Opinion / Columnist
NERA holding 'feedback rally' next week - with no reforms, will they conform election boycott
29 Mar 2017 at 13:55hrs | Views
"The National Electoral Reform Agenda, NERA is on Wednesday 5 April descending into the Africa Unity Square, now "labelled Dzamara Square," for a feedback rally," reported Zimeye.
"We have gone to court to compel ZEC to choose from the last three (BVR kits) suppliers shortlisted by the UNPD," said Douglas Mwonzora, who is MDC-T secretary general and NERA convener.
"We have nothing to fear but fear itself. We know that the government may want to interfere with our demonstration. They won't succeed. We should remain united. Together we will win."
What a moving speech full of the Shakespearian "sound and fury signifying nothing!" Of course, we have nothing to fear expect these meaningless speeches!
For the last 17 years Zimbabwe has continued to sink deeper and deeper into economic chaos and political despair because MDC has wasted the many golden opportunities to implement the democratic reforms designed to dismantle the Zanu PF dictatorship and deliver free and fair elections. There is nothing that MDC-T, NERA and anyone else in the opposition camp has done to implement the reforms. How then can we "win"?
As I remember, NERA is about forcing the Zanu PF regime to implement electoral reforms. Is Mr Mwonzora going to tell the nation how many reforms have been implemented so far and confirm all the reforms will be in place before next year' elections?
As far as I know, not even one reform has been implemented so far. Mr Mwonzora himself is on record saying, "less than 5% of the reforms have been implemented" so far. If this is indeed the case, then why is the opposition camp actively preparing to contest next year's elections with not even one reform in place? Surely, we do not want the 2018 elections to be a repeat of the 2013 elections!
Tsvangirai and his MDC friend had the opportunity to implement the democratic reforms during the GNU and they failed to get even one reform implemented in five years. They were warned not to contest the 2013 elections without implementing the reforms first and they paid no heed. The nation has since paid dearly for this as Zanu PF went on to blatantly rig the July 2013 elections with the disastrous political and economic consequences we can see all round.
We all know why MDC politicians contested the 2013 knowing fully well that Zanu PF will rig the vote; Senator David Coltart spelt it out 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," explained Senator 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."
Secretary General Douglas Mwonzo and all the other participants at the feedback rally next week will not even mention that NERA has failed to get even one reform implemented. They will all pay no heed to the warning not to contest next year's elections with no reforms in place. They will all contest the elections for the exact same reasons MDC contested the 2013 elections – greed!
Zanu PF has hit on a formula allowing them to rig elections and rule; the regime knows that as long as it allows the opposition to win a few seats the latter will never boycott elections regardless how flawed and illegal the process gets. So Zanu PF can do whatever it has to do, harass, beat, rape and even kill, to secure its landslide victory; the opposition will participate giving the process the modicum of legitimacy the party needs.
Of course, people like Douglas Mwonzora, Tendai Biti, Welshman Ncube and the rest in the opposition camp will never ever admit Senator Coltart was right in his analysis in 2013. All the MDC politicians have since not only acknowledged that Zanu PF rigged the July 2013 elections but have since gone one step further and resolved not to contest future elections until reforms are implemented.
However, now that the national elections are once again upon us they have all forgotten that not even one reform has been implemented and they grown deaf to the warning that Zanu PF will once again rig the elections. How convenient!
Zimbabwe cannot afford another rigged election, we need a compete government to attend to the nation's serious economic meltdown and political mess a.s.a.p.
There is no doubt that Zimbabwe's opposition camp is now full of corrupt, incompetent and self-serving politicians are now giving the Zanu PF dictatorship the political legitimacy by contesting in flawed elections. We will never have any meaningful democratic reforms implemented as long as we continue to have an opposition camp full of sell-outs. We must drain the opposition swamp!
Mr Mwonzora the only feedback we want to hear from you next week is an acknowledgement that no meaningful reforms have been implemented and therefore MDC-T and all the other opposition parties in attendance will NOT contest flawed elections! If you are not going to tell us that then please spare us all your usual mambo jambo nonsense; we KNOW what you are up to!
"We have gone to court to compel ZEC to choose from the last three (BVR kits) suppliers shortlisted by the UNPD," said Douglas Mwonzora, who is MDC-T secretary general and NERA convener.
"We have nothing to fear but fear itself. We know that the government may want to interfere with our demonstration. They won't succeed. We should remain united. Together we will win."
What a moving speech full of the Shakespearian "sound and fury signifying nothing!" Of course, we have nothing to fear expect these meaningless speeches!
For the last 17 years Zimbabwe has continued to sink deeper and deeper into economic chaos and political despair because MDC has wasted the many golden opportunities to implement the democratic reforms designed to dismantle the Zanu PF dictatorship and deliver free and fair elections. There is nothing that MDC-T, NERA and anyone else in the opposition camp has done to implement the reforms. How then can we "win"?
As I remember, NERA is about forcing the Zanu PF regime to implement electoral reforms. Is Mr Mwonzora going to tell the nation how many reforms have been implemented so far and confirm all the reforms will be in place before next year' elections?
As far as I know, not even one reform has been implemented so far. Mr Mwonzora himself is on record saying, "less than 5% of the reforms have been implemented" so far. If this is indeed the case, then why is the opposition camp actively preparing to contest next year's elections with not even one reform in place? Surely, we do not want the 2018 elections to be a repeat of the 2013 elections!
Tsvangirai and his MDC friend had the opportunity to implement the democratic reforms during the GNU and they failed to get even one reform implemented in five years. They were warned not to contest the 2013 elections without implementing the reforms first and they paid no heed. The nation has since paid dearly for this as Zanu PF went on to blatantly rig the July 2013 elections with the disastrous political and economic consequences we can see all round.
We all know why MDC politicians contested the 2013 knowing fully well that Zanu PF will rig the vote; Senator David Coltart spelt it out 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," explained Senator 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."
Secretary General Douglas Mwonzo and all the other participants at the feedback rally next week will not even mention that NERA has failed to get even one reform implemented. They will all pay no heed to the warning not to contest next year's elections with no reforms in place. They will all contest the elections for the exact same reasons MDC contested the 2013 elections – greed!
Zanu PF has hit on a formula allowing them to rig elections and rule; the regime knows that as long as it allows the opposition to win a few seats the latter will never boycott elections regardless how flawed and illegal the process gets. So Zanu PF can do whatever it has to do, harass, beat, rape and even kill, to secure its landslide victory; the opposition will participate giving the process the modicum of legitimacy the party needs.
Of course, people like Douglas Mwonzora, Tendai Biti, Welshman Ncube and the rest in the opposition camp will never ever admit Senator Coltart was right in his analysis in 2013. All the MDC politicians have since not only acknowledged that Zanu PF rigged the July 2013 elections but have since gone one step further and resolved not to contest future elections until reforms are implemented.
However, now that the national elections are once again upon us they have all forgotten that not even one reform has been implemented and they grown deaf to the warning that Zanu PF will once again rig the elections. How convenient!
Zimbabwe cannot afford another rigged election, we need a compete government to attend to the nation's serious economic meltdown and political mess a.s.a.p.
There is no doubt that Zimbabwe's opposition camp is now full of corrupt, incompetent and self-serving politicians are now giving the Zanu PF dictatorship the political legitimacy by contesting in flawed elections. We will never have any meaningful democratic reforms implemented as long as we continue to have an opposition camp full of sell-outs. We must drain the opposition swamp!
Mr Mwonzora the only feedback we want to hear from you next week is an acknowledgement that no meaningful reforms have been implemented and therefore MDC-T and all the other opposition parties in attendance will NOT contest flawed elections! If you are not going to tell us that then please spare us all your usual mambo jambo nonsense; we KNOW what you are up to!
Source - Patrick Guramatunhu
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