Opinion / Columnist
Mnangagwa swore a solemn oath to serve the good of Rome and not - by rigging elections - the glory of Caesar
28 Jan 2023 at 16:23hrs | Views
If we in Zimbabwe are serious about digging ourselves out of the economic and political hell-on-earth we are in, then we must start by paying attention to detail on why we got into this mess. If we know and understand why we got into this mess; knowing and understanding how to get out, will be that much easier.
Detail matters. Indeed, detail is everything!
"I Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa swear that as president of the republic of Zimbabwe, I will be faithful to Zimbabwe and will obey, uphold and defend the constitution of Zimbabwe." This is the oath of office which President Mnangagwa was obliged by law to take.
Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, is a universal maxim.
The nation untrusts a lot of power and authority in the man/woman holding the office of state president. The oath is he/her promising they will exercise the state presidential powers for the good of the nation and never ever abuse it.
The temptation to use the state power for Caesar's glory and not the good of Rome is the stuff of history. And those who do not learn from history and their own past are destined to repeat the same mistakes over and over again and pay dearly with each pass.
The root cause why Zimbabwe is in this economic and political hell-hole is because Mnangagwa, just like Mugabe before him, has repeatedly violated his oath of office to further his selfish interests at the expense of the national good. Zimbabwe is in economic ruins not only because of Zanu PF misrule but, more significantly, because the nation has been stuck with the corrupt and incompetent regime foe 43 years and counting.
Zimbabweans have failed to remove Zanu PF from power long after the people realised the party was corrupt and incompetent because Mnangagwa/Mugabe abused the state presidential powers to deny the people their fundamental right to a meaningful vote, to rig elections, and thus extend the regime's stay in power.
Free, fair and credible elections are more than just another UN Human Right Declaration nicety; they are the alpha and omega of peace, justice, prosperity and good governance. Zimbabwe got into this man-made hell because for the last 43 years we have failed to hold free and fair elections.
If we are serious about getting out of this hell-hole, we must hold free and fair elections. But to do that we must first understanding that it is Zanu PF that has stopped us holding free and fair elections. We must know and understand the regime that has held the nation to ransom these last four decades.
"The 'new' regime can be viewed from different angles, but the nub of it is this: there's a recognition that the economic fiasco of the last 20 years was suboptimal, but Emmerson Mnangagwa and his fellow travellers will burn the house down if they feel it necessary. Make no mistake, their will to power is every bit as intense as Mugabe's—as is their belief that they own the country's choicest fruits by right of conquest," wrote Stuart Doran in The Strategist.
"There's no comprehending Zimbabwe without an appreciation of that mentality. Yet many fail to get it because they don't read the country's history. In 1979, at the height of the struggle against white rule, a diplomat who mixed frequently with Mugabe and other leaders of his party observed that 'ZANU does not seem to attach much importance to the destruction caused by prolonged war'. They said they were content to see Zimbabwe 'totally' demolished if that was the price to be paid for preventing others from ruling it. That attitude has not changed an iota, notwithstanding the passage of 40 years and Mugabe's departure. After all, the men who now rule wielded his hatchets for most of that period."
Zanu PF is rigging the 2023 elections, just as the party has rigged past elections. Last week ZEC acknowledged the commission had failed to produce a verified voters' roll, a must-have for free and fair election, but elections will go ahead regardless.
Another rigged elections will help Mnangagwa and Zanu PF stay in power, the glory of Caesar, but at the expense of the good governance and the good of Zimbabwe. This is the very thing the presidential oath of office is supposed to stop!
Zanu PF is rigging the 2023 elections in advance and we, the people, must condemn the process in advance. Zanu PF must be denied legitimacy fo rigging 2023 election in fragrant violation of Mnangagwa's oath of office to uphold the constitution and the good of the nation.
Mnangagwa must be held to account for failing to uphold his oath of office by failing to ensure 2023 elections are free, fair and credible and thus deliver good governance for the benefit of the commonwealth. If he is unfit to hold the office of the presidency now, how can he be fit to do so post 2023 elections!
The pressure to put right Zimbabwe's failed political system has never been more urgent than it is now. The prospect of another five more years of this Zanu PF tyrannical and chaotic rule is unthinkable especially when it is within our powers to end the dictatorship with the 2023 elections.
Detail matters. Indeed, detail is everything!
"I Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa swear that as president of the republic of Zimbabwe, I will be faithful to Zimbabwe and will obey, uphold and defend the constitution of Zimbabwe." This is the oath of office which President Mnangagwa was obliged by law to take.
Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, is a universal maxim.
The nation untrusts a lot of power and authority in the man/woman holding the office of state president. The oath is he/her promising they will exercise the state presidential powers for the good of the nation and never ever abuse it.
The temptation to use the state power for Caesar's glory and not the good of Rome is the stuff of history. And those who do not learn from history and their own past are destined to repeat the same mistakes over and over again and pay dearly with each pass.
The root cause why Zimbabwe is in this economic and political hell-hole is because Mnangagwa, just like Mugabe before him, has repeatedly violated his oath of office to further his selfish interests at the expense of the national good. Zimbabwe is in economic ruins not only because of Zanu PF misrule but, more significantly, because the nation has been stuck with the corrupt and incompetent regime foe 43 years and counting.
Zimbabweans have failed to remove Zanu PF from power long after the people realised the party was corrupt and incompetent because Mnangagwa/Mugabe abused the state presidential powers to deny the people their fundamental right to a meaningful vote, to rig elections, and thus extend the regime's stay in power.
Free, fair and credible elections are more than just another UN Human Right Declaration nicety; they are the alpha and omega of peace, justice, prosperity and good governance. Zimbabwe got into this man-made hell because for the last 43 years we have failed to hold free and fair elections.
If we are serious about getting out of this hell-hole, we must hold free and fair elections. But to do that we must first understanding that it is Zanu PF that has stopped us holding free and fair elections. We must know and understand the regime that has held the nation to ransom these last four decades.
"The 'new' regime can be viewed from different angles, but the nub of it is this: there's a recognition that the economic fiasco of the last 20 years was suboptimal, but Emmerson Mnangagwa and his fellow travellers will burn the house down if they feel it necessary. Make no mistake, their will to power is every bit as intense as Mugabe's—as is their belief that they own the country's choicest fruits by right of conquest," wrote Stuart Doran in The Strategist.
"There's no comprehending Zimbabwe without an appreciation of that mentality. Yet many fail to get it because they don't read the country's history. In 1979, at the height of the struggle against white rule, a diplomat who mixed frequently with Mugabe and other leaders of his party observed that 'ZANU does not seem to attach much importance to the destruction caused by prolonged war'. They said they were content to see Zimbabwe 'totally' demolished if that was the price to be paid for preventing others from ruling it. That attitude has not changed an iota, notwithstanding the passage of 40 years and Mugabe's departure. After all, the men who now rule wielded his hatchets for most of that period."
Zanu PF is rigging the 2023 elections, just as the party has rigged past elections. Last week ZEC acknowledged the commission had failed to produce a verified voters' roll, a must-have for free and fair election, but elections will go ahead regardless.
Another rigged elections will help Mnangagwa and Zanu PF stay in power, the glory of Caesar, but at the expense of the good governance and the good of Zimbabwe. This is the very thing the presidential oath of office is supposed to stop!
Zanu PF is rigging the 2023 elections in advance and we, the people, must condemn the process in advance. Zanu PF must be denied legitimacy fo rigging 2023 election in fragrant violation of Mnangagwa's oath of office to uphold the constitution and the good of the nation.
Mnangagwa must be held to account for failing to uphold his oath of office by failing to ensure 2023 elections are free, fair and credible and thus deliver good governance for the benefit of the commonwealth. If he is unfit to hold the office of the presidency now, how can he be fit to do so post 2023 elections!
The pressure to put right Zimbabwe's failed political system has never been more urgent than it is now. The prospect of another five more years of this Zanu PF tyrannical and chaotic rule is unthinkable especially when it is within our powers to end the dictatorship with the 2023 elections.
Source - zimbabwelight.spotlight.com
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