Opinion / Columnist
Tsvangirai, 'albatross around our neck', is dragging nation into flawed elections, the abyss
01 Sep 2017 at 16:45hrs | Views
Throughout the GNU, SADC leaders reminded Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends to implement the democratic reforms designed to stop Zanu PF rigging future elections.
"Follow the Global Political Agreement roadmap," they told the MDC leaders.
Sadly, MDC leaders paid no heed. Not even one reform was implemented in five years of the GNU. Not one!
Next, SADC leaders tried their best to stop Zimbabwe going into yet another meaningless election process in which Zanu PF will, once again, rig the vote. With no reforms implemented, they advised Tsvangirai and friends NOT to contest the 2013 elections.
But sadly, once again, MDC leaders paid no heed. As we know, Zanu PF blatantly rigged the July 2013 elections.
When the MDC-T passed the "No reform, no election!" congress resolution in 2014, which the other factions adopted; I heaved a large sight of relief. "Finally, finally MDC leaders have learned the lesson on the folly of contesting flawed elections," I said to anyone who cared to listen. I felt like Atlas with the world taken off his shoulder!
Now you can imagine how I must be feeling right now knowing Tsvangirai & co. have gone back on their own party resolution and SADC leaders' sound advice NOT to contest the elections with no reforms! Former US Ambassador Chris Dell warned that Tsvangirai was hopeless at taking advice.
Dell described Mr Tsvangirai as a "flawed figure" who was "not readily open to advice, indecisive and questionable judgement in selecting those around him," according to Wikileak report.
"He is the indispensable element for opposition success, but possibly an albatross around their necks once in power."
Ambassador Dell was spot-on, everything he predicted has come truth, especially Tsvangirai's total inability to take advice, with disastrously consequences the nation.
"Albatross (large sea bird with a 3m + wingspan weighing 8kg +) around one's neck," my Google search tells me, "is a phrase alluding to Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem " The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," in which a sailor who shoots a friendly albatross is forced to wear its carcass around his neck as punishment."
Frankly I cannot think of any "opposition success" Tsvangirai has brought, in spite MDC's 17 years + on the political stage and countless golden opportunities to bring change, but know this albatross carcass is the milestone dragging the whole nation into the abyss.
It is not just folly but madness to keep contesting flawed elections, now after 37 years + of rigged elections.
Still, the spotlight must now shift from Tsvangirai to his followers and the people of Zimbabwe at large.
"The United States failed to effect regime change in Zimbabwe because it was working with a weak MDC party with an inept leadership, leaked classified documents have revealed," The Herald first reported of the leaked documents on 30 November 2010.
The ordinary Zimbabweans themselves, who have suffered the consequences of the corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship, have risked life and limb to elect Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends into power because they are desperate for regime change. It does not say much of one who risk life and limb to elect an inept leader.
When SADC leaders warned Tsvangirai and the other MDC leaders "if you go into elections next month, you are going to lose; the elections are done". The SADC leaders were speaking to the ordinary Zimbabweans too and they, because they stood to lose the most, should have taken it upon themselves to make sure Tsvangirai and company paid heed to the warning. The people dropped the ball in 2013 by allowing themselves to be dragged by MDC into an election whose outcome was already known before the first ballot was cast.
The people of Zimbabwe will have to be really naïve and gullible to be dragged, like sheep to the slaughter, into yet another flawed election process. There is absolutely no excuse why any thinking Zimbabweans should participate in next year's elections until democratic reform are implemented to guarantee free, fair and credible elections. They have been cheated of their right to a meaningful vote these last 37 years, what else will it take for them to finally realise the folly of it all!
We do not need to go through the mill of another flawed elections to prove what we already know - that when Zanu PF rigs the vote they also win the elections.
"Follow the Global Political Agreement roadmap," they told the MDC leaders.
Sadly, MDC leaders paid no heed. Not even one reform was implemented in five years of the GNU. Not one!
Next, SADC leaders tried their best to stop Zimbabwe going into yet another meaningless election process in which Zanu PF will, once again, rig the vote. With no reforms implemented, they advised Tsvangirai and friends NOT to contest the 2013 elections.
But sadly, once again, MDC leaders paid no heed. As we know, Zanu PF blatantly rigged the July 2013 elections.
When the MDC-T passed the "No reform, no election!" congress resolution in 2014, which the other factions adopted; I heaved a large sight of relief. "Finally, finally MDC leaders have learned the lesson on the folly of contesting flawed elections," I said to anyone who cared to listen. I felt like Atlas with the world taken off his shoulder!
Now you can imagine how I must be feeling right now knowing Tsvangirai & co. have gone back on their own party resolution and SADC leaders' sound advice NOT to contest the elections with no reforms! Former US Ambassador Chris Dell warned that Tsvangirai was hopeless at taking advice.
Dell described Mr Tsvangirai as a "flawed figure" who was "not readily open to advice, indecisive and questionable judgement in selecting those around him," according to Wikileak report.
"He is the indispensable element for opposition success, but possibly an albatross around their necks once in power."
Ambassador Dell was spot-on, everything he predicted has come truth, especially Tsvangirai's total inability to take advice, with disastrously consequences the nation.
"Albatross (large sea bird with a 3m + wingspan weighing 8kg +) around one's neck," my Google search tells me, "is a phrase alluding to Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem " The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," in which a sailor who shoots a friendly albatross is forced to wear its carcass around his neck as punishment."
Frankly I cannot think of any "opposition success" Tsvangirai has brought, in spite MDC's 17 years + on the political stage and countless golden opportunities to bring change, but know this albatross carcass is the milestone dragging the whole nation into the abyss.
It is not just folly but madness to keep contesting flawed elections, now after 37 years + of rigged elections.
Still, the spotlight must now shift from Tsvangirai to his followers and the people of Zimbabwe at large.
"The United States failed to effect regime change in Zimbabwe because it was working with a weak MDC party with an inept leadership, leaked classified documents have revealed," The Herald first reported of the leaked documents on 30 November 2010.
The ordinary Zimbabweans themselves, who have suffered the consequences of the corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship, have risked life and limb to elect Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends into power because they are desperate for regime change. It does not say much of one who risk life and limb to elect an inept leader.
When SADC leaders warned Tsvangirai and the other MDC leaders "if you go into elections next month, you are going to lose; the elections are done". The SADC leaders were speaking to the ordinary Zimbabweans too and they, because they stood to lose the most, should have taken it upon themselves to make sure Tsvangirai and company paid heed to the warning. The people dropped the ball in 2013 by allowing themselves to be dragged by MDC into an election whose outcome was already known before the first ballot was cast.
The people of Zimbabwe will have to be really naïve and gullible to be dragged, like sheep to the slaughter, into yet another flawed election process. There is absolutely no excuse why any thinking Zimbabweans should participate in next year's elections until democratic reform are implemented to guarantee free, fair and credible elections. They have been cheated of their right to a meaningful vote these last 37 years, what else will it take for them to finally realise the folly of it all!
We do not need to go through the mill of another flawed elections to prove what we already know - that when Zanu PF rigs the vote they also win the elections.
Source - Patrick Guramatunhu
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