Americans are voting for the country’s next president. He (if Trump wins) or she (if Harris win) will be the 47 th President of the United States of America. Ever since George Washington, first President of USA 1789 to 1797, the country has elected a president every four years, regular as clock work. And in all these nearly 250 years the Americans have gone to the polls assured of two things:
- 1) First and foremost, that the elections are free, fair and credible and the result will be the democratic will of the American people
- 2) Second but just as important, the electorate had the cast iron guarantee that if the elected officials fail the nation they, the people, can remove them from office and elect others.
Ask any American what matters the most to them as they queue to vote and most will not even mention any one of the above two points. They have enjoyed these basic rights they are bound to take them for granted. Those of us from third world countries like Zimbabwe who have yet to hold free, fair and credible elections we talk of nothing else.
Zanu PF has rigged elections ever since the country’s independence in 1980. Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF cronies told the people in 1980 if the party did not win that year’s elections, the bush war would continue. Of course the people voted to end the war and Zanu PF set out to systematical corrupt the nation institutions to create a de facto one-party dictatorship.
The country has had many chances to implement democratic reforms and end the Zanu PF dictatorship with the best chance coming in the 2008 to 2013 GNU. Mugabe bribed Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends with the trappings of high office and, in return, kicked the reforms out of the window!
So 44 years after independence and in this day and age, Zimbabwe is stuck on first base unable to hold free, fair and credible elections for three basic reasons:
- 1) Zimbabwe’s Zanu PF founding fathers have paid lip service to rally call of “One man, one vote!” They wanted absolute power for themselves and never ever wanted to risk losing that power by letting the people have a meaningful democratic vote including voting them out of office.
- 2) Zanu PF has rigged the elections these last 44 years or be it the last 24 years was with the connivence of MDC/CCC leaders. MDC/CCC leaders have not only paid lip service to implement the democratic reforms to end the Zanu PF dictatorship, worse still they have been participating in flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy out of incompetency and greed.
- 3) Zimbabwe’s political paralysis could have been avoided if the Zimbabwean electorate had not been so ignorant, naive and gullible. Chamisa conning millions of Zimbabweans to participate in last year’s flawed elections because they believed his idiotic lie of plugging all vote rigging loop holes. It was obvious this was just an idiotic lie.
The political system of democracy - government of the people, for the people and by the people - is a 2 500 year old Greek invention. The Americans adopted the system and it has delivered peace, justice and unparalleled economic prosperity. We, in Zimbabwe, are not being asked to reinvent the wheel only to adopt it and make it work for our own good. 44 years after independence, we are still failing to our first ever hold free, fair and credible elections.
“The Americans have flown to the Moon and back! And we are still struggling to cross the street!” remarked the late Julius Nyerere, President of Tanzania. He was impressed by the Neil Alden Armstrong, American astronaut’s “One small step for man and one giant leap for mankind!” And he was equally disappointed at how Tanzania and many African countries were lagging behind and, in some cases, regressing.
We, in Zimbabwe, are still failing to hold free, fair and credible elections because we are still failing to define what constitutes free and fair elections! For the last 15 years MDC/CCC leaders have conned their followers into believe the nation does not need free, fair and credible elections because they, the leaders, have devised strategies to win RIGGED elections. Talk of regressing!
5 comments:
@ Sellers
The tragedy for Zimbabwe is that the brain dead have the vote and they have been captured by the corrupt and incompetent leaders. A moron like John Jemwa does not even know what is in his own interest and one cannot reason with the idiot!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqF5pqOdTrg
Americans are electing the country's 47th President confident the elections will be free and fair and that if they should make a mistake they can remove the individual in four years time.
We in Zimbabwe have failed to hold free and fair elections and so have been stuck with a corrupt, incompetent and murderous Zanu PF regime for 44 years. Or be it the last 24 years Zanu PF has rigged elections withy the connivence of MDC/CCC.
Zimbabweans are so naive and gullible Chamisa has conned million to participate in flawed elections to perpetuate the Zanu PF dictatorship after believing the idiotic lie Chamisa can win RIGGED elections. No wonder we are a failed state!
A Tale of Two Cities.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.
Today I am mourning, but this too shall favour me - Donald Trump's victory and Kamala Harris's loss carry lessons for us all. She joined the race just 107 days ago, facing a former president who began his campaign journey nearly eight years prior. No easy feat.
In 2016, I wrote an article for HuffPost titled 'Five Quick Lessons From The 2016 US Election Results - What A Donald Trump Win Tells Us.' Back then, I explored what a Trump victory signified for democracy and how it reflected the people's power to rise above societal expectations and media narratives. Democracy, in its raw form, had spoken, and I accepted the results as a lesson in the resilience of choice-even when those choices may be bewildering to some.
As I process the loss of Kamala Harris in this election, I find myself in a familiar place. Only this time, my feelings are deeper, more personal. I was wholeheartedly pro-Kamala because I believed her ascent to the highest office was an opportunity for the United States to rise above its historical misogyny, to embrace progress, and to validate the dreams of countless women and people of colour who see themselves reflected in her story.
Losing this chance feels like a setback. But, as I reminded myself in 2016, democracy sometimes challenges us to accept results we did not expect or want. Yet, in every loss, there is a lesson, a seed of transformation waiting to bloom.
Where Kamala Might Have Gotten It Wrong
Disconnect with Key Voter Concerns: Kamala's campaign leaned heavily into issues like reproductive rights, social justice, and healthcare reform. While these are undeniably important to many Americans, they may not have resonated as strongly with voters whose primary concerns were economic stability, national security, and border control. With rising inflation, job insecurity, and worries over crime, many Americans felt an acute need for economic and personal security. In contrast, Kamala's emphasis on progressive social policies may have seemed less relevant or even disconnected from these immediate, everyday concerns. Furthermore, her focus on issues that resonate with urban and coastal areas may have alienated rural and working-class voters, who felt overlooked or misunderstood by the campaign.
A Global Path Forward
While Trump's policies are often divisive, he has the opportunity to shape a foreign policy agenda that reinforces American strength and addresses urgent global issues.
If executed thoughtfully, these efforts could foster a more secure, economically stable world order that aligns with U.S. interests and values.
Final Reflections
In 2016, I wrote that democracy can surprise us, sometimes forcing us to confront truths we'd rather ignore. Today, I find that this lesson still holds.
While today I mourn, I also recognise that this loss is not the end. America's future remains unwritten, and Kamala's campaign-despite its outcome-has left an indelible mark.
Ifeanyi Abraham's Profile
The thing is in 2016 most people feared Trump would be a disaster for democracy and rule of law, np one knew for certain that he would be a disaster. People’s fears were confirmed, he turned out to be a disaster. This time people KNEW that Trump would be a disaster and and now we are all stirring twiddling our fingers awaiting the disaster. We know it is coming what we do not know is when and how serious it will be!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDwcCZaGhyw
For countries like Zimbabwe with very weak or none existent democratic institutions the election of an autocratic and inward looking President Trump will be a disaster. There is no denying that dictators like Mnangagwa have been emboldened and we, the people, face a four-year long winter of despair and incredulity!
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