Opinion / Columnist
Sikhala 'berates' Mnangagwa - 20 years of posturing, it is reforms Mnangagwa fears
27 Dec 2020 at 19:07hrs | Views
"MDC Alliance vice-chairperson Job Sikhala has said President Emmerson Mnangagwa has proved to be one of the worst authoritarian leaders to ever lead Zimbabwe, an accusation that comes as the nation next month marks the second anniversary of the bloody fuel price protests which were violently quashed by the military," reported The Standard.
This is just another case of MDC silverback gorilla grandstanding and posturing to get attention and this is all they have done for the last 20 years. Worse still, the posturing is not harmless, MDC are the ones helping to keep Zanu PF in power!
The people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders into power for one principle reason - so that the party would bring about the democratic changes, as the party name implied, the nation was been dying for.
Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends had the golden opportunity during the 2008 to 2013 GNU to implement the democratic reforms, dismantle the Zanu PF dictatorship and thus end the curse of rigged elections. Sadly, they wasted the opportunity and failed to implement even one reform.
Mugabe bribed the MDC leaders with the trappings of high office, the ministerial limos, the very generous salaries and perks, a US$ 4 million mansion for Tsvangirai, etc., etc. With their snouts in the feeding trough, even the constant nagging by SADC leaders failed to get Tsvangirai and company to implement even one reform in five years.
"MDC leaders were busy enjoying themselves during the GNU, they forgot why they were there!" remarked one SADC diplomat in sheer exasperation.
Ever since GNU, Zanu PF has offered a few gravy train seats to entice the opposition to participate in the elections regardless how flawed and illegal the process happen to be. A honey trap Zanu PF knew MDC leaders would find irresistible, as David Coltart readily confessed in his book.
"The worst aspect for me about the failure to agree a coalition was that both MDCs couldn't now do the obvious – withdraw from the elections," wrote Coltart.
"The electoral process was so flawed, so illegal, that the only logical step was to withdraw, which would compel SADC to hold Zanu PF to account. But such was the distrust between the MDC-T and MDC-N that neither could withdraw for fear that the other would remain in the elections, winning seats and giving the process credibility."
Blaming the "failure to agree a coalition" for participating in flawed and illegal 2013 elections was just a feeble excuse. Three of the main MDC factions plus three other parties did form a coalition, the MDC Alliance, before the 2018 elections. The coalition participated in the plebiscite without even a pose for thought although it was certain Zanu PF was rigging the elections.
As before, ZEC failed to produce something as elementary as verified voters' roll for Pete's sake.
By participating in these flawed and illegal elections MDC A gave the process "credibility", as Coltart said, but, more significantly, it gave legitimacy the vote rigging Zanu PF.
MP Job Sikhala was one of the MDC A winners of the few gravy train seats and his denouncing of Mnangagwa as "one of the worst authoritarian leaders" must be taken with a pitch of salt given he is the one giving the Mnangagwa legitimacy.
Worse still, Sikhala's posturing is publicity stunt to keep himself in the public eye, he is preparing to participate in the 2023 elections and thus perpetuating the Zanu PF dictatorship.
MDC leaders are running with the povo hare whilst hunting with the Zanu PF hounds.
Mnangagwa is smart enough to know a political opponent who calls "one of the worst authoritarian leaders" but never implement the reforms is a blessing compared to one who will implement the reforms and end the Zanu PF dictatorship!
It is the people of Zimbabwe who must wake-up to the political reality that after 20 years of MDC posturing, the nation is still stuck with the Zanu PF dictatorship. Enough of this posturing nonsense; what the nation is dying for is to have the reforms implemented.
If no reforms are implemented then the 2023 elections must be declared null and void. The last thing the nation wants is MDC giving Zanu PF legitimacy! The idea of Zanu PF remaining in power after the 2023 elections is simply unthinkable!
This is just another case of MDC silverback gorilla grandstanding and posturing to get attention and this is all they have done for the last 20 years. Worse still, the posturing is not harmless, MDC are the ones helping to keep Zanu PF in power!
The people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders into power for one principle reason - so that the party would bring about the democratic changes, as the party name implied, the nation was been dying for.
Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends had the golden opportunity during the 2008 to 2013 GNU to implement the democratic reforms, dismantle the Zanu PF dictatorship and thus end the curse of rigged elections. Sadly, they wasted the opportunity and failed to implement even one reform.
Mugabe bribed the MDC leaders with the trappings of high office, the ministerial limos, the very generous salaries and perks, a US$ 4 million mansion for Tsvangirai, etc., etc. With their snouts in the feeding trough, even the constant nagging by SADC leaders failed to get Tsvangirai and company to implement even one reform in five years.
"MDC leaders were busy enjoying themselves during the GNU, they forgot why they were there!" remarked one SADC diplomat in sheer exasperation.
Ever since GNU, Zanu PF has offered a few gravy train seats to entice the opposition to participate in the elections regardless how flawed and illegal the process happen to be. A honey trap Zanu PF knew MDC leaders would find irresistible, as David Coltart readily confessed in his book.
"The worst aspect for me about the failure to agree a coalition was that both MDCs couldn't now do the obvious – withdraw from the elections," wrote Coltart.
"The electoral process was so flawed, so illegal, that the only logical step was to withdraw, which would compel SADC to hold Zanu PF to account. But such was the distrust between the MDC-T and MDC-N that neither could withdraw for fear that the other would remain in the elections, winning seats and giving the process credibility."
As before, ZEC failed to produce something as elementary as verified voters' roll for Pete's sake.
By participating in these flawed and illegal elections MDC A gave the process "credibility", as Coltart said, but, more significantly, it gave legitimacy the vote rigging Zanu PF.
MP Job Sikhala was one of the MDC A winners of the few gravy train seats and his denouncing of Mnangagwa as "one of the worst authoritarian leaders" must be taken with a pitch of salt given he is the one giving the Mnangagwa legitimacy.
Worse still, Sikhala's posturing is publicity stunt to keep himself in the public eye, he is preparing to participate in the 2023 elections and thus perpetuating the Zanu PF dictatorship.
MDC leaders are running with the povo hare whilst hunting with the Zanu PF hounds.
Mnangagwa is smart enough to know a political opponent who calls "one of the worst authoritarian leaders" but never implement the reforms is a blessing compared to one who will implement the reforms and end the Zanu PF dictatorship!
It is the people of Zimbabwe who must wake-up to the political reality that after 20 years of MDC posturing, the nation is still stuck with the Zanu PF dictatorship. Enough of this posturing nonsense; what the nation is dying for is to have the reforms implemented.
If no reforms are implemented then the 2023 elections must be declared null and void. The last thing the nation wants is MDC giving Zanu PF legitimacy! The idea of Zanu PF remaining in power after the 2023 elections is simply unthinkable!
Source - zimbabwelight.blogspot.com
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