Opinion / Columnist
'Elections are going to be free, we told,' says Chamboko - name them, another feeble excuses
17 Apr 2018 at 06:20hrs | Views
It is easy to see why Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends failed to implement even one democratic reforms designed to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections; it is, either, Zimbabwe's opposition politicians do not believe in the reforms. Or they are so scared of Zanu PF thugs they will do anything just to avoid confronting the thugs.
"If the next elections are indeed going to be free, fair, credible and transparent as we have been told, there is a very good chance that there will not be an outright winner, at least in the first round," wrote ZUNDE Secretary General in Zimeye. Chamboko is one of the country's leading opposition leaders and intellectuals.
"While electoral irregularities have been raised in the past, the fact of the matter is that ZANU PF has a solid membership base of people who will vote for them no matter what happens. This number is estimated to be not less than one million and it is a reality that cannot be ignored."
There is no need to be so coy, Mr Chamboko; who told you the the elections are going to be free and fair? What it ED or Chamisa?
If it is ED; he does not know what constitute free and fair elections. He insisted the 2008 elections were free and fair. "Give us the evidence of vote rigging," he demanded of the Economist reporter. The reporter let him off the hook because there is a mountain of evidence.
Nelson Chamisa has been wittering about having "stringent measures to stop Zanu PF rigging the vote!" Every intellectual worth his/her salt knows that is just a blast of hot air.
SADC leaders spelt out the raft of democratic reform Zimbabwe needed to implement to stop Zanu PF rigging elections as happened in the 2008 elections. Chamisa and his MDC friends failed to get even one reform implemented in five years of the GNU. Not even one!
SADC leaders wanted the 2013 elections postponed to allow the democratic reforms to be implemented. "If you go into the elections next month you will lose: the elections are done," they warned MDC leaders. But once again MDC leaders would not listen.
The nation is going into another election cycle still with not even one reform implemented since the last elections. Of course, these elections too "are done"! People like Mr Chamboko and army of others opposition members are determined that the elections must, once again, go ahead. They are disregarding SADC leaders' advice, disregarding their own "No reform, no elections!" party resolutions and ignoring all the evidence of Zanu PF rigging taking place already.
They never run out of feeble excuses why the elections must go ahead; someone (no named supplied) told Mr Chamboko that the elections will be free and fair, is his latest feeble excuse!
Mr Chamboko is telling us that Zanu PF has a one million solid membership base. So, what happened to all these supporters in 2008 when Tsvangirai polled 73% of the 3.5 votes cast in the March vote?
Mugabe has always claimed that he was loved by the people and yet on 18 November last year hundreds of thousands of ordinary Zimbabweans came out to demand he resigned. In country now used to hired crowd by both Zanu PF and the opposition, that was really impressive because no one was bussed in that day!
If we were to implement all the democratic reforms, free the nation from the stifling oppression of this corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship; the current crop of recycled Zanu PF deadwood would be blown out of the water with the competition.
Each time President Mnangagwa has dared to venture out of his comfort zone of ZBC TV's Ruben Barwe's type interviews; he has been made to sweat under that rainbow scarf. The man has so much dirty on him, a free media would have a field day. After a hard-hitting interview on such programmes as BBC's HardTalk, whatever little support Mnangagwa still has would disappear like mist in the hot African sun!
When it comes to why, 38 years after independence, we are yet to hold our first free, fair and credible elections; we are our own worst enemies. If the country's leaders like Chamisa, Chamboko, Biti, etc. find these flawed elections acceptable what hope is there of my aunties and millions of others in the country's rural back waters knowing any better!
"If the next elections are indeed going to be free, fair, credible and transparent as we have been told, there is a very good chance that there will not be an outright winner, at least in the first round," wrote ZUNDE Secretary General in Zimeye. Chamboko is one of the country's leading opposition leaders and intellectuals.
"While electoral irregularities have been raised in the past, the fact of the matter is that ZANU PF has a solid membership base of people who will vote for them no matter what happens. This number is estimated to be not less than one million and it is a reality that cannot be ignored."
There is no need to be so coy, Mr Chamboko; who told you the the elections are going to be free and fair? What it ED or Chamisa?
If it is ED; he does not know what constitute free and fair elections. He insisted the 2008 elections were free and fair. "Give us the evidence of vote rigging," he demanded of the Economist reporter. The reporter let him off the hook because there is a mountain of evidence.
Nelson Chamisa has been wittering about having "stringent measures to stop Zanu PF rigging the vote!" Every intellectual worth his/her salt knows that is just a blast of hot air.
SADC leaders spelt out the raft of democratic reform Zimbabwe needed to implement to stop Zanu PF rigging elections as happened in the 2008 elections. Chamisa and his MDC friends failed to get even one reform implemented in five years of the GNU. Not even one!
The nation is going into another election cycle still with not even one reform implemented since the last elections. Of course, these elections too "are done"! People like Mr Chamboko and army of others opposition members are determined that the elections must, once again, go ahead. They are disregarding SADC leaders' advice, disregarding their own "No reform, no elections!" party resolutions and ignoring all the evidence of Zanu PF rigging taking place already.
They never run out of feeble excuses why the elections must go ahead; someone (no named supplied) told Mr Chamboko that the elections will be free and fair, is his latest feeble excuse!
Mr Chamboko is telling us that Zanu PF has a one million solid membership base. So, what happened to all these supporters in 2008 when Tsvangirai polled 73% of the 3.5 votes cast in the March vote?
Mugabe has always claimed that he was loved by the people and yet on 18 November last year hundreds of thousands of ordinary Zimbabweans came out to demand he resigned. In country now used to hired crowd by both Zanu PF and the opposition, that was really impressive because no one was bussed in that day!
If we were to implement all the democratic reforms, free the nation from the stifling oppression of this corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship; the current crop of recycled Zanu PF deadwood would be blown out of the water with the competition.
Each time President Mnangagwa has dared to venture out of his comfort zone of ZBC TV's Ruben Barwe's type interviews; he has been made to sweat under that rainbow scarf. The man has so much dirty on him, a free media would have a field day. After a hard-hitting interview on such programmes as BBC's HardTalk, whatever little support Mnangagwa still has would disappear like mist in the hot African sun!
When it comes to why, 38 years after independence, we are yet to hold our first free, fair and credible elections; we are our own worst enemies. If the country's leaders like Chamisa, Chamboko, Biti, etc. find these flawed elections acceptable what hope is there of my aunties and millions of others in the country's rural back waters knowing any better!
Source - zsdemocrats.blogspot.co.uk
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