Opinion / Columnist
ZEC Chigumba, like Caesar's wife, must 'be above suspicion' - at least, he did not hunt for one in a brothel
05 Feb 2018 at 03:50hrs | Views
"Way back in the year Before Christ, the famous Roman General Julius Caesar decided to divorce his second wife Pompeia on the basis of suspicion," Bulawayo24 reminded us.
"Caesar famously said any wife of his must be above suspicion.
"The new Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) chairperson Priscilla Chigumba is being haunted by suspicion over an unproven allegation raised by former Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku in 2016. At the time, Chidyausiku claimed Chigumba had a case to answer on allegations that she tried to solicit a $20 000 bribe to throw out a civil case that was before her in 2013."
It is not a matter of digging out some old alleged case of corruption against Justice Chugumba to help us doubt her ability to deliver her duty of ensuring free, fair and credible elections. We KNOW she will never delivery free and fair elections because it is IMPOSSIBLE to have free and fair elections without first implementing the democratic reforms. She knows that Zanu PF has not implemented even one reform and why she is promising free and fair elections beggars belief! She is either incompetent and/or corrupt not to know that without reforms there can never be free and fair elections.
Zimbabwe will never ever have free, fair and credible elections as long as Zanu PF continues to enjoy its carte blanche powers to rig the vote, use violence to intimidate the voters, use bribed Chiefs to frog march voters to vote for the party, have unfettered access to billions of dollars of looted diamond cash to bankroll its vote rigging schemes, etc., etc. Never ever!
"My mandate is just to be an umpire and to ensure that there is fairness in the process of Zimbabweans electing their leaders so it's a very clear mandate and I intend to discharge it fully," said the ZEC chairperson, Justice Chigumba, after her swearing in ceremony.
The democratic reforms include ending Zanu PF's carte blanche to bribe public officials such as Chiefs, Police Officers, Army personal and, in this case, ZEC chairperson to pretend to discharge their respective duties and when it matters hear-nothing, see-nothing and do-nothing. What is the point of having an umpire when she pretends not to see the many wrong things already there which will make the process totally meaningless.
"It is a great honour and privilege to be asked to serve one's country in this capacity as the chairperson of ZEC and I promise the Zimbabwean people that I will deliver a free, fair and credible election," said Chigumba.
It is not a matter of "suspecting" that ZEC will not deliver free and fair elections; we KNOW they will not! One does not need to be a formula one driver to know a tractor cannot out race a car!
Justice Chigumba KNOWS that ZEC will NOT deliver free and fair elections; she is saying the opposite because she is paid to say that!
If Zimbabweans are serious about having free, fair and credible elections then we must acknowledge that it is not enough to remove one incompetent and/or corrupt ZEC official, Police Commissioner, etc. because he/she will always be replaced by another incompetent and/or corrupt official. We need to implement all the democratic reforms designed to end Zanu PF's excessive powers, carte blanche powers, to appoint incompetent and/or corrupt officials.
When the Great Julius Caesar divorced his wife to marry someone "above suspicion"; he at least had the good sense to know he would not find such a woman in brothel. Zimbabwe's political system is rotten to the core, it is a brothel, if we are serious about getting competent and incorruptible ZEC official, Police Officers, etc., etc. then we must first implement the democratic reforms and end Zanu PF's carte blanche powers to appoint incompetent and/or corrupt officials!
President Mnangagwa has promised free and fair elections but has not implemented even one reform to make this possible because he has no intention of holding free and fair elections. He would have never ever appointed Justice Chigumba ZEC chairperson if she had even mentioned the need to implementing even one reform!
"The new Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) chairperson Priscilla Chigumba is being haunted by suspicion over an unproven allegation raised by former Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku in 2016. At the time, Chidyausiku claimed Chigumba had a case to answer on allegations that she tried to solicit a $20 000 bribe to throw out a civil case that was before her in 2013."
It is not a matter of digging out some old alleged case of corruption against Justice Chugumba to help us doubt her ability to deliver her duty of ensuring free, fair and credible elections. We KNOW she will never delivery free and fair elections because it is IMPOSSIBLE to have free and fair elections without first implementing the democratic reforms. She knows that Zanu PF has not implemented even one reform and why she is promising free and fair elections beggars belief! She is either incompetent and/or corrupt not to know that without reforms there can never be free and fair elections.
Zimbabwe will never ever have free, fair and credible elections as long as Zanu PF continues to enjoy its carte blanche powers to rig the vote, use violence to intimidate the voters, use bribed Chiefs to frog march voters to vote for the party, have unfettered access to billions of dollars of looted diamond cash to bankroll its vote rigging schemes, etc., etc. Never ever!
"My mandate is just to be an umpire and to ensure that there is fairness in the process of Zimbabweans electing their leaders so it's a very clear mandate and I intend to discharge it fully," said the ZEC chairperson, Justice Chigumba, after her swearing in ceremony.
The democratic reforms include ending Zanu PF's carte blanche to bribe public officials such as Chiefs, Police Officers, Army personal and, in this case, ZEC chairperson to pretend to discharge their respective duties and when it matters hear-nothing, see-nothing and do-nothing. What is the point of having an umpire when she pretends not to see the many wrong things already there which will make the process totally meaningless.
"It is a great honour and privilege to be asked to serve one's country in this capacity as the chairperson of ZEC and I promise the Zimbabwean people that I will deliver a free, fair and credible election," said Chigumba.
It is not a matter of "suspecting" that ZEC will not deliver free and fair elections; we KNOW they will not! One does not need to be a formula one driver to know a tractor cannot out race a car!
Justice Chigumba KNOWS that ZEC will NOT deliver free and fair elections; she is saying the opposite because she is paid to say that!
If Zimbabweans are serious about having free, fair and credible elections then we must acknowledge that it is not enough to remove one incompetent and/or corrupt ZEC official, Police Commissioner, etc. because he/she will always be replaced by another incompetent and/or corrupt official. We need to implement all the democratic reforms designed to end Zanu PF's excessive powers, carte blanche powers, to appoint incompetent and/or corrupt officials.
When the Great Julius Caesar divorced his wife to marry someone "above suspicion"; he at least had the good sense to know he would not find such a woman in brothel. Zimbabwe's political system is rotten to the core, it is a brothel, if we are serious about getting competent and incorruptible ZEC official, Police Officers, etc., etc. then we must first implement the democratic reforms and end Zanu PF's carte blanche powers to appoint incompetent and/or corrupt officials!
President Mnangagwa has promised free and fair elections but has not implemented even one reform to make this possible because he has no intention of holding free and fair elections. He would have never ever appointed Justice Chigumba ZEC chairperson if she had even mentioned the need to implementing even one reform!
Source - zsdemocrats.blogspot.co.uk
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