Opinion / Columnist
'Can elect a bad CCC government or worse Zanu PF one' - being tricked into giving Zanu PF legitimacy again
11 Jul 2022 at 04:23hrs | Views
"But Coltart, a comparison of 'worse' and 'bad' does not make the 'bad' good," was Professor Jonathan Moyo's answer to David Coltart, CCC Treasurer General's hypothetical choice between "bad CCC government and worse Zanu PF".
"You don't become a democrat by self-proclamation nor does an old intolerant party become tolerant by a nominal change of its name; when its base typically caricatures and demonises divergent views!"
Yes, given the choice of bad and worse, of course we will all choose bad. But that is NOT the choice before the nation back in these 2023 elections or back in 2013. By failing to implement even one meaningful democratic reform during the 2008 to 2013 GNU, when the nation had the best chance ever to end Zanu PF's carte blanche dictatorial powers to rig elections, the nation was stuck with no meaningful electoral choice.
One of the late dictator Robert Mugabe's political trickery was to trick the late Morgan Tsvangirai and his team of special advisers, professors, lawyers, engineers and God knows what else beside to believe, for five years of the GNU, that MDC would win the elections without the need to implement even token democratic reforms. Even now, with the benefit of hindsight, many of the MDC/CCC leaders still believe in the oxymoronic nonsense of "winning rigged elections" or at least pretend to!
The likes of David Coltart have known it is futile to participate in the flawed and illegal elections. He has participated in the elections regardless out of greed, he confessed 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 (2013) elections," wrote Coltart in his book The Struggle Continues 50 years of Tyranny in Zimbabwe.
"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."
Of all people, David Coltart, knows that with no meaningful democratic reforms Zanu PF has blatantly rigged elections in the past and will do the same in coming 2023 elections. And participating in these flawed and illegal elections will only give vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy.
CCC is therefore conning ordinary Zimbabweans into believing they are choosing between "bad" CCC and "worse" Zanu PF. When all they are doing by participating in the flawed process is give Zanu PF legitimacy and in doing so forfeit the chance to boycott the elections to demand reforms and free and fair elections!
"You don't become a democrat by self-proclamation nor does an old intolerant party become tolerant by a nominal change of its name; when its base typically caricatures and demonises divergent views!"
Yes, given the choice of bad and worse, of course we will all choose bad. But that is NOT the choice before the nation back in these 2023 elections or back in 2013. By failing to implement even one meaningful democratic reform during the 2008 to 2013 GNU, when the nation had the best chance ever to end Zanu PF's carte blanche dictatorial powers to rig elections, the nation was stuck with no meaningful electoral choice.
One of the late dictator Robert Mugabe's political trickery was to trick the late Morgan Tsvangirai and his team of special advisers, professors, lawyers, engineers and God knows what else beside to believe, for five years of the GNU, that MDC would win the elections without the need to implement even token democratic reforms. Even now, with the benefit of hindsight, many of the MDC/CCC leaders still believe in the oxymoronic nonsense of "winning rigged elections" or at least pretend to!
"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," wrote Coltart in his book The Struggle Continues 50 years of Tyranny in Zimbabwe.
"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."
Of all people, David Coltart, knows that with no meaningful democratic reforms Zanu PF has blatantly rigged elections in the past and will do the same in coming 2023 elections. And participating in these flawed and illegal elections will only give vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy.
CCC is therefore conning ordinary Zimbabweans into believing they are choosing between "bad" CCC and "worse" Zanu PF. When all they are doing by participating in the flawed process is give Zanu PF legitimacy and in doing so forfeit the chance to boycott the elections to demand reforms and free and fair elections!
Source - zimbabwelight.blogspot.com
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