Opinion / Columnist
Blame Mugabe for everything that has gone bad in Zim but to blame him for 'no reforms' is daft!
28 May 2015 at 17:25hrs | Views
We can blame Mugabe and his Zanu PF thugs for a host of things but blaming them for the fact that not even one democratic reform was implemented during the five years of the GNU is a clear sign of political immaturity, to say the least.
"Sadc ordered media and security sector reforms in order to ensure free and fair polls. But Mugabe pressed ahead without them. The outcome of the poll remains questionable owing to several irregularities," wrote Jera in his/her article "Democratic ouster of Mugabe unlikely", Bulawayo Opinion column.
It is not true that "Mugabe pressed ahead without" the reforms; he took full advantage of the fact that not even one reforms had been implemented after five years of the GNU. The reforms should have been implemented in 18 months of the proposed GNU in the end its life was extended to five years and yet still no reforms were implemented. Not even one reform!
The GNU was never meant to last forever and five years was over three times the original life and it was therefore not a matter of Mugabe pressing ahead holding elections without the reforms but more of those responsible for getting the reforms implemented having failed to do so although they had five years instead of 18 months to complete the task!
It was for Tsvangirai and MDC to implement the reforms; SADC reminded them of this throughout the GNU but were ignored. SADC literally begged the MDC leaders not to take part in the July 2013 elections without the reforms but again their warning fell on deaf ears.
Tsvangirai and his MDC friends were not just corrupt and breathtakingly incompetent but, more significantly, they sold out. It is no secret that Mugabe bribed MDC leaders to do nothing about the reforms. As SADC heads accused MDC leaders of "enjoying themselves whilst in the GNU and forgot why they were there"!
Tsvangirai and his MDC friends have lost political credibility because they failed to get even one reform implemented after five years in the GNU, even after being warned repeatedly about their importance.
Only the politically naïve and gullible would take Tsvangirai's "no reform no elections" call seriously because anyone who understands what happened during the GNU knows that it MDC that failed to implement the reforms and so blaming Zanu PF for no reforms is political cynicism at its worst.
It makes sense for Zimbabwe's opposition parties to boycott elections until the democratic reforms are implemented, a pre-requisite for free, fair and credible elections; that is all opposition parties except the MDC factions. Tsvangirai and his MDC friends are the ones who landed the nation into this mess of having not even one reform implemented; they refusal to acknowledge that they are corrupt, incompetent and they sol-out big time during the GNU, does not change the fact that they are corrupt, etc.
Tsvangirai's "no reform no election" call is tantamount to "no elections because MDC's corrupt and incompetent!" It is not surprising that Mugabe and Zanu PF are taking full advantage of this confusion. Everyone knows that Mugabe and his Zanu PF thugs would never win free and fair elections in Zimbabwe. People can blame Mugabe for a multitude of things but no one worth his/her salt can blame him for the failure to have even one reform implemented during the GNU. Of course Zanu PF will never ever implement any meaningful reforms since they are not to blame for none being implemented during the GNU but will take full advantage of the confusion MDC is creating by falsely blaming Zanu PF for their own failures.
Indeed President Mugabe would want attention to remain focused on blaming game and away away from the key point that these reforms are still important and must be implemented. The sooner Tsvangirai acknowledged he and his MDC friends are corrupt and incompetent the sooner the nation will move on to the important issue of getting the reforms implemented!
'Let those who are boycotting elections continue to do so and we will continue to rule, we will increase our MPs in parliament,' remarked VP Mnangagwa.
Tsvangirai's denial that MDC leaders are corrupt, incompetent and are responsible for the failure to get even one reform implemented is what helped Mugabe and Zanu PF "win" the July 2013 elections and will help them keep them in power for years to come. The first step in ending the Zanu PF dictatorial rule is accepting the reality that MDC leaders are corrupt and incompetent and have lost political credibility and not to sweep all this under the carpet!
"Sadc ordered media and security sector reforms in order to ensure free and fair polls. But Mugabe pressed ahead without them. The outcome of the poll remains questionable owing to several irregularities," wrote Jera in his/her article "Democratic ouster of Mugabe unlikely", Bulawayo Opinion column.
It is not true that "Mugabe pressed ahead without" the reforms; he took full advantage of the fact that not even one reforms had been implemented after five years of the GNU. The reforms should have been implemented in 18 months of the proposed GNU in the end its life was extended to five years and yet still no reforms were implemented. Not even one reform!
The GNU was never meant to last forever and five years was over three times the original life and it was therefore not a matter of Mugabe pressing ahead holding elections without the reforms but more of those responsible for getting the reforms implemented having failed to do so although they had five years instead of 18 months to complete the task!
It was for Tsvangirai and MDC to implement the reforms; SADC reminded them of this throughout the GNU but were ignored. SADC literally begged the MDC leaders not to take part in the July 2013 elections without the reforms but again their warning fell on deaf ears.
Tsvangirai and his MDC friends were not just corrupt and breathtakingly incompetent but, more significantly, they sold out. It is no secret that Mugabe bribed MDC leaders to do nothing about the reforms. As SADC heads accused MDC leaders of "enjoying themselves whilst in the GNU and forgot why they were there"!
Tsvangirai and his MDC friends have lost political credibility because they failed to get even one reform implemented after five years in the GNU, even after being warned repeatedly about their importance.
Only the politically naïve and gullible would take Tsvangirai's "no reform no elections" call seriously because anyone who understands what happened during the GNU knows that it MDC that failed to implement the reforms and so blaming Zanu PF for no reforms is political cynicism at its worst.
It makes sense for Zimbabwe's opposition parties to boycott elections until the democratic reforms are implemented, a pre-requisite for free, fair and credible elections; that is all opposition parties except the MDC factions. Tsvangirai and his MDC friends are the ones who landed the nation into this mess of having not even one reform implemented; they refusal to acknowledge that they are corrupt, incompetent and they sol-out big time during the GNU, does not change the fact that they are corrupt, etc.
Tsvangirai's "no reform no election" call is tantamount to "no elections because MDC's corrupt and incompetent!" It is not surprising that Mugabe and Zanu PF are taking full advantage of this confusion. Everyone knows that Mugabe and his Zanu PF thugs would never win free and fair elections in Zimbabwe. People can blame Mugabe for a multitude of things but no one worth his/her salt can blame him for the failure to have even one reform implemented during the GNU. Of course Zanu PF will never ever implement any meaningful reforms since they are not to blame for none being implemented during the GNU but will take full advantage of the confusion MDC is creating by falsely blaming Zanu PF for their own failures.
Indeed President Mugabe would want attention to remain focused on blaming game and away away from the key point that these reforms are still important and must be implemented. The sooner Tsvangirai acknowledged he and his MDC friends are corrupt and incompetent the sooner the nation will move on to the important issue of getting the reforms implemented!
'Let those who are boycotting elections continue to do so and we will continue to rule, we will increase our MPs in parliament,' remarked VP Mnangagwa.
Tsvangirai's denial that MDC leaders are corrupt, incompetent and are responsible for the failure to get even one reform implemented is what helped Mugabe and Zanu PF "win" the July 2013 elections and will help them keep them in power for years to come. The first step in ending the Zanu PF dictatorial rule is accepting the reality that MDC leaders are corrupt and incompetent and have lost political credibility and not to sweep all this under the carpet!
Source - Wilbert Mukori
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