Opinion / Columnist
'Unoka' Biti 'appeals' to tyrant Mnangagwa to uphold rule of law - 'Go implement reforms like a man!'
12 Nov 2021 at 07:58hrs | Views
"This is to advise friends and family that I am ok and in a good space. Thank you for your love and care. To Mr Mnangagwa, I appeal to you to stop your shenanigans, uphold the rule of law and protect the constitution. Zikomo Zikomo," Hon Biti wrote on Twitter.
There was time when the whole world would have felt sorry for you Tendai Biti and joined in calling for Zanu PF to stop the political shenanigans, uphold the rule of law and protect the constitution; not now, not any more.
The world is aware that Tendai Biti and his MDC friends have had many golden opportunities to end the Zanu PF shenanigans once and once for all, notably during the 2008 to 2013 GNU; they have failed to implement even one token reform and wasted everyone of the many opportunities.
Many people have argued of how Zanu PF would not reform itself out of office and they are right in saying so. Since the 2013 elections, Zanu PF has had the presidency and the majority in parliament and senate; there was no chance of the regime implementing any meaningful reforms.
The best chance to implement the reforms were during the 2008 to 2013 GNU when, as the name implies, the government was neither a Zanu PF nor MDC but a hybrid government whose primary task was to implement the raft of democratic reforms to restore the individual freedoms and rights including the right to free, fair and credible elections.
The GNU was supposed to stop the blatant cheating and wanton violence that had marred the 2008 elections.
The task of implementing the reforms was left to Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends; they failed to implement even one token reform in five years.
To add salt to injury, MDC leaders have participated in flawed and illegal elections since the GNU debacle for the same reasons they had failed to implement reforms - they are breathtakingly incompetent and corrupt.
By participating in the flawed elections MDC leaders have given credibility to the flawed process and, by extension, legitimacy to the vote rigging Zanu PF.
The people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders into power on the understanding the party will bring about the democratic changes, the party name implied, to stop Zanu rigging the elections and thus end the dictatorship. Not only have MDC leaders sold-out in failing to implement reforms, they are now keeping Zanu PF in power by giving the regime legitimacy.
Tendai Biti and his MDC colleagues have never ever admitted to being incompetent and corrupt and, like Chinua Achebe's Unoka have become expert at giving all manner of feeble excuses for their failures and betrayal.
"Many years ago when Okonkwo was still a boy his father Unoka, had gone to consult Agbala. The priestess in those days was a woman called Chika. She was full of power of her god, and she was greatly feared. Unoka stood before her and began his story," wrote Achebe, in his book Things Fall Apart.
"'Every year,' he said sadly, ‘before I put any crop in the earth, I sacrifice a cock to Ani, the owner of all land. It is the law of our fathers. I also kill a cock at the shrine of Ifejioku, the god of yams. I clear the bush and set fire to it when it is dry. I sow the yams when the first rains has fallen, and stake them when the young tendrils appear. I weed –‘
‘Hold your peace!' screamed the priestess, her voice terrible as it echoed through the dark void. ‘You have offended neither the gods nor your fathers. And when a man is at peace with his gods and his ancestors, his harvest will be good or bad according to the strength of his arm.
‘You Unoka, are known in all the clan for the weakness of your machete and your hoe. When your neighbours go out with their axe to cut down virgin forests, you sow your yams on exhausted farms that take no labour to clear. They cross seven rivers to make their farms, you stay home and offer sacrifice to a reluctant soil.
‘Go home and work like a man!'"
Zimbabwe has been stuck in this man-made hell-on-earth for 41 years and counting, stuck with a corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical Zanu PF regime that has rigged elections to extend its stay in power. Our ticket out of this hell is by implementing the democratic reforms and secure free, fair and credible elections.
Free, fair and credible elections are a lot more than just a right; they are the very essence of good and accountable government. After decades of gross mismanagement, rampant corruption and murderous oppression that has left millions in abject poverty and over 35 000 murdered for political gain; Zimbabwe is desperate to get out of this hell.
What Zimbabwe needs right now is for SADC, the international community and ordinary Zimbabweans themselves to tell the MDC, the Unoka of Zimbabwe politics, "Go home and implement the reforms!"
MDC's current position of participating in flawed and illegal 2023 elections with no reforms in place, on the strength of Chamisa's SOLID plan to win rigged elections, is nauseating nonsense. Why accept rigged elections when it is your right, not privilege, to have free, fair and credible elections!
There was time when the whole world would have felt sorry for you Tendai Biti and joined in calling for Zanu PF to stop the political shenanigans, uphold the rule of law and protect the constitution; not now, not any more.
The world is aware that Tendai Biti and his MDC friends have had many golden opportunities to end the Zanu PF shenanigans once and once for all, notably during the 2008 to 2013 GNU; they have failed to implement even one token reform and wasted everyone of the many opportunities.
Many people have argued of how Zanu PF would not reform itself out of office and they are right in saying so. Since the 2013 elections, Zanu PF has had the presidency and the majority in parliament and senate; there was no chance of the regime implementing any meaningful reforms.
The best chance to implement the reforms were during the 2008 to 2013 GNU when, as the name implies, the government was neither a Zanu PF nor MDC but a hybrid government whose primary task was to implement the raft of democratic reforms to restore the individual freedoms and rights including the right to free, fair and credible elections.
The GNU was supposed to stop the blatant cheating and wanton violence that had marred the 2008 elections.
The task of implementing the reforms was left to Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends; they failed to implement even one token reform in five years.
To add salt to injury, MDC leaders have participated in flawed and illegal elections since the GNU debacle for the same reasons they had failed to implement reforms - they are breathtakingly incompetent and corrupt.
By participating in the flawed elections MDC leaders have given credibility to the flawed process and, by extension, legitimacy to the vote rigging Zanu PF.
The people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders into power on the understanding the party will bring about the democratic changes, the party name implied, to stop Zanu rigging the elections and thus end the dictatorship. Not only have MDC leaders sold-out in failing to implement reforms, they are now keeping Zanu PF in power by giving the regime legitimacy.
Tendai Biti and his MDC colleagues have never ever admitted to being incompetent and corrupt and, like Chinua Achebe's Unoka have become expert at giving all manner of feeble excuses for their failures and betrayal.
"Many years ago when Okonkwo was still a boy his father Unoka, had gone to consult Agbala. The priestess in those days was a woman called Chika. She was full of power of her god, and she was greatly feared. Unoka stood before her and began his story," wrote Achebe, in his book Things Fall Apart.
"'Every year,' he said sadly, ‘before I put any crop in the earth, I sacrifice a cock to Ani, the owner of all land. It is the law of our fathers. I also kill a cock at the shrine of Ifejioku, the god of yams. I clear the bush and set fire to it when it is dry. I sow the yams when the first rains has fallen, and stake them when the young tendrils appear. I weed –‘
‘Hold your peace!' screamed the priestess, her voice terrible as it echoed through the dark void. ‘You have offended neither the gods nor your fathers. And when a man is at peace with his gods and his ancestors, his harvest will be good or bad according to the strength of his arm.
‘You Unoka, are known in all the clan for the weakness of your machete and your hoe. When your neighbours go out with their axe to cut down virgin forests, you sow your yams on exhausted farms that take no labour to clear. They cross seven rivers to make their farms, you stay home and offer sacrifice to a reluctant soil.
‘Go home and work like a man!'"
Zimbabwe has been stuck in this man-made hell-on-earth for 41 years and counting, stuck with a corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical Zanu PF regime that has rigged elections to extend its stay in power. Our ticket out of this hell is by implementing the democratic reforms and secure free, fair and credible elections.
Free, fair and credible elections are a lot more than just a right; they are the very essence of good and accountable government. After decades of gross mismanagement, rampant corruption and murderous oppression that has left millions in abject poverty and over 35 000 murdered for political gain; Zimbabwe is desperate to get out of this hell.
What Zimbabwe needs right now is for SADC, the international community and ordinary Zimbabweans themselves to tell the MDC, the Unoka of Zimbabwe politics, "Go home and implement the reforms!"
MDC's current position of participating in flawed and illegal 2023 elections with no reforms in place, on the strength of Chamisa's SOLID plan to win rigged elections, is nauseating nonsense. Why accept rigged elections when it is your right, not privilege, to have free, fair and credible elections!
Source - zimbabwelight.blogspot.com
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