Opinion / Columnist
'Will lift sanctions if implement constitution' USA is saying now - nonsense, and ignore vote rigging, again
26 Sep 2018 at 18:26hrs | Views
"United States ambassador to Zimbabwe Brian Nichols has said that all that is required for the United States to lift sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe is for Zimbabwe to fully implement the 2013 Constitution. Nichols also said that the renewal of sanctions through the amendment of the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (Zidera) just before the July 30 harmonised elections was reflecting the cry for reforms by Zimbabweans," reported Byo24News.
The Americans could not have made their position any more clearer that they did as regards the condition for lifting the sanctions: Zimbabwe was to hold free, fair and credible elections. Just to be absolutely certain Zanu PF knew what the Americans would be looking for they spelt out the condition in the amendment: free public media, Zimbabweans in the diaspora must be allowed to vote, the election process must be transparent, fully implement the constitution, etc. Zanu PF failed to meet any those requirements and went on to blatantly rig the elections.
By blatantly rigging the elections President Mnangagwa and his regime are, per se, illegitimate and the American sanctions and all other international community pressure must be brought upon the regime step down and allow free, fair and credible elections to be held!
One only hopes that Ambassador Brian Nichols is misrepresented above because the promise to lift the sanction if regime to "fully implementing the 2013 Constitution" suggests that regime will, once again, be forgiven and considered legitimate regardless of it having blatantly rigged the elections. This constitutes a serious climb down on the Americans' part. Were the Americans' demands for a free media, vote for the diaspora, etc. all just a blast hot air!
Well the need to hold free, fair and credible elections is now a matter of life and death to the people of Zimbabwe. The country is right on the edge of the precipice with unemployment a nauseating 90%, all basic services such as supply of clean water and health care all but collapsed, etc. Zimbabwe is the poorest nation in Africa and 75% of our people live on US$1.00 or less a day.
Yet the country has some of the richest ruling elite in the whole world, they have multi-million dollar business empires, they live in mansions, some even boast of their 45 gold-watches. They are filthy rich! The national wealth and resources which should have been employed for the good of the commonwealth has all been soaked up to make the few filthy rich at the expense of making the masses filthy poor.
Zimbabwe has been dragged into this hell-on-earth in which millions now live and die in abject poverty and denied of all human dignity and hope because the nation has been stuck for 38 years with a corrupt and tyrannical regime that rigged elections to stay in power. The key out of this hell for Zimbabwe is stopping Zanu PF rigging elections.
Time and time again people have demanded free, fair and credible elections and time and time again Zanu PF has simply ignore the demands and blatantly rigged the elections. The worst that has ever happened to the Zanu PF thugs is the west imposing the targeted sanctions, which have been an inconvenience but otherwise a slap on the wrist! As we can see the vote rigging has continued for 38 years and counting.
If this Zanu PF regime is allowed to get away with blatantly rigging the 30 July 2018 elections then we can be certain of one thing the regime will see this as just another slap on the wrist and it will rig the 2023 elections! Zimbabwe should have never allowed this rigging election culture to take root in the first place much less let it continue for 38 years! We cannot turn back the clock, what we can do right now is make sure the next elections are free, fair and credible and we can only be 100% of that happening if Zanu PF is forced to step down BEFORE the next elections.
Ambassador Nichols, please do not confuse the issue here; this Zanu PF regime rigged the elections and is, per se, illegitimate and therefore the sanctions can only be lifted is the country was to hold fresh free, fair and credible elections. Lifting the sanction because the illegitimate regime has implemented 10% or so of the demands after the elections is just a feeble excuse for letting Zanu PF off the hook!
The Americans could not have made their position any more clearer that they did as regards the condition for lifting the sanctions: Zimbabwe was to hold free, fair and credible elections. Just to be absolutely certain Zanu PF knew what the Americans would be looking for they spelt out the condition in the amendment: free public media, Zimbabweans in the diaspora must be allowed to vote, the election process must be transparent, fully implement the constitution, etc. Zanu PF failed to meet any those requirements and went on to blatantly rig the elections.
By blatantly rigging the elections President Mnangagwa and his regime are, per se, illegitimate and the American sanctions and all other international community pressure must be brought upon the regime step down and allow free, fair and credible elections to be held!
One only hopes that Ambassador Brian Nichols is misrepresented above because the promise to lift the sanction if regime to "fully implementing the 2013 Constitution" suggests that regime will, once again, be forgiven and considered legitimate regardless of it having blatantly rigged the elections. This constitutes a serious climb down on the Americans' part. Were the Americans' demands for a free media, vote for the diaspora, etc. all just a blast hot air!
Well the need to hold free, fair and credible elections is now a matter of life and death to the people of Zimbabwe. The country is right on the edge of the precipice with unemployment a nauseating 90%, all basic services such as supply of clean water and health care all but collapsed, etc. Zimbabwe is the poorest nation in Africa and 75% of our people live on US$1.00 or less a day.
Yet the country has some of the richest ruling elite in the whole world, they have multi-million dollar business empires, they live in mansions, some even boast of their 45 gold-watches. They are filthy rich! The national wealth and resources which should have been employed for the good of the commonwealth has all been soaked up to make the few filthy rich at the expense of making the masses filthy poor.
Zimbabwe has been dragged into this hell-on-earth in which millions now live and die in abject poverty and denied of all human dignity and hope because the nation has been stuck for 38 years with a corrupt and tyrannical regime that rigged elections to stay in power. The key out of this hell for Zimbabwe is stopping Zanu PF rigging elections.
Time and time again people have demanded free, fair and credible elections and time and time again Zanu PF has simply ignore the demands and blatantly rigged the elections. The worst that has ever happened to the Zanu PF thugs is the west imposing the targeted sanctions, which have been an inconvenience but otherwise a slap on the wrist! As we can see the vote rigging has continued for 38 years and counting.
If this Zanu PF regime is allowed to get away with blatantly rigging the 30 July 2018 elections then we can be certain of one thing the regime will see this as just another slap on the wrist and it will rig the 2023 elections! Zimbabwe should have never allowed this rigging election culture to take root in the first place much less let it continue for 38 years! We cannot turn back the clock, what we can do right now is make sure the next elections are free, fair and credible and we can only be 100% of that happening if Zanu PF is forced to step down BEFORE the next elections.
Ambassador Nichols, please do not confuse the issue here; this Zanu PF regime rigged the elections and is, per se, illegitimate and therefore the sanctions can only be lifted is the country was to hold fresh free, fair and credible elections. Lifting the sanction because the illegitimate regime has implemented 10% or so of the demands after the elections is just a feeble excuse for letting Zanu PF off the hook!
Source - Nomusa Garikai
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