'Biti participated in drafting ZIDERA' - would have been smartest vs folly of rigged election

"Zimbabwe is currently experiencing extreme hardships as a result of sanctions which were imposed at the instigation of some of Zimbabwean citizens. Zimbabwe Democratic Economic Recovery Act (ZIDERA) for example, was crafted with the help of Tendai Biti," wrote Charles Mutema.

"The result of ZIDERA is common knowledge to the whole world and all Zimbabweans. Mr Biti travelled to the USA where he engaged some members of the US Senate to impose sanctions against Zimbabwe.

"Mr Biti participated in the crafting of the ZIDERA sanctions law against Zimbabwe. He had no authority from the State of Zimbabwe to act in the manner he did. The State of Zimbabwe is under siege from these types of people who claim to be its citizens and want to enjoy all the rights to their persons and property, while on the other hand exercising acts of enmity against the country."

The trouble with the Zanu-PF thugs and their apologists is they think they can have their cake and eat it too. Come elections they have dismissed MDC as puppets not fit to run anything much less government and portrayed themselves as the competent one fit to govern. Zanu-PF has produced a manifesto promising to revive the economy, create new jobs and set the country on its way to become a middle-income nation by 2030.

The party has never ever said it would accomplish its goal if sanctions are lifted, it has never even acknowledged their existence.

Soon after the elections when it is clear the economy is sinking deeper and deeper into the abyss; it is then the regime admits there are sanctions. Worse still, the regime now admit that MDC puppets are now so powerful they not only influence US and Western foreign policy, they drafted the sanctions. What a track load of rubbish!

Tendai Biti and his MDC friends had the golden opportunity to implement the democratic reforms which would have dismantled the Zanu-PF dictatorship once and once for all. If Biti and company did not have the intellect to implement even one reform it is nonsense to suggest they had the intellect to draft ZIDERA.

Mnangagwa was given the opportunity to hold free, fair and credible elections and the Americans even spelt out what that entailed; allow every Zimbabwean the opportunity to vote, free public media, a transparent process, etc. He denied 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora the vote and ZEC failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters' roll, for Pete's sake!

As long as Zimbabwe remains a pariah state ruled by corrupt, incompetent and vote rigging thugs there will be no meaningful economic recovery.

The true purpose of the sanctions is to force Zanu-PF to hold free, fair and credible elections and end the curse of rigged elections and pariah state. Holding free, fair and credible elections is the Holy Grail for this nation because nothing of any substance will ever be accomplished until we rid ourself of this curse. Sanctions will stay!

If Tendai Biti "participated" in crafting ZIDERA then it was the smartest thing he has ever done way out of character for one used to participating in flawed and illegal elections!