Opinion / Columnist
'To keep questioning legitimacy is undemocratic' - insane not to, especially after 39 years of rigged elections
09 Jun 2019 at 19:41hrs | Views
A true friend will give you sound advice even if that is not what you want to hear. Indeed, a true friend would rather risk souring the friendship by giving the sound advice then give misleading information much less down right poison!
"This is not in the spirit of democracy. You can criticise the policies of a government - that's a political right - but if you keep questioning the legitimacy, that is unthinkable. Political rivalry is not enmity," India's Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Rungsung Masakui, advised Zimbabwe's opposition.
"The President (Emmerson Mnangagwa) is making efforts to create dialogue platforms with the opposition parties; it's a way forward. But it is difficult for the dialogue to succeed if the main opposition party is not part of it.
"Space is there for them to join in – the President even formally recognised the office of the opposition party leader . . . that is what is happening the world over."
The greatest gift India's founding fathers, Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of independent India, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, etc. bequeathed their nation was a healthy and functioning democracy. India, like all the other nation fighting to end colonial domination had the choice of waging a war to drive the British out of India but chose to use peaceful civil disobedience instead.
"An armed struggle will throw up militants as the leaders. Are they the men and women we want to rule independent India?" Nehru argued.
Zimbabwe had the great misfortune of not having such leaders with foresight. The country wage a bitter war of independence and Loo Behold the war did thrown up ruthless thugs who cared about absolute power and did not care about the suffering and even deaths of the ordinary people. Zimbabwe has become the basket example of what happens to a nation that had the misfortune of having corrupt and murderous thugs as the nation's founding fathers.
Last month India had its democratic elections with 900 million registered to vote and everything went like clock-work!
Zimbabwe's July 2018 elections were the usual organised chaos! 3 million Zimbabweans outside the country were denied the vote. 5 million reportedly registered to vote although the regime failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters' roll.
"The electoral commission lacked full independence and appeared to not always act in an impartial manner. The final results as announced by the Electoral Commission contained numerous errors and lacked adequate traceability, transparency and verifiability," stated the EU Zimbabwe Election Observer Mission final report.
"Finally, the restrictions on political freedoms, the excessive use of force by security forces and abuses of human rights in the post-election period undermined the corresponding positive aspects during the pre-election campaign. As such, many aspects of the 2018 elections in Zimbabwe failed to meet international standards."
Zanu-PF blatantly rigged last July's elections and throw the nation into this constitution crisis of having no legitimate government.
Zanu-PF has rigged elections since the country's independence in 1980 and has been allowed to stay in power. Big mistake!
39 years of incompetent, corrupt and tyrannical Zanu-PF rule has left Zimbabwe in economic ruins and political paralysis.
Ambassador Rungsung Masakui's advice is for the nation to recognise Mnangagwa and his Zanu-PF junta as legitimate, regardless of the reality of yet another rigged election, is insane. We will be repeating the same big mistake of rewarding Zanu-PF with power after rigging elections of the last 39 years in the hope of a miracle – the regime bringing economic recovery and political stability after 39 years of ruin and paralysis!
The alternative is for the nation to finally grasp the nettle and admit appeasing Zanu-PF thugs has been a big mistake.
Zanu-PF rigged last year's elections, the regime is illegitimate and must step down. All those calling for political dialogue or re-engaging the regimes are all coming up with feeble excuses to justify keeping Zanu-PF in power.
If Zanu-PF is still in power come 2023 elections, we can be 100% certain the party will see to it that no meaningful democratic reforms are implemented and the party will blatantly rig those elections too. Those individuals and nations who are benefiting from the corrupt and tyrannical Zanu-PF rule will be very pleased to see Zanu-PF remaining in power.
In one of the very rare moments insightful moments, Joice Mujuru, then VP in Mugabe's government, complained of how a new city had spring-up in India to cut, process and sell diamonds mainly from Zimbabwe. And yet Zimbabwe had nothing to show for the looted diamonds.
"To keep questioning legitimacy is unthinkable and undemocratic!" It is insane to acquiesce to process so flawed it denies millions the vote, there is no verified voters' roll, etc.
"This is not in the spirit of democracy. You can criticise the policies of a government - that's a political right - but if you keep questioning the legitimacy, that is unthinkable. Political rivalry is not enmity," India's Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Rungsung Masakui, advised Zimbabwe's opposition.
"The President (Emmerson Mnangagwa) is making efforts to create dialogue platforms with the opposition parties; it's a way forward. But it is difficult for the dialogue to succeed if the main opposition party is not part of it.
"Space is there for them to join in – the President even formally recognised the office of the opposition party leader . . . that is what is happening the world over."
The greatest gift India's founding fathers, Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of independent India, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, etc. bequeathed their nation was a healthy and functioning democracy. India, like all the other nation fighting to end colonial domination had the choice of waging a war to drive the British out of India but chose to use peaceful civil disobedience instead.
"An armed struggle will throw up militants as the leaders. Are they the men and women we want to rule independent India?" Nehru argued.
Zimbabwe had the great misfortune of not having such leaders with foresight. The country wage a bitter war of independence and Loo Behold the war did thrown up ruthless thugs who cared about absolute power and did not care about the suffering and even deaths of the ordinary people. Zimbabwe has become the basket example of what happens to a nation that had the misfortune of having corrupt and murderous thugs as the nation's founding fathers.
Last month India had its democratic elections with 900 million registered to vote and everything went like clock-work!
Zimbabwe's July 2018 elections were the usual organised chaos! 3 million Zimbabweans outside the country were denied the vote. 5 million reportedly registered to vote although the regime failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters' roll.
"The electoral commission lacked full independence and appeared to not always act in an impartial manner. The final results as announced by the Electoral Commission contained numerous errors and lacked adequate traceability, transparency and verifiability," stated the EU Zimbabwe Election Observer Mission final report.
"Finally, the restrictions on political freedoms, the excessive use of force by security forces and abuses of human rights in the post-election period undermined the corresponding positive aspects during the pre-election campaign. As such, many aspects of the 2018 elections in Zimbabwe failed to meet international standards."
Zanu-PF blatantly rigged last July's elections and throw the nation into this constitution crisis of having no legitimate government.
Zanu-PF has rigged elections since the country's independence in 1980 and has been allowed to stay in power. Big mistake!
39 years of incompetent, corrupt and tyrannical Zanu-PF rule has left Zimbabwe in economic ruins and political paralysis.
Ambassador Rungsung Masakui's advice is for the nation to recognise Mnangagwa and his Zanu-PF junta as legitimate, regardless of the reality of yet another rigged election, is insane. We will be repeating the same big mistake of rewarding Zanu-PF with power after rigging elections of the last 39 years in the hope of a miracle – the regime bringing economic recovery and political stability after 39 years of ruin and paralysis!
The alternative is for the nation to finally grasp the nettle and admit appeasing Zanu-PF thugs has been a big mistake.
Zanu-PF rigged last year's elections, the regime is illegitimate and must step down. All those calling for political dialogue or re-engaging the regimes are all coming up with feeble excuses to justify keeping Zanu-PF in power.
If Zanu-PF is still in power come 2023 elections, we can be 100% certain the party will see to it that no meaningful democratic reforms are implemented and the party will blatantly rig those elections too. Those individuals and nations who are benefiting from the corrupt and tyrannical Zanu-PF rule will be very pleased to see Zanu-PF remaining in power.
In one of the very rare moments insightful moments, Joice Mujuru, then VP in Mugabe's government, complained of how a new city had spring-up in India to cut, process and sell diamonds mainly from Zimbabwe. And yet Zimbabwe had nothing to show for the looted diamonds.
"To keep questioning legitimacy is unthinkable and undemocratic!" It is insane to acquiesce to process so flawed it denies millions the vote, there is no verified voters' roll, etc.
Source - zimbabwelight.blogspot.com
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