain in power and all we do is beg the thugs to “embrace” democratic values and practices. After 41 years of corrupt and tyrannical rule and we still expect the Zanu PF thugs to have their Saul to the road to Damascus transformative moment! How naive!
After 41 years of corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship it is an outrage to expect the thugs to become democrats and give up power. We have allowed Zanu PF thugs to rid roughshod over us, denying us our freedoms and rights and now the thugs believe they have the divine right to rule Zimbabwe.
Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC banded mongooses have done the nation a great disservice by failing to implement the democratic reforms when they had the golden opportunity to do so during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. And by participating in flawed elections, for the sake of the few gravy train seats Zanu PF offered as bait, MDC leaders have given the vote rigging Zanu PF thugs legitimacy.
“President Emmerson Mnangagwa must learn to embrace a diverse, dynamic and democratic youthful and streamlined cabinet with new ideas ,skills and experience required to achieve our goals,” pleaded Koni.
This is all music to Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies’ ears because the pleading only service to show the nation is as naive and gullible as child! After the November 2017 military coup Mnangagwa announce Zimbabwe was a new dispensation and a second republic and promised to hold free and fair elections - all music to Koni’s ears!
Zanu PF is gearing to rig the 2023 elections but for Koni’s ears will promise the elections will be free, fair and credible! We really need to wake up and open our eyes. If we are serious about democratic change, then we must do more than beg Zanu PF to learn lessons the thugs have no wish to learn.
Wrote Chinamasa, “Provinces are instructed to go only as far as the point of receiving CVs for candidates aspiring to contest in primary elections for National Assembly and Local Government by-elections.
“CVs submitted at the provinces should be forwarded to the Commissariat department for vetting and approval. Provinces should not hold primary elections without explicit authorisation from the acting national secretary for Commissariat.”
There are a multitude of election flaws and illegalities that rendered the July 2018 elections null and void including the denying of the 3 million or so Zimbabweans in the diaspora the vote, lack of free media, Zanu PF abuse of state resources and traditional leaders to render rural voters as helpless as medieval serfs, etc. Zanu PF has not even bothered to implement even one token reform and so the 2023 elections will be rigged too.
As long as Zanu PF knows the opposition will participate regardless how flawed and illegal the process got, the party is offering a few gravy train seats as bait; there really is no pressure of the regime to implement the reforms. After participating in 2013 in total disregard of the SADC leaders’ pleas not to, MDC leaders proved their greed trumped reason. Ever since MDC leaders have participated in flawed elections without further ado and Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies knew they have the MDC leaders in the bag to do with as they pleased.
It is now up to the ordinary Zimbabweans, not MDC leaders, to fight for the reforms to be implemented and free, fair and credible elections. The fight back starts with refusing to participate in these flawed and illegal elections. Enough is enough!
@ Derick Tsimba
“The country has already started reaping rewards from the progressive initiatives by the Second Republic to move the country forward. Last year, Government moved closer to achieving its optimal agricultural yield since the land reform programme by funding small scale farmers through the Pfumvudza programme whose results have surpassed expectations.
Pfumvudza, a crop production growth method whereby farmers ensure efficient utilization of resources on a small scale of land has proven to be a success on crop management.”
The country had a very good rain season last year and the country’s yield was equally good and to attribute the good harvest to the regime is typical of the regime desperate for some brownie points.
The nation is in shock at the criminal waste of resources uncovered by the recent Audit General’s report. Of the US$4.5 billion in cash and materials donated to the victims of the cyclone Ida only 1% was used properly and the rest was either looted or rotted! Where is the Second Republic’s progressive initiatives in that!
The people of Zimbabwe must focus on the coming elections and nothing short of free, fair and credible elections will do. Mnangagwa promised free, fair and credible elections and he must deliver otherwise the so called Second Republic is just the same Banana Republic masquerading as a democratic republic.
Zanu PF's Political Commissar, Patrick Chinamasa has just confirm that Zanu PF will not allow Zimbabweans in the diaspora the vote until the sanctions imposed on the regime are lifted. This is an outrage, how can 3 million out of 8 million be denied the vote just like that.
It is right to a meaningful say in the governance of one’s country in recognised in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and yet Zanu PF treats it as a privilege to be granted to some and denied to others as the regime choses.
The truth is we, Zimbabweans, are our own worst enemy. Zanu PF has turned this right into a privilege because we have allowed the regime to get away with it. By participating in such flawed and illegal elections no questions asked we have told the regime it is fine for it to rig elections!
Participating in any way in the 2023 elections knowing the process has already been rigged in advance is insane! Period!
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