Opinion / Columnist
'Free election pre-condition will NOT be fulfilled' - only rigged election death wish will still contest
03 Jul 2018 at 06:30hrs | Views
Death wish is "a desire for self-destruction, often accompanied by feelings of depression, hopelessness, and self-reproach. A suicidal urge that presumably drives certain people to put themselves consistently into dangerous situations." When it comes to elections some Zimbabweans have death wish; they will take part in the elections no matter how flawed and illegal the process gets; the more evidence they are presented that the elections are being blatantly rigged the more determined they are to participate.
The 2008 Zimbabwe elections were historic in that Zanu PF was forced to expose the sickening depth of depravity the party would sink to retain political power. In the March vote ZEC withheld the election result for some staggering six weeks whilst Tsvangirai's 73%, according to Mugabe's own inadvertent admission later, was whittled down to 47% to force the run-off.
During the run-off Zanu PF deployed party thugs, war veterans, Police, Army and CIO to destroy property, harass, beat, rape and even murder innocent civilians; punishment for having rejected Mugabe and Zanu PF in the earlier vote. "What was accomplished by the bullet cannot be undone by the ballot!" boasted Mugabe, encouraging his thugs.
"Zanu PF has declared war on the people!" complained Morgan Tsvangirai as he announced his withdrawal from the run-off. That did not stop Mugabe claiming an 84% landslide victory. It was a Cadmean victory in that no one else would recognise him as the victor.
The cheating and wanton violence that year were so blatant and barbaric not even SADC or AU, known for turning a blind eye to Zanu PF vote rigging activities in the past, could do so in 2008. Mugabe and Zanu PF were forced to agree to the implementation of a raft of democratic reforms designed to stop the Zanu PF cheating, vote rigging and violence. A GNU, comprising Zanu PF plus the two MDC factions, was tasked to implement the reforms and hold fresh elections.
Sadly, not even one reform was implemented at the end of the five years of GNU. Not one!
SADC leaders wanted the 2013 elections to be postponed until reforms are in place. "If you go into next month's elections, you will lose; the elections are done!" they warned Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends. The warning fell on deaf ears. They had a death wish to contest no matter what and it was brought on by greed!
"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 (2013) elections," explained Senator David Coltart in his book.
"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."
Three of the main MDC factions have since come together to form the MDC Alliance but only to contest this year's elections even thou not even one reform was implemented since the last rigged elections. The promise of winning those few gravy train seats has turned them deaf and blind. Worse still, even ordinary Zimbabweans one would expect to be rational are coming up with all manner of foolishness to justify why the flawed and illegal elections should go ahead, to justify their death wish.
"I am worried about the current tension over unresolved electoral issues, especially around the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) that can deem the elections free and fair such as the voters roll, printing of the ballot paper, the impartiality of the media and other preconditions for free and fair elections," explained Dr Ibbo Mandaza in an interview with Standard reporter, Everson Mushava. "Opposition political parties and foreign observer missions I have met have been raising those issues. "Americans have so far sent three delegations including senators, International Republican Institute and Council on Foreign Relations, the European Union delegation is in town interviewing people, we have the African Union, Comesa — all of them are raising the issue of the incomplete manner in which the elections are being prepared by ZEC.
"With three or four weeks to go, we wonder whether these pre-conditions will be fulfilled." The follow up question from Mushava was the surprise. "Opposition parties have been accusing Zanu-PF of trying to rig the forthcoming elections. Do you think rigging will be possible this time around?"
What a foolish question! You just been told that there is no clean and verified voters, no free public media, etc. – conditions for free, fair and credible elections – and that with only four weeks left to voting day there is no hope of any of these conditions being fulfilled. So if the conditions for free and fair elections are not met surely it is impossible to see how anyone can stop Zanu PF rigging these elections.
Whilst outsiders like the Americans, AU, etc. are rightly concerned that ZEC has failed to produce a clean and verified voters' roll, etc. it is shocking that it is Zimbabweans who are either too stupid to notice all these serious vote-rigging irregularities or too stupid to appreciate their importance in ensuring free and fair elections.
Albert Einstein, the great Physicist, once said "Insanity is the doing one thing again and again expecting a different result!"
After 38 years of rigged elections, there are some Zimbabweans out there who know Zanu PF is rigging the elections but they will still want to participate hoping that the party will rig the vote and, this once, lose the elections. MDC leaders like Chamisa's flawed elections death wish is fuelled by greed the ordinary Zimbabwean's death wish is fuelled by insanity!
Zimbabwe is in this economic and political mess because for 38 years now the nation has been stuck with a corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical regime that rigged elections to stay in power. By participating in the rigged elections, we are the ones giving the flawed process the modicum of political credibility, as Coltart rightly acknowledge above.
President Mnangagwa and his junta are the ones who masterminded and ruthlessly implemented the 2008 vote rigging operations. Since last November's coup, the junta has pointedly refused to implement even one democratic reform before holding these elections. Not one! There is no free public media, no clean and verified voters' roll, etc. To therefore ask if the junta is going to rig these elections is as foolish as asking whether the crocodile eat meat!
It is one thing for the wildebeest to risk its life crossing a crocodile infested river in their annual migration to better grazing it is disconcerting when human beings start behaving with wildebeest. How many more rigged elections will it take before some people finally accept the futility of contesting flawed elections!
The Americans, AU and the rest of the international election observers will condemn these elections because they whole process is flawed and illegal. However, they will rubber stamp the rigged elections if Zimbabweans continue to show their usual indifference to blatant Zanu PF vote rigging. It is not for the Americans or anyone else to impose such things as a free public media, clean and verified voters' roll, etc. we must demand for ourselves!
The 2008 Zimbabwe elections were historic in that Zanu PF was forced to expose the sickening depth of depravity the party would sink to retain political power. In the March vote ZEC withheld the election result for some staggering six weeks whilst Tsvangirai's 73%, according to Mugabe's own inadvertent admission later, was whittled down to 47% to force the run-off.
During the run-off Zanu PF deployed party thugs, war veterans, Police, Army and CIO to destroy property, harass, beat, rape and even murder innocent civilians; punishment for having rejected Mugabe and Zanu PF in the earlier vote. "What was accomplished by the bullet cannot be undone by the ballot!" boasted Mugabe, encouraging his thugs.
"Zanu PF has declared war on the people!" complained Morgan Tsvangirai as he announced his withdrawal from the run-off. That did not stop Mugabe claiming an 84% landslide victory. It was a Cadmean victory in that no one else would recognise him as the victor.
The cheating and wanton violence that year were so blatant and barbaric not even SADC or AU, known for turning a blind eye to Zanu PF vote rigging activities in the past, could do so in 2008. Mugabe and Zanu PF were forced to agree to the implementation of a raft of democratic reforms designed to stop the Zanu PF cheating, vote rigging and violence. A GNU, comprising Zanu PF plus the two MDC factions, was tasked to implement the reforms and hold fresh elections.
Sadly, not even one reform was implemented at the end of the five years of GNU. Not one!
SADC leaders wanted the 2013 elections to be postponed until reforms are in place. "If you go into next month's elections, you will lose; the elections are done!" they warned Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends. The warning fell on deaf ears. They had a death wish to contest no matter what and it was brought on by greed!
"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 (2013) elections," explained Senator David Coltart in his book.
"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."
Three of the main MDC factions have since come together to form the MDC Alliance but only to contest this year's elections even thou not even one reform was implemented since the last rigged elections. The promise of winning those few gravy train seats has turned them deaf and blind. Worse still, even ordinary Zimbabweans one would expect to be rational are coming up with all manner of foolishness to justify why the flawed and illegal elections should go ahead, to justify their death wish.
"I am worried about the current tension over unresolved electoral issues, especially around the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) that can deem the elections free and fair such as the voters roll, printing of the ballot paper, the impartiality of the media and other preconditions for free and fair elections," explained Dr Ibbo Mandaza in an interview with Standard reporter, Everson Mushava. "Opposition political parties and foreign observer missions I have met have been raising those issues. "Americans have so far sent three delegations including senators, International Republican Institute and Council on Foreign Relations, the European Union delegation is in town interviewing people, we have the African Union, Comesa — all of them are raising the issue of the incomplete manner in which the elections are being prepared by ZEC.
"With three or four weeks to go, we wonder whether these pre-conditions will be fulfilled." The follow up question from Mushava was the surprise. "Opposition parties have been accusing Zanu-PF of trying to rig the forthcoming elections. Do you think rigging will be possible this time around?"
What a foolish question! You just been told that there is no clean and verified voters, no free public media, etc. – conditions for free, fair and credible elections – and that with only four weeks left to voting day there is no hope of any of these conditions being fulfilled. So if the conditions for free and fair elections are not met surely it is impossible to see how anyone can stop Zanu PF rigging these elections.
Whilst outsiders like the Americans, AU, etc. are rightly concerned that ZEC has failed to produce a clean and verified voters' roll, etc. it is shocking that it is Zimbabweans who are either too stupid to notice all these serious vote-rigging irregularities or too stupid to appreciate their importance in ensuring free and fair elections.
Albert Einstein, the great Physicist, once said "Insanity is the doing one thing again and again expecting a different result!"
After 38 years of rigged elections, there are some Zimbabweans out there who know Zanu PF is rigging the elections but they will still want to participate hoping that the party will rig the vote and, this once, lose the elections. MDC leaders like Chamisa's flawed elections death wish is fuelled by greed the ordinary Zimbabwean's death wish is fuelled by insanity!
Zimbabwe is in this economic and political mess because for 38 years now the nation has been stuck with a corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical regime that rigged elections to stay in power. By participating in the rigged elections, we are the ones giving the flawed process the modicum of political credibility, as Coltart rightly acknowledge above.
President Mnangagwa and his junta are the ones who masterminded and ruthlessly implemented the 2008 vote rigging operations. Since last November's coup, the junta has pointedly refused to implement even one democratic reform before holding these elections. Not one! There is no free public media, no clean and verified voters' roll, etc. To therefore ask if the junta is going to rig these elections is as foolish as asking whether the crocodile eat meat!
It is one thing for the wildebeest to risk its life crossing a crocodile infested river in their annual migration to better grazing it is disconcerting when human beings start behaving with wildebeest. How many more rigged elections will it take before some people finally accept the futility of contesting flawed elections!
The Americans, AU and the rest of the international election observers will condemn these elections because they whole process is flawed and illegal. However, they will rubber stamp the rigged elections if Zimbabweans continue to show their usual indifference to blatant Zanu PF vote rigging. It is not for the Americans or anyone else to impose such things as a free public media, clean and verified voters' roll, etc. we must demand for ourselves!
Source - zsdemocrats.blogspot.co.uk
All articles and letters published on Bulawayo24 have been independently written by members of Bulawayo24's community. The views of users published on Bulawayo24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Bulawayo24. Bulawayo24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.
