Opinion / Columnist
'MDC want to unseat elected ED' - who elected him, even ZEC failed to verify its own result
09 Nov 2018 at 14:43hrs | Views
President Mnangagwa rigged the 30 July 2018 elections cocksure his "Zimbabwe is open for business!" clarion call would deliver economic recover. Sadly, that has no happened, the flood of investors has not materialised and it is his fault.
The economic recovery was founded on the premise that the November 2017 coup did not just remove Zimbabwe's long serving tyrant Robert Mugabe from office, it also transformed the country into a new democratic Zimbabwe. Mnangagwa promised to hold free, fair and credible elections, proof of the "new dispensation" transformation.
And so by rigging the elections, he proved Zimbabwe was still a pariah state ruled by corrupt and vote rigging thugs. Of course, investors shied away for Zimbabwe because they know it is impossible to do business in pariah state, they know that from all the Mugabe years.
The economic turmoil and hardship brought about by serious shortages of foreign currency, fuel, food, medicine, etc. have all underlined one fundamental fact: Zanu PF rigged the elections but wrecked all hope of any meaningful economic recovery.
The truth is slowly dawning on Mnangagwa that his dream of bringing economic prosperity after the 37 years of economic ruin under Mugabe is but a pipe dream! The reality is the economic is sinking even deeper into the morass that Mugabe created.
The worsening economic situation is making Zimbabwe economically and socially more and more unstable. People are not going to tolerate these forex, medicine, etc. shortages forever; they will be street protests or worse!
What Mnangagwa should do is accept that the token changes of removing Mugabe were not enough to end Zimbabwe's pariah state status. And, above all accept, that as long as the country remains a pariah state ruled by corrupt and vote rigging thugs there will be no meaningful economic recovery. Accepting those political and economic realities is essential because only then is the solution obvious - that Zanu PF must step down to allow the holding of free and fair elections.
Instead of acknowledging the futility of his "new dispensation" as the answer to Zimbabwe's serious economic situation, Mnangagwa is burying his head in the sand and hanging on to power at all cost. He, just like Mugabe before him, is resorting propaganda and violence to silence his critics and the victims of his failed leadership.
"At a moment when the economy is facing temporary economic challenges, the opposition has decided to politicise the situation, blaming Government for failing to redress these challenges," Anesu Pedzisai wrote in Bulawayo24.
"It is on the same background that MDC leader Nelson Chamisa has tried to ride on these mischievous shenanigans, promising pies in the air to citizens. It also does not come as much of a surprise that Chamisa is desperately trying to remain relevant, he has been at the forefront of preaching provocative and inflammatory statements, urging people to prepare to join him and take to the streets, at some point, and unseat a duly elected Government."
Of course, Zanu PF is to blame for the country's economic meltdown. It is the one that established and retained this de facto one-party state, the epitome of the pariah state curse, and landed the nation in this hell-on-earth. By rigging the recent elections, Mnangagwa has reaffirmed the party's dictatorial strangle hold on the nation. It is therefore nonsensical that Zanu PF should be holding on to the dictatorial powers of a pariah state but refuse to accept the consequences of Zimbabwe being a pariah state!
Zimbabwe's economic situation with its nauseatingly high unemployment rate of 90% and 75% of the population already living on US$1.00 or less a day is socially, politically and morally unsustainable. What is clear is that Zanu PF will use brute force to silence all demands for change.
The regime is using misguided MDC statements to justify repression. The people will overcome their fear of the brutality of Zanu PF to demand change because they can no longer stand the brutality brought upon them by the economic meltdown and chronic shortages of everything.
Pedzisai, people are dying already of hunger and disease brought upon them by the economic meltdown. People know that as long as Zanu PF remains in power their suffering and deaths will continue. Zanu PF is pushing the nation over the edge into the abyss.
The people have a simple choice facing up the Zanu PF regime and demand meaningful change or continue to die like damn sheep being driven over the cliff by a foolish dog. Common sense will prevail!
As for the "unseat a duly elected Government"; who elected Mnangagwa and this junta? The regime denied 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora the vote, failed to produce a verified voters' roll, there was no free public media and the election observers, not even ZEC, could verify and trace the declared election result.
ZEC's task was to cross check the tally from the 11 000 or so V11 figures from each of polling stations. Some of the V11 forms were never released although this is a legal requirement. After four days of messing around ZEC finally declared Mnangagwa the winner but failed to show were their figures came from. Indeed, ZEC managed to come up with three different results and neither of which could be verified or traced!
There is no question that Zanu PF rigged the July 2018 elections and thus confirmed the country's status as pariah state. There is no denying that whilst the pariah state curse hangs over the nation's head there is no hope of economic recovery. After 38 years of corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF rule that have left 75% of our people living in abject poverty; there is a crying need for change. The Zanu PF dictatorship must be dismantled.
President Mnangagwa and his junta regime rigged the elections and are, per se, illegitimate. The regime must step down to allow the nation to implement the democratic reforms necessary for free, fair and credible elections.
If Zanu PF is allowed to stay in power until 2023, the party will rig those elections too! The only sure way to make sure Zanu PF does not rig another election is for the regime to step down now so the nation can finally implement the democratic reforms that both Zanu PF and MDC failed to implement during the 2008 GNU.
After 38 years of blundering from pillar to post, we have a chance of resetting our dysfunctional political system. The question is do we have the vision to see the opportunity and the resolve to seize it?
The economic recovery was founded on the premise that the November 2017 coup did not just remove Zimbabwe's long serving tyrant Robert Mugabe from office, it also transformed the country into a new democratic Zimbabwe. Mnangagwa promised to hold free, fair and credible elections, proof of the "new dispensation" transformation.
And so by rigging the elections, he proved Zimbabwe was still a pariah state ruled by corrupt and vote rigging thugs. Of course, investors shied away for Zimbabwe because they know it is impossible to do business in pariah state, they know that from all the Mugabe years.
The economic turmoil and hardship brought about by serious shortages of foreign currency, fuel, food, medicine, etc. have all underlined one fundamental fact: Zanu PF rigged the elections but wrecked all hope of any meaningful economic recovery.
The truth is slowly dawning on Mnangagwa that his dream of bringing economic prosperity after the 37 years of economic ruin under Mugabe is but a pipe dream! The reality is the economic is sinking even deeper into the morass that Mugabe created.
The worsening economic situation is making Zimbabwe economically and socially more and more unstable. People are not going to tolerate these forex, medicine, etc. shortages forever; they will be street protests or worse!
What Mnangagwa should do is accept that the token changes of removing Mugabe were not enough to end Zimbabwe's pariah state status. And, above all accept, that as long as the country remains a pariah state ruled by corrupt and vote rigging thugs there will be no meaningful economic recovery. Accepting those political and economic realities is essential because only then is the solution obvious - that Zanu PF must step down to allow the holding of free and fair elections.
Instead of acknowledging the futility of his "new dispensation" as the answer to Zimbabwe's serious economic situation, Mnangagwa is burying his head in the sand and hanging on to power at all cost. He, just like Mugabe before him, is resorting propaganda and violence to silence his critics and the victims of his failed leadership.
"At a moment when the economy is facing temporary economic challenges, the opposition has decided to politicise the situation, blaming Government for failing to redress these challenges," Anesu Pedzisai wrote in Bulawayo24.
"It is on the same background that MDC leader Nelson Chamisa has tried to ride on these mischievous shenanigans, promising pies in the air to citizens. It also does not come as much of a surprise that Chamisa is desperately trying to remain relevant, he has been at the forefront of preaching provocative and inflammatory statements, urging people to prepare to join him and take to the streets, at some point, and unseat a duly elected Government."
Of course, Zanu PF is to blame for the country's economic meltdown. It is the one that established and retained this de facto one-party state, the epitome of the pariah state curse, and landed the nation in this hell-on-earth. By rigging the recent elections, Mnangagwa has reaffirmed the party's dictatorial strangle hold on the nation. It is therefore nonsensical that Zanu PF should be holding on to the dictatorial powers of a pariah state but refuse to accept the consequences of Zimbabwe being a pariah state!
Zimbabwe's economic situation with its nauseatingly high unemployment rate of 90% and 75% of the population already living on US$1.00 or less a day is socially, politically and morally unsustainable. What is clear is that Zanu PF will use brute force to silence all demands for change.
The regime is using misguided MDC statements to justify repression. The people will overcome their fear of the brutality of Zanu PF to demand change because they can no longer stand the brutality brought upon them by the economic meltdown and chronic shortages of everything.
Pedzisai, people are dying already of hunger and disease brought upon them by the economic meltdown. People know that as long as Zanu PF remains in power their suffering and deaths will continue. Zanu PF is pushing the nation over the edge into the abyss.
The people have a simple choice facing up the Zanu PF regime and demand meaningful change or continue to die like damn sheep being driven over the cliff by a foolish dog. Common sense will prevail!
As for the "unseat a duly elected Government"; who elected Mnangagwa and this junta? The regime denied 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora the vote, failed to produce a verified voters' roll, there was no free public media and the election observers, not even ZEC, could verify and trace the declared election result.
ZEC's task was to cross check the tally from the 11 000 or so V11 figures from each of polling stations. Some of the V11 forms were never released although this is a legal requirement. After four days of messing around ZEC finally declared Mnangagwa the winner but failed to show were their figures came from. Indeed, ZEC managed to come up with three different results and neither of which could be verified or traced!
There is no question that Zanu PF rigged the July 2018 elections and thus confirmed the country's status as pariah state. There is no denying that whilst the pariah state curse hangs over the nation's head there is no hope of economic recovery. After 38 years of corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF rule that have left 75% of our people living in abject poverty; there is a crying need for change. The Zanu PF dictatorship must be dismantled.
President Mnangagwa and his junta regime rigged the elections and are, per se, illegitimate. The regime must step down to allow the nation to implement the democratic reforms necessary for free, fair and credible elections.
If Zanu PF is allowed to stay in power until 2023, the party will rig those elections too! The only sure way to make sure Zanu PF does not rig another election is for the regime to step down now so the nation can finally implement the democratic reforms that both Zanu PF and MDC failed to implement during the 2008 GNU.
After 38 years of blundering from pillar to post, we have a chance of resetting our dysfunctional political system. The question is do we have the vision to see the opportunity and the resolve to seize it?
Source - zsdemocrats.blogspot.co.uk
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