Zimbabwe is NOT a democratic nation and the country has failed to hold free, fair and credible elections ever since the country’s independence in 1980. We have, in the ruling party, Zanu PF, leaders who not only believe they have the divine right to rule the country but would rather burn down the whole country than let anyone else ruling it.
They have but contempt for the people’s right, in a free, fair and credible elections, to have the final say in who rules the country.
“A year on from the coup that ousted Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe remains perched between piecemeal reform and old ways that are as intractable as they are destructive. That’s because the country is ruled by a clique with a partial and conditional commitment to change—and a total, obdurate determination to retain and enjoy power,” wrote Stuart Duran in ASPI Strategist.
“The ‘new’ regime can be viewed from different angles, but the nub of it is this: there’s a recognition that the economic fiasco of the last 20 years was suboptimal, but Emmerson Mnangagwa and his fellow travellers will burn the house down if they feel it necessary. Make no mistake, their will to power is every bit as intense as Mugabe’s—as is their belief that they own the country’s choicest fruits by right of conquest.
“There’s no comprehending Zimbabwe without an appreciation of that mentality. Yet many fail to get it because they don’t read the country’s history. In 1979, at the height of the struggle against white rule, a diplomat who mixed frequently with Mugabe and other leaders of his party observed that ‘ZANU does not seem to attach much importance to the destruction caused by prolonged war’. They said they were content to see Zimbabwe ‘totally’ demolished if that was the price to be paid for preventing others from ruling it. That attitude has not changed an iota, notwithstanding the passage of 40 years and Mugabe’s departure. After all, the men who now rule wielded his hatchets for most of that period.”
One of the life-time lesson I have learned from my Secondary School days is to read the examination question very carefully and answer the question asked. “You will not get marks for answering the question, you wanted to be asked!” my Bible Knowledge teacher reminded us regularly.
The success or failure of post independent Zimbabwe was dependent the nation on understanding and dealing with the willingness “to burn the house down in pursuit of right of conquest” Zanu PF mentality. This is at the heart of the problem of good governance. Our performance on this matter so far has been pathetic and little wonder the country is in a serious economic and political mess.
It took many Zimbabweans nearly 20 years to finally accept that Zanu PF was a corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical regime that was rigging elections to stay in power. A national consensus was reached on the need for democratic changes to end Zanu PF’s dictatorial powers and restore the rule of law and the people’s freedoms and right including the right to free and fair elections. nothing of any substance could ever be accomplished as long as the retained carte blanche powers to rig elections and impose itself on the nation.
The people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limb to elected the MDC/CCC leaders on the understanding the party will implement the democratic changes the nation was dying for, as the party name implied. Sadly MDC/CCC have not only failed to implement even one token reform in 23 years, including 5 in the 2008 to 2013 GNU, but, worst of all, has been participating in flawed elections to give Zanu PF political legitimacy.
Instead of focusing all political and social pressure on Zanu PF’s blatant denial of the people’s right to a meaningful say in the governance of the country and the opposition selling out on reforms, it is disappointing that the church and other civic bodies have chosen to bury their heads in the sand and pretend Zimbabwe is a healthy and functioning democracy. Zanu PF is rigging the 2023 elections and calls for free elections will not stop the rigging especially after 43 years of Zanu PF rigging elections!
"As the nation heads towards the harmonised elections, we urge all political players to desist from the use of violence. The people's fundamental rights should be respected at all times. There is no citizen who should be intimidated or coerced, and worse still, be beaten to make a choice," Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference (ZCBC) said in a statement.
"As a nation, we have in the past seen a lot of violence around elections; let this election be different. The people of this country dream and yearn for a free, credible and fair election.”
Yeah right! What the people of Zimbabwe are yearning for opposition and church leaders who are prepared to deal with the problem a stubborn vote rigging Zanu PF, the real challenge; especially after 43 years of rigged elections and the nation now facing serious and urgent existential challenges.
6 comments:
Citizens Coalition for Change ( CCC) leader President Nelson Chamisa has boldly declared he will change the Zimbabwean story after winning the 2023 Presidential plebiscite.
Writing on Twitter, President Chamisa assured the nation of the people’s victory in the coming polls.
“OUR STORY WILL BE GLORIOUS…
We will be a giver & a donor country not a beggar nation. We will change and rewrite the story of Zimbabwe.
In no time, we will restore the glory of this great country! It’s a delayed match!
You will be proud to be a Zimbabwean! #ANewGreatZimbabweplan.”
Zanu PF is rigging these elections ad it is totally unacceptable that Chamisa and company continue to ignore the political reality of another rigged elections for selfish reason of participating for the sake of winning a few gravy train seats!
We know that CCC and company sold out on implementing reforms for 23 years including 5 years during the GNU. They have since given up the fight on reforms and free elections and now they are going all out so secure their selfish gain. The people of Zimbabwe must now wake up to the reality that CCC are no longer fighting in the ordinary people’s corner!
By participating in these flawed elections the public are only helping give Zanu PF getting legitimacy and CCC win a few gravy train seats all at the nation’s expense. We need to implement reforms and end this curse of rigged elections and bad governance. It is within our power to do so, we just need to open our eyes and minds to the reality on the ground!
@ Muzembe
“How will not participating help us @Wilbert Mukori .If CCC decides not to participate ED and Zanu PF have MDC and other brief case parties that are prepared to participate look at how ED pushes for constitutional amendments with Mwonzora rubber stamping when the recalled MPs aligned to Chamisa after the mooted court ruling.This is an example of what will happen if ED is left unchecked.”
So CCC is participating in an election process they know in flawed and that by participating they are giving the vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy to stop “MDC and other brief case parties” winning the few gravy train seats Zanu PF is giving away as bait. And you think that is a rational reason for participating? Of course, it is nonsense!
CCC are no different from the other opposition parties participating, they are all after the bait. It is foolish to suggest CCC are some how better than the other opposition and they are doing the ordinary citizens favours by participating and giving Zanu PF legitimacy and thus perpetuating the dictatorship.
Zanu PF is giving away the bait for the express purpose of inducing the opposition to participate in the flawed and illegal elections to give the regime legitimacy. The bribe is clearly working.
By the way MDC leaders failed to implement even one reform during the 2008 to 2013 GNU for the same reason - greed. Not that you would have noticed much less understood; even now with the benefit of hindsight you still have no clue what happened!
It is not all who see who perceive, who hear and understand! You have eyes to see and ears to hear but lack the mental intellect to comprehend anything!
@ Muzembe
“How do you suggest we move given our situation. Not voting is actually voting indirectly my brother and Zanu PF will use that to make grand changes to the constitution. We are doomed in all fronts.”
Zanu PF are holding these elections to retain absolute power and they do not care about the tragic human suffering the dictatorship has caused. They are luck to have a corrupt and incompetent opposition that is now helping them to stay in power.
CCC are participating in these flawed elections out of greed. Half shilling Zimbabweans, like you Muzembe, are participating in the flawed elections out of foolishness because all they are doing is giving Zanu PF legitimacy.
We are doomed as a nation because we have more than our fair share of dimwits like you Muzembe who are clearly incapable of comprehending even the most elementary ideas and, crown it all, you have a vote!
It is possible, you are a dimwit because of decades of mental inactivity; then it is your fault. On the other hand, you might be a dimwit because you inherited it from your forebears. My only wish is that you were not so thick, shallow and slow!
According to the dictionary a Failed State is “a nation in which the government has lost political authority and control and is unable to fulfil the basic responsibilities of a sovereign state.”
No one can deny that Zimbabwe is a failed state. This Zanu PF dictatorship has never ever held free, fair and credible elections and therefore has never ever had the political authority to govern the country. Having usurped the people’s power to have a meaningful say on who governed the country the regime, accountable to no one, has ran amok.
43 years of gross mismanagement, rampant corruption and lawlessness have left the country in economic ruins unable to provide basic services such as clean water, education, health care, etc. 50% of our people are now living in abject poverty.
Unless we cure ourselves of this curse of rigged elections and bad governance this Zimbabwe’s future is grime!
Zimbabwe did not become a failed nation over night, this has been a relentless match deeper and deeper into the abyss. We have let ourselves down by failing to stop Zanu PF riding roughshod over the people denying them freedoms, human rights and dignity in the regime’s quest for power and wealth. We must all owe up to our past failures and take up the challenge of end the dictatorship with renewed ardour.
Zanu PF is rigging the 2023 elections and the call by ZCBC for “free elections” when we have never ever held free elections in 43 years is very disappointing, to say the least. We are facing a serious national crisis and expect our church leaders to be equal to the task. Speak truth to power or shut up!
@ Godfrey
“True SADC cannot be trusted with delegitimisation of Zanu for unlawful practice. They are silent on the current unlawful and unfair activities.
They didn’t come out all guns blazing to criticise and punish Zanu over the worst unlawful act that went against SADC’s own laws … a COUP.
True - Gaining SADC backing guarantee should be the FOCUS
Meanwhile an internal quasi democratic settlement is the only possible direction all is pointing unofficially.
Will be a case of jumping from the fire into the pan - a slow easing back to democracy maybe.”
SADC did advise MDC not to participate in the 2013 elections without first implementing the reforms and the advice was ignored. Why did MDC ignored the advice?
And remember SADC leaders, especially SA's Lindiwe Zulu had spent the last five years nagging MDC to implement reforms and was ignored at every turn. To add insult to injury MDC leaders have the chutzpah to blame SADC for GNU’s failures!
Ever since the failed GNU, SADC leaders have all but completely ignore MDC/CCC and for good reasons too - their performance throughout the GNU showed that Morgan Tsvangirai and a company are corrupt and breathtakingly incompetent.
If we serious about getting SADC leaders to condemn Zanu PF rigged elections we must start by showing SADC that we are not MDC mark 2. We must publicly acknowledge and denounce MDC for selling out big by failing to implement reforms and in participating in these flawed elections out of greed. If we can’t do that then we should not bother engaging SADC!
We need SADC to help us end the Zanu PF dictatorship. They helped in the past and we fcuked up and if we don’t even have the common decency to acknowledge we fcuked up then we rightly deserve to stew in our own mess. We need SADC more than SADC needs us!
@ Godfrey
“Why ‘IS’ is more appropriate because it focuses on the PRESENT
Why is MDC/CCC OPPOSITION silent on need for reforms before these coming elections
Also why is SADC less vocal now.”
Why SADC leaders have ignored MDC/CCC is obvious - they have proven to be corrupt and incompetent. Why so many Zimbabweans have failed to acknowledge MDC leaders' failures, even with the benefit of hindsight, bespeaks of their own intellectual shortcomings.
SADC leaders have their own serious shortcomings, to say the least; still if we are going to have a meaningful engagement with SADC it must be with the few rational leaders. And a rational SADC leader knows that the last Zimbabwe GNU failed to deliver any meaningful change because MDC leaders fcuked up big time.
As I said before, we have many Zimbabweans whose political allegiance to MDC/CCC have all but blinded them to the truth - that MDC leaders are corrupt and incompetent. There are many who are equally blind about Zanu PF.
Rather than waste time trying to win these brain-dead individual over, we should admit to SADC and the world that MDC/CCC leaders fcuked up and proceed.
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