The people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders to implement the democratic changes to end the Zanu PF dictatorship. After 22 years, 5 of which in the 2008 to 2013 GNU, MDC leaders have failed to implement even one token democratic change. Not even one token change!
“Takatumira mapete kumukaka; haadzoki!” (If you send cockroaches to fetch milk, they will never return!)
All attempts to engage MDC leaders to talk about the implementation of meaningful democratic reforms have been rebuffed and all they want to talk about is participating in flawed and illegal elections for their share of the spoils of power. And they are very vocal about being short changed on their share of the spoils!
“Caston Matewu (former Marondera Central MP), who was elected on an MDC Alliance ticket (recalled following High Court ruling that Chamisa’s seizure of power in 2018 was unconstitutional), yesterday made public his benefits on social media platforms, revealing that he received $6 290 (US$40) for the two years that he had served as MP,” reported NewsDay.
“Over 20 other affected MPs confirmed having received measly pensions, ranging from $6 000 to $12 000, depending on the debts they had incurred during their tenure.
“The MPs are also set to lose the luxury vehicles issued to them as part of their parliamentary benefits.”
The people of Zimbabwe would have some sympathy for these MDC leaders if the party had something to show for all the party’s 22 years on the political stage, especially the wasted golden opportunity of the 2008 to 2013 to implement the reforms.
Indeed, not only have MDC leaders failed to implement any reforms in 22 years but to add insult to injury, ever since the 2008 to 2013 GNU debacle, they have given up on the reforms in favour of pursuing their selfish “cockroach” interests. MDC leaders have been participating in flawed and illegal elections and thus giving the vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy for the sake of the few gravy train seats Zanu PF dangled in their faces.
“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 elections,” confessed David Coltart in his book, The Struggle Continues 50 years of Tyranny in Zimbabwe.
“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.”
It was just a feeble excuse for participating in the 2013 elections because four of the main MDC factions plus three other opposition parties did form the MDC Alliance and yet they still participated in the 2018 elections.
Right now, Nelson Chamisa and his MDC A friends and the rest of the usual opposition opportunists are all gearing to participating in the 2023 elections when “the obvious” thing to do would be to boycott the elections and deny Zanu PF the legitimacy.
With the country’s economy is in total meltdown, education and health care and other basic services have collapsed and 49% of our people now live in abject poverty; the need for democratic change, an end to rigged elections and bad governance is more urgent now than ever. The nation is standing at the edge of the precipitous abyss and it is most exasperating that the men and women the nation has risked life and limb to deliver change are the ones keeping Zanu PF in power in perpetuate!
The people of Zimbabwe are desperate for meaningful change, they should have realised by now that the MDC men and women they entrusted to bring about the changes were corrupt and breathtakingly incompetent. They have found the trappings of power irresistible and forgot about the democratic changes and the tragic human suffering of ordinary people.
If the people of Zimbabwe are serious about democratic change, ending the curse of rigged elections and bad governance; then they must first accept that MDC leaders are not going to deliver any change. The MDC leaders are the proverbial cockroaches that were send to fetch milk, they gorged on the milk and never returned!
3 comments:
@ Prince Njagu
“Victory for Hichilema has rekindled hopes for Zimbabweans as they now believe in the power of voting in large numbers.
Many Zimbabweans have started registering to vote as they see light at the end of the tunnel and they now have renewed hope in the possibility of anything happening in politics.
Chamisa is being likened to Hakainde and the people of Zimbabwe believe that he will bring about the positive change that the country needs.”
Comparing Zimbabwe to Zambia is not only foolish but it is dangerous. Zimbabweans did vote in large numbers in March 2008 vote giving Morgan Tsvangirai 73% of the votes much more than the 60% HH got in Zambia. The later is in power and Tsvangirai was denied power because Zanu PF vote rigging machinery kicked in!
MDC had the golden opportunity during the 2008 to 2013 GNU to implement the reforms and stop Zanu PF rigging the elections. The failed to implement even one reform. Not one!
Ever since the GNU debacle MDC leaders has ignored the calls to implement the reforms before elections and have participated but only to give the vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy. The longer Zanu PF have stayed in power the deeper and deeper the regime has dragged the nation into the abyss.
41 years of Zanu PF gross mismanagement, rampant corruption and rank lawlessness have earned the nation the pariah state status and is the root causes of the country’s economic meltdown with the tragic human suffering and deaths.
MDC are set to participate in the 2023 elections giving legitimacy to Zanu PF dictatorship and thus dragging the nation ever deeper into the dangerous abyss.
Instead of implementing the reforms so the nation can have free, fair and credible elections MDC ignoring reforms in the hope that the worsening economic situation will force the people on the street where Zanu PF thugs with orders to shoot to kill will be waiting for them. The nation is being forced into a violent confrontation which could and should be avoided.
If there is one task that MDC leaders were elected to perform it must be to implement the democratic reforms and dismantle the ubiquitous and obnoxious Zanu PF dictatorship. After 22 years on the political stage, 5 years of which was the 2008 to 2013 GNU which were specifically to implement the democratic reforms, MDC has failed to implement even one reform.
SADC leaders engineered the GNU and spent the 5 GNU years nagging Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends to implement the democratic reforms. Robert Mugabe bribed the MDC leaders with the trappings of power and with their snouts in the feeding trough the nagging fell on deaf ears.
When it was clear that Zimbabwe was going into the 2013 with not even one reform in place, the SADC leaders made one last minute desperate attempt to get the elections postponed until reforms are implemented. “If you go into the elections next month, you will lose. The election is done!” they told Morgan Tsvangirai and company to their faces. Sadly, the warning still fell on deaf ears.
MDC leaders continue to ignore warnings to take reforms with the seriousness the matter demands. By participating in flawed and illegal elections, MDC are giving legitimacy to the vote rigging Zanu PF regime. This is infuriating because the party was supposed to help end the Zanu PF dictatorship is now the one doing its uttermost to keep Zanu PF in power!
If Mwonzora and the rest of the other minorities parties have no public support, the evidence above speaks volumes on the matter, then one has to once again ask why are Chamisa and company participating in flawed and illegal elections just to give the vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy.
Zanu PF was forced into the 2008 to 2013 GNU because everyone, including SADC and the AU, refused to recognise Zanu PF's legitimacy following the rigged 2008 elections. The party has been very careful to avoid that happening ever again by making sure to offered a few gravy train seats to entice the opposition to participate in the elections regardless how flawed and illegal the process happen to be. MDC A leaders have found the few gravy train seats as irresistible as the rest in the opposition and hence the reason they are hell-bent on participating no matter what.
The MDC A's argument that if they boycotted the elections then Mwonzora and others will participate and give the process legitimacy is clearly a lie since Mwonzora and company have no public support and thus no political credibility!
MDC A have been participating in the flawed and illegal elections out of greed, pure and simple!
Chamisa and company sold-out during the 2008 to 2013 GNU by failing to implement even one democratic reform. And, since the GNU, have continued to sell-out by participating in flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy out of greed. This is the reality and one which the nation must now address if we are ever to get out of this mess!
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