Opinion / Columnist
Biti wants UN to supervise elections to stop Zanu PF 'brutalising civilians' - he cannot resist Sirens' beguiling song
09 Feb 2018 at 17:37hrs | Views
"I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that this is going to be a violent election," admitted Tendai Biti on Thursday.
SADC leaders advised MDC leaders in June 2013 not to contest in that year's elections without implementing the democratic reforms, designed to stop the vote rigging and political violence, first. The MDC leaders did not listen because of greed as David Coltart readily admitted 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."
Tendai Biti, David Coltart and the rest of MDC leaders and the rest in the opposition camp are contesting this year's elections knowing fully well the process is flawed, illegal and will be marred by political violence for the same reason they contested the 2013 elections - greed. We learn nothing from the past and thus repeat the same foolishness again and over and over again.
Tendai Biti; clearly unable to contain his greed and that of his opposition friends, they will contest the elections no matter how flawed and illegal the process gets and how many innocent Zimbabweans risk life and limb; urged the involvement of the United Nations to stop the Zanu PF-led government from "brutalising civilians".
"To Odysseus, who is bewitched by the song, the Sirens look as beautiful as Helen of Troy. To his crew, made deaf with beeswax, the Sirens seem like hungry monsters with vicious, crooked claws," so goes Homer's epic story of the Greek Trojan War Hero, Odysseus.
"The ship speeds forward and soon the song of the Sirens is an echo of an echo. Only then do the crew members stop rowing and unplug their ears.
"Eurylochus unbinds his grateful captain, Odysseus, who has now come to his senses."
Zimbabwe is in stuck in a hell-hole, with its national economy in total meltdown, unemployment a nauseating 90%, 72.3% of our people now living on US$1.00 or less a day, etc., etc. The kind of doom that awaited Odysseus and his men had they landed on Sirens' Island.
Whilst it was Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF thugs who landed the nation into this hell-hole because they could not resist Sirens' beguiling offers of absolute power and the sweet intoxication of influence and a life of unparalleled leisure and eye-popping wealth it brought. The nation risked life and limb to elect Tendai Biti and his MDC friend to wrestle power from the Zanu PF thugs and get the nation out of the hell-hole. Sadly, Biti and friends have themselves become victims of the Sirens' beguiling but deadly temptations. Their greed for power and wealth has become as insatiable as that of Zanu PF thugs, if not worse; they appetites were roused during the GNU years only to be cut short.
As Coltart has acknowledged, what the nation needs to do is boycott these meaningless elections and get the democratic reforms implemented. Nothing of any substance will ever be accomplished until we implement the reforms. Nothing!
The people of Zimbabwe risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders on a ticket they will bring about democratic change. They had the golden opportunity to bring about the changes by implementing the democratic reforms during the GNU; they did no such thing. It is sad and tragic that today it is none other than the MDC leaders who are in fact stopping the implementation of the reforms by stubbornly insisting on contesting flawed and illegal elections.
Yes Mr Biti, even if you got your wish and had UN officials in the country and they stopped the "brutalising of civilians"; what about the blatant vote rigging. There was hardly any violence in the 2013 elections but, as we all know, that did not stop Zanu PF blatantly rigging the elections.
To get out of the political and economic hell-hole we now find ourselves stuck in we need to ensure the elections are free, fair and verifiable and that meaning having a verifiable voters' roll, free media, a transparent electoral funding system, etc. and not just an end to political violence, important as this is. We want to escape from this hell-hole and, for your own selfish reasons, you want us stuck here.
SADC leaders advised MDC leaders in June 2013 not to contest in that year's elections without implementing the democratic reforms, designed to stop the vote rigging and political violence, first. The MDC leaders did not listen because of greed as David Coltart readily admitted 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."
Tendai Biti, David Coltart and the rest of MDC leaders and the rest in the opposition camp are contesting this year's elections knowing fully well the process is flawed, illegal and will be marred by political violence for the same reason they contested the 2013 elections - greed. We learn nothing from the past and thus repeat the same foolishness again and over and over again.
Tendai Biti; clearly unable to contain his greed and that of his opposition friends, they will contest the elections no matter how flawed and illegal the process gets and how many innocent Zimbabweans risk life and limb; urged the involvement of the United Nations to stop the Zanu PF-led government from "brutalising civilians".
"To Odysseus, who is bewitched by the song, the Sirens look as beautiful as Helen of Troy. To his crew, made deaf with beeswax, the Sirens seem like hungry monsters with vicious, crooked claws," so goes Homer's epic story of the Greek Trojan War Hero, Odysseus.
"The ship speeds forward and soon the song of the Sirens is an echo of an echo. Only then do the crew members stop rowing and unplug their ears.
"Eurylochus unbinds his grateful captain, Odysseus, who has now come to his senses."
Zimbabwe is in stuck in a hell-hole, with its national economy in total meltdown, unemployment a nauseating 90%, 72.3% of our people now living on US$1.00 or less a day, etc., etc. The kind of doom that awaited Odysseus and his men had they landed on Sirens' Island.
Whilst it was Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF thugs who landed the nation into this hell-hole because they could not resist Sirens' beguiling offers of absolute power and the sweet intoxication of influence and a life of unparalleled leisure and eye-popping wealth it brought. The nation risked life and limb to elect Tendai Biti and his MDC friend to wrestle power from the Zanu PF thugs and get the nation out of the hell-hole. Sadly, Biti and friends have themselves become victims of the Sirens' beguiling but deadly temptations. Their greed for power and wealth has become as insatiable as that of Zanu PF thugs, if not worse; they appetites were roused during the GNU years only to be cut short.
As Coltart has acknowledged, what the nation needs to do is boycott these meaningless elections and get the democratic reforms implemented. Nothing of any substance will ever be accomplished until we implement the reforms. Nothing!
The people of Zimbabwe risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders on a ticket they will bring about democratic change. They had the golden opportunity to bring about the changes by implementing the democratic reforms during the GNU; they did no such thing. It is sad and tragic that today it is none other than the MDC leaders who are in fact stopping the implementation of the reforms by stubbornly insisting on contesting flawed and illegal elections.
Yes Mr Biti, even if you got your wish and had UN officials in the country and they stopped the "brutalising of civilians"; what about the blatant vote rigging. There was hardly any violence in the 2013 elections but, as we all know, that did not stop Zanu PF blatantly rigging the elections.
To get out of the political and economic hell-hole we now find ourselves stuck in we need to ensure the elections are free, fair and verifiable and that meaning having a verifiable voters' roll, free media, a transparent electoral funding system, etc. and not just an end to political violence, important as this is. We want to escape from this hell-hole and, for your own selfish reasons, you want us stuck here.
Source - zsdemocrats.blogspot.co.uk
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