Opinion / Columnist
Tsvangirai spot-on on electoral reforms in Zimbabwe
28 Jan 2016 at 07:09hrs | Views
MDC-T embattled president, Morgan Richard Tsvangirai, is spot on when he says Zanu-PF Government has put in place a vast array of electoral reforms in recent months in preparation for the 2018 electoral reforms. This is a total shift from his usual rhetoric of booming unnecessary noise against the ruling party over some trivialities.
This time around, he is really in a concordial agreement with Government efforts to level the playing ground and one wonders what his excuse will be to boycott the 2018 elections.
The Zanu-PF Government should be commended highly for taking progressive measures towards electoral reforms. Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has been resourced to enable it to draw a new voters' roll as per the SADC electoral guidelines and in line with the laws of the country. That is a plus to the Zanu-PF Government.
In addition, Zimbabwe is engaging international experts for the implementation of a bio-metric voting system for the forth-coming 2018 general elections. This system will enable scanning for either finger prints or the iris of the voter for purposes of eradicating electoral frauds.
The biometric voting is swift, precise, consistent, and upholds the uprightness of the electoral processes by minimizing suspicion and irregularities. This will certainly add value to the local voting processes which have been given the thumbs up by regional observers.
In its attempt to ensure maximum transparency, free and fair as well as dispute free polls, the ZEC will for the first time in history, use polling station based voting. This is an efficient and effective system which will eradicate all speculations which have been leveled against the pre-existing strategies which have been used in conducting polls.
Numerous civic organisations including political parties have been licensed to offer civic education to the electorate without any impediments. This is the most clear-cut way of boosting transparency which will motivate political elements to work freely as they mobilise and create a public awareness amongst the prospective voters across the nation. This has great potential to stimulate confidence and trust among all stakeholders.
ZEC of late, managed to extend the soft copy of the voters' roll to all stakeholders that need it and they can also request for the updated voters' roll if they so wish at reasonable times. There is massive democratization of the voting process in motion which is worth appraising at this point in time.
Unfortunately, Tsvangirai's MDC-T election boycott in the country has no correlationship to these electoral reforms. The boycott was a crystal-clear testimony of a donor driven party which ran dry as soon after as all western donor pulled out their funding owing to the part's failure to champion their regime change agenda in the country. MDC-T failed dismally of this aspect leading to an acute frustration to its financiers.
This untimely dumping by the traditional sponsors left the party with no cash even to participate the all the recent by-elections which took place across the country in various constituencies in 2015. The boycott gimmick was a way of covering up their bankruptcy. However, this poor strategy has cost them many votes as society lost faith in the party's ability to defeat the current government.
Till this day MDC-T is sauntering around the world carrying a begging bowl for cash from anyone who dares listening to their doomed political ordeal. Recently they were snubbed by western donors that feel duped by the part's habitual extravagant squandering of cash with no political mileage covered.
In the meantime, the party is contemplating on how it can exist and offer a better deal to its support base as it is poised to operate under some strict conditionality dictated to them by the western funders. The westerners did not mince words as they told the party clear-blank that it had lost its relevance, sparkle and glitter on the political landscape. The only option available for them is to join some irrelevant opposition political parties and move forward along that line as they failed to stand alone for purposes of creating an alternative government.
Recently, the European Union itself drifted back to Zanu-PF by removing all sanctions after discovering its mistake of continuing to fund a sinking ship driven by a drunken political vagabond like Tsvangirai who spurred the party to break into several fragments since its formation in 2000.
His drunken stupor weakened and ultimately destroyed the party which was once promising. Tsvangirai's personal dispossession is blamed for causing the total collapse of the democratic movements which never tested democracy during his reign up to this day. He is perfect in frustrating all democratic voices so that they break away to form some useless political entities like Job Sikhala's MDC99, Professor Welshman Ncube's MDC-N, and Tendai Biti's Peoples' Democratic Party among other editions. He failed to keep the party intact. This was used as the trump card by the voters never to elect him president since he elicited classic leadership disability demonstrated by his mental faculty deficit.
At the moment MDC-T is in turbulence after about $1, 2 million mobilised for party business disappeared into thin air at the party headquarters. No-one can account for its expenditure at Harvest house. However, there are strong rumours and allegations that Morgan Tsvangirai himself diverted the money for is personal use after he hit hard times in the post-inclusive government.
He is reportedly surviving on hand-outs from well-wishers as he can hardly buy himself even groceries for his private home in the capital. He has become a burden to the party which at one time resolved to mobilise cash for his upkeep by requesting part supporters to send at least one US$1 per month through eco-cash towards his welfare fund. This was the party's desperate effort to keep the face of its leader who is a clear testimony of a pauper that dreams to be a national president.
In the post-inclusive government, he failed to buy the Government house that he used as the Prime Minister of the Republic of Zimbabwe. If he fails to pay for it, he risks being evicted out of that house sooner or later.
Tsvangirai is the only high-profile party personality that has no profession to fall back-on like what happened with Tendai Biti, Advocate Eric Matinenga, Nelson Chamisa, Jessie Majome, Douglas Mwonzora, Professor Welshman Ncube and Obert Gutu who all legal practitioners. Neither does he have a viable business enterprise apart from being a mere penniless politician.
From the outset, he was the only character of dubious academic and professional credentials. This is a pointer as to why most of these well-to-do personalities had to depart the party for them to pursue their careers. All said in earnest surely it is practically impossible for such intellectuals to exist comfortably under the stewardship of such a dunderhead.
This time around, he is really in a concordial agreement with Government efforts to level the playing ground and one wonders what his excuse will be to boycott the 2018 elections.
The Zanu-PF Government should be commended highly for taking progressive measures towards electoral reforms. Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has been resourced to enable it to draw a new voters' roll as per the SADC electoral guidelines and in line with the laws of the country. That is a plus to the Zanu-PF Government.
In addition, Zimbabwe is engaging international experts for the implementation of a bio-metric voting system for the forth-coming 2018 general elections. This system will enable scanning for either finger prints or the iris of the voter for purposes of eradicating electoral frauds.
The biometric voting is swift, precise, consistent, and upholds the uprightness of the electoral processes by minimizing suspicion and irregularities. This will certainly add value to the local voting processes which have been given the thumbs up by regional observers.
In its attempt to ensure maximum transparency, free and fair as well as dispute free polls, the ZEC will for the first time in history, use polling station based voting. This is an efficient and effective system which will eradicate all speculations which have been leveled against the pre-existing strategies which have been used in conducting polls.
Numerous civic organisations including political parties have been licensed to offer civic education to the electorate without any impediments. This is the most clear-cut way of boosting transparency which will motivate political elements to work freely as they mobilise and create a public awareness amongst the prospective voters across the nation. This has great potential to stimulate confidence and trust among all stakeholders.
ZEC of late, managed to extend the soft copy of the voters' roll to all stakeholders that need it and they can also request for the updated voters' roll if they so wish at reasonable times. There is massive democratization of the voting process in motion which is worth appraising at this point in time.
Unfortunately, Tsvangirai's MDC-T election boycott in the country has no correlationship to these electoral reforms. The boycott was a crystal-clear testimony of a donor driven party which ran dry as soon after as all western donor pulled out their funding owing to the part's failure to champion their regime change agenda in the country. MDC-T failed dismally of this aspect leading to an acute frustration to its financiers.
This untimely dumping by the traditional sponsors left the party with no cash even to participate the all the recent by-elections which took place across the country in various constituencies in 2015. The boycott gimmick was a way of covering up their bankruptcy. However, this poor strategy has cost them many votes as society lost faith in the party's ability to defeat the current government.
Till this day MDC-T is sauntering around the world carrying a begging bowl for cash from anyone who dares listening to their doomed political ordeal. Recently they were snubbed by western donors that feel duped by the part's habitual extravagant squandering of cash with no political mileage covered.
In the meantime, the party is contemplating on how it can exist and offer a better deal to its support base as it is poised to operate under some strict conditionality dictated to them by the western funders. The westerners did not mince words as they told the party clear-blank that it had lost its relevance, sparkle and glitter on the political landscape. The only option available for them is to join some irrelevant opposition political parties and move forward along that line as they failed to stand alone for purposes of creating an alternative government.
Recently, the European Union itself drifted back to Zanu-PF by removing all sanctions after discovering its mistake of continuing to fund a sinking ship driven by a drunken political vagabond like Tsvangirai who spurred the party to break into several fragments since its formation in 2000.
His drunken stupor weakened and ultimately destroyed the party which was once promising. Tsvangirai's personal dispossession is blamed for causing the total collapse of the democratic movements which never tested democracy during his reign up to this day. He is perfect in frustrating all democratic voices so that they break away to form some useless political entities like Job Sikhala's MDC99, Professor Welshman Ncube's MDC-N, and Tendai Biti's Peoples' Democratic Party among other editions. He failed to keep the party intact. This was used as the trump card by the voters never to elect him president since he elicited classic leadership disability demonstrated by his mental faculty deficit.
At the moment MDC-T is in turbulence after about $1, 2 million mobilised for party business disappeared into thin air at the party headquarters. No-one can account for its expenditure at Harvest house. However, there are strong rumours and allegations that Morgan Tsvangirai himself diverted the money for is personal use after he hit hard times in the post-inclusive government.
He is reportedly surviving on hand-outs from well-wishers as he can hardly buy himself even groceries for his private home in the capital. He has become a burden to the party which at one time resolved to mobilise cash for his upkeep by requesting part supporters to send at least one US$1 per month through eco-cash towards his welfare fund. This was the party's desperate effort to keep the face of its leader who is a clear testimony of a pauper that dreams to be a national president.
In the post-inclusive government, he failed to buy the Government house that he used as the Prime Minister of the Republic of Zimbabwe. If he fails to pay for it, he risks being evicted out of that house sooner or later.
Tsvangirai is the only high-profile party personality that has no profession to fall back-on like what happened with Tendai Biti, Advocate Eric Matinenga, Nelson Chamisa, Jessie Majome, Douglas Mwonzora, Professor Welshman Ncube and Obert Gutu who all legal practitioners. Neither does he have a viable business enterprise apart from being a mere penniless politician.
From the outset, he was the only character of dubious academic and professional credentials. This is a pointer as to why most of these well-to-do personalities had to depart the party for them to pursue their careers. All said in earnest surely it is practically impossible for such intellectuals to exist comfortably under the stewardship of such a dunderhead.
Source - Suitable Kajau
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