Opinion / Columnist
'WANGU (Mine) go and register to vote' argue Chamisa - so can give vote rigging Zanu-PF legitimacy again
22 Aug 2021 at 04:12hrs | Views
The primary purpose of the 2008 to 2013 GNU was to implement the democratic reforms designed to stop Zanu-PF rigging elections and repeat the blatant rigging of the 2008 elections. Not even one reform was implemented and neither Zanu-PF nor MDC, the partners in the GNU, have ever bother to explain why this golden opportunity was wasted.
In 2013 SADC leaders advised Morgan Tsvangirai and his fellow MDC leaders not to participate in the election without first implementing the reforms because Zanu-PF was set to rig those elections. As we all know MDC leaders paid no heed and participated and, as predicted, Zanu-PF blatantly rigged those elections.
Tsvangirai and company were up in arms complaining that Zanu-PF rigged the elections. The whole world ignored the MDC leaders' complains since they are the ones who had ignored the warning the elections will be rigged.
It must be said here that by participating MDC gave the vote rigging Zanu-PF legitimacy.
Chamisa asked the nation to participate in the 2018 elections, again with no reforms in place because "MDC A has stringent measures to stop Zanu-PF rigging the elections," he argued.
Whatever those "stringent measures" were they clearly did not work because Zanu-PF blatantly rigged the 2018 elections and, once again by participating the nation gave Zanu-PF legitimacy. Chamisa and company complained of Zanu-PF stealing the elections, conveniently forgetting that they are the ones who had insisted on participating with no reforms in place.
Right now, Chamisa and company are gearing to participate in the 2023 elections; there is not even one meaningful reform implemented and therefore Zanu-PF is set to blatantly rig those elections. When Chamisa was pressure to justify why the 2023 elections will not be rigged just as happened in the 2013 and 2018 elections. Instead of offering "stringent measures to stop Zanu-PF rigging elections" Chamisa is now offering "a SOLID PLAN (Chamisa's emphasis, not mine) to deliver meaningful change in 2023 elections!"
Many Zimbabweans have expressed their concern that Zimbabwe's heed SADC leaders' June 2013 advice and postpone elections until democratic reforms to guarantee free, fair and credible elections are implemented. And the nation has been waiting for Nelson Chamisa and his MDC A friends to give more details of the solid plan and solid assurance this is not going to be a repeat of the 2013 and 2018 rigged elections.
"This great man was just more than a leader and father to many. To me, Dr MT was a great companion and confidant. I miss his naughty smile and our happy moments. WANGU (Mine) go and register to vote! Happy Saturday." Was the latest Tweet from Nelson Chamisa.
He has completely ignored the many voices asking for solid assurance Zimbabwe is not being dragged into yet another flawed and illegal elections to try out the opposition's kaleidoscopic Win In Rigged Elections (WIRE for short) strategies. He is hammering in his flagship WIRE strategy of registering to vote on mass and then, when the time comes, voting on mass.
Mass voting has clearly not worked in the past for many reasons, and it is naïve to expect things to be any different. In any case, Zanu-PF has just announced that the party would once again deny the 3 million plus Zimbabweans in the diaspora the vote; although it was none other than President Mnangagwa himself who had promised in September 2018 that this quirk would be put right.
Zimbabwe is in a serious economic mess with the economy in total meltdown, unemployment an nauseating 90% plus, basic services such as education and health care have all but collapsed and 49% of our people now live in abject poverty. The root cause of the economic mess is the failure to hold free, fair and credible elections; the nation has been stuck with this corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical Zanu-PF dictatorship for 41 years. Zanu-PF has rigged elections since the country attained her independence in 1980.
The human suffering from the economic meltdown is simply intolerable and unsustainable socially and politically. To address the causes of economic meltdown we must first cure ourselves of the curse of bad governance resulting from the rigged elections.
It is infuriating that the nation had the golden opportunity to implement the raft of democratic reforms designed to end the chronic vote rigging during the 2008 to 2013 GNU and the opportunity was wasted. Worse still, since 2013 the nation has been participating in flawed elections giving the vote rigging Zanu-PF legitimacy whilst trying out MDC's many mystical WIRE strategies.
The pressing need to address Zimbabwe's economic meltdown and the tragic human suffering it has brought means the country cannot afford yet another rigged 2023 elections. The nation has two choices:
1) The nation must demand proof Chamisa's "SOLID PLAN" will indeed deliver the promised "real change" (and that this real change is nothing short of regime change). The only sure way to deliver regime change is by stopping Zanu-PF rigging elections; it is hard to see how Chamisa's plan can achieve this given there is only two years to go before 2023 elections. It is almost certain the so-called "solid plan" is just a jumble of tried and failed MDC WIRE strategies. The nation must not participate in these elections, including taking part in the ongoing voter registration, on the basis of another "mumbo jumbo" Chamisa plan, as Tsitsi Dangarembga. We must not repeat the mistake of participating and thus give the vote rigging Zanu-PF legitimacy ever again.
2) The nation must go ahead and make its second choice, demand the implementing of the democratic reforms before elections; SADC leaders proposed this back in June 2013 and both Zanu-PF and MDC paid no heed, it was the right decision back then and is even more so now.
Zimbabwe's economic meltdown is a man-made crisis; a consequence of 41 years of gross mismanagement, rampant corruption and rank lawlessness earning the nation the pariah state status. All the nation must do to end its pariah state status is implement a raft of democratic reforms designed to restore the individual freedoms and rights including the right to free, fair and credible elections. The nation has had many opportunities to implement the reforms and wasted them all. The 2023 elections are a chance to get the reforms finally implemented and there must be no slip-up this time!
In 2013 SADC leaders advised Morgan Tsvangirai and his fellow MDC leaders not to participate in the election without first implementing the reforms because Zanu-PF was set to rig those elections. As we all know MDC leaders paid no heed and participated and, as predicted, Zanu-PF blatantly rigged those elections.
Tsvangirai and company were up in arms complaining that Zanu-PF rigged the elections. The whole world ignored the MDC leaders' complains since they are the ones who had ignored the warning the elections will be rigged.
It must be said here that by participating MDC gave the vote rigging Zanu-PF legitimacy.
Chamisa asked the nation to participate in the 2018 elections, again with no reforms in place because "MDC A has stringent measures to stop Zanu-PF rigging the elections," he argued.
Whatever those "stringent measures" were they clearly did not work because Zanu-PF blatantly rigged the 2018 elections and, once again by participating the nation gave Zanu-PF legitimacy. Chamisa and company complained of Zanu-PF stealing the elections, conveniently forgetting that they are the ones who had insisted on participating with no reforms in place.
Right now, Chamisa and company are gearing to participate in the 2023 elections; there is not even one meaningful reform implemented and therefore Zanu-PF is set to blatantly rig those elections. When Chamisa was pressure to justify why the 2023 elections will not be rigged just as happened in the 2013 and 2018 elections. Instead of offering "stringent measures to stop Zanu-PF rigging elections" Chamisa is now offering "a SOLID PLAN (Chamisa's emphasis, not mine) to deliver meaningful change in 2023 elections!"
Many Zimbabweans have expressed their concern that Zimbabwe's heed SADC leaders' June 2013 advice and postpone elections until democratic reforms to guarantee free, fair and credible elections are implemented. And the nation has been waiting for Nelson Chamisa and his MDC A friends to give more details of the solid plan and solid assurance this is not going to be a repeat of the 2013 and 2018 rigged elections.
"This great man was just more than a leader and father to many. To me, Dr MT was a great companion and confidant. I miss his naughty smile and our happy moments. WANGU (Mine) go and register to vote! Happy Saturday." Was the latest Tweet from Nelson Chamisa.
He has completely ignored the many voices asking for solid assurance Zimbabwe is not being dragged into yet another flawed and illegal elections to try out the opposition's kaleidoscopic Win In Rigged Elections (WIRE for short) strategies. He is hammering in his flagship WIRE strategy of registering to vote on mass and then, when the time comes, voting on mass.
Mass voting has clearly not worked in the past for many reasons, and it is naïve to expect things to be any different. In any case, Zanu-PF has just announced that the party would once again deny the 3 million plus Zimbabweans in the diaspora the vote; although it was none other than President Mnangagwa himself who had promised in September 2018 that this quirk would be put right.
Zimbabwe is in a serious economic mess with the economy in total meltdown, unemployment an nauseating 90% plus, basic services such as education and health care have all but collapsed and 49% of our people now live in abject poverty. The root cause of the economic mess is the failure to hold free, fair and credible elections; the nation has been stuck with this corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical Zanu-PF dictatorship for 41 years. Zanu-PF has rigged elections since the country attained her independence in 1980.
The human suffering from the economic meltdown is simply intolerable and unsustainable socially and politically. To address the causes of economic meltdown we must first cure ourselves of the curse of bad governance resulting from the rigged elections.
It is infuriating that the nation had the golden opportunity to implement the raft of democratic reforms designed to end the chronic vote rigging during the 2008 to 2013 GNU and the opportunity was wasted. Worse still, since 2013 the nation has been participating in flawed elections giving the vote rigging Zanu-PF legitimacy whilst trying out MDC's many mystical WIRE strategies.
The pressing need to address Zimbabwe's economic meltdown and the tragic human suffering it has brought means the country cannot afford yet another rigged 2023 elections. The nation has two choices:
1) The nation must demand proof Chamisa's "SOLID PLAN" will indeed deliver the promised "real change" (and that this real change is nothing short of regime change). The only sure way to deliver regime change is by stopping Zanu-PF rigging elections; it is hard to see how Chamisa's plan can achieve this given there is only two years to go before 2023 elections. It is almost certain the so-called "solid plan" is just a jumble of tried and failed MDC WIRE strategies. The nation must not participate in these elections, including taking part in the ongoing voter registration, on the basis of another "mumbo jumbo" Chamisa plan, as Tsitsi Dangarembga. We must not repeat the mistake of participating and thus give the vote rigging Zanu-PF legitimacy ever again.
2) The nation must go ahead and make its second choice, demand the implementing of the democratic reforms before elections; SADC leaders proposed this back in June 2013 and both Zanu-PF and MDC paid no heed, it was the right decision back then and is even more so now.
Zimbabwe's economic meltdown is a man-made crisis; a consequence of 41 years of gross mismanagement, rampant corruption and rank lawlessness earning the nation the pariah state status. All the nation must do to end its pariah state status is implement a raft of democratic reforms designed to restore the individual freedoms and rights including the right to free, fair and credible elections. The nation has had many opportunities to implement the reforms and wasted them all. The 2023 elections are a chance to get the reforms finally implemented and there must be no slip-up this time!
Source - zsdemocrats.blogspot.com
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.
