Opinion / Columnist
Mugabe can never win free, fair elections
14 Sep 2016 at 12:06hrs | Views
CDE Mugabe knows very well that people have lost confidence in his rule. He also knows that he is now only forcing himself and his will on the people of Zimbabwe. People don't want him anymore because he has and is still ruining their lives and his officials are plundering the economy and has crippled service delivery through unchecked corruption. In 2008 he lost to MDC's Morgan Tsvangirai and he simply refused to transfer power. After this, it has become crystal clear to him that he, therefore, can never win a free and fair election. Realizing this, he has therefore put forth his tentacles to use them to influence the process of the elections. He has tilted the election field in his favor.
It is impossible, therefore, under the current election settings to unseat, to me, an illegitimate president, RG.
To start with, the Zanu-pf government has made sure that voter registration is not taking place, disenfranchising many young people who turned 18 since 2013. In the rundown to elections of 2013, voter registration was stifled in urban areas so that many people were not able to register to vote. People who wanted to register witnessed long very slow moving queues and at the end of the process very people had been registered, less than 10% of those who wished to register. Up to now, these people have not been registered. ZEC has danced to the tune of Zanu pf sanction mantra and has been instructed not accept any funding for the voter registration exercise from industrialized and democratic countries. Still, Zanu pf government is appealing to same western governments for food aid to ameliorate starvation. Zanu pf doesn't want voter registration to be carried out so will not accept any funding for this exercise. This playing along of ZEC to the demands and wishes of Zanu pf, which in turn assures Zanu pf victory, shows that ZEC is still a long way from being an independent referee to the process of elections in Zimbabwe. RG Mugabe has been on the record saying the country will not accept unfriendly (to Zanu pf) countries to observe elections in Zimbabwe. ZEC has not reacted to these rants and has remained mum and did not comment. In fact, in 2013, ZEC did not accredit observers from aforesaid countries even if there was wish from some of these countries. ZEC indeed only went to accredit countries as per Zanu pf wishes, thus showing that the election was not fair. Zanu pf only wishes to have observers from countries like Uganda, Angola and Mozambique, among other countries in Africa, where democracy and freedom, like in Zimbabwe, are suppressed. This is one way RG Mugabe ensures reelection in national elections, of cause having arm-twisted election delegates in his own party to endorse him:-elections are not conducted to have a presidential candidate in Zanu pf, and this is highly undemocratic.
With only friendly observers in the country during election times in Zimbabwe, a predetermined election is conducted, and usually, by the time election results are made known, RG will already be waiting for the swearing-in ceremony, along with the chief justice. Friendly countries will be quick to declare the election free and fair, and when they hold elections in their own countries, the Zanu-pf government will reciprocate the favor.
Zanu makes sure that ZEC puts few polling stations in opposition strongholds so that few people can vote with many being deterred by long slow moving lines. In remote areas, there are no stringent conditions to voter registration, and headmen frog marches their subjects to registration centers and have them registered in shortest possible times, and in election times the same force their subjects to vote for the incumbent RG.
The state media also plays an important role in suppressing the campaigning of other parties. Zimbabwe has a tightly controlled state media and this is being used exclusively by zanu pf government for campaigning, vindicating and praising poor and damaging zanu pf government policies and also for discrediting and ridiculing opposition efforts. ZTV and Sunday Mail goes to a larger extent to do damage control for the government explaining reasons for its failure, and now that everything is falling apart, these entities are working overtime covering up for the president's in-competencies thereby loosing all credibility in the process, for now people know the summary to their misery, RG Mugabe. These entities are also used as weapons of suppression during election times to cower the electorate and therefore sway the election in zanu pf favor. For example, army commanders have been having on many occasions, openly shown allegiance to zanu pf and Mugabe on state controlled media. During independence, heroes celebrations, a portrait of RG Mugabe is shown in state media being idolized by the guard of honor, and this is consistent with a statement issued by the generals that they will never salute anyone else without liberation history. Maybe this paves way only for the likes of Joyce Mujuru of people last, Munangagwa and perhaps Mboko to be successors. Apparently being president of zimbabwe then is not on merit basis, it depends on what the army wants and says, the wishes of the electorate, therefore, falls away.
Given this scenario, it is difficult for any political party to win with such tightly controlled election process. Zimbabwean army has played a major role in terrorizing the electorate in past elections to vote for RG and will do the same in 2018. It is necessary that such irregularities be addressed and the election play-field leveled off before the 2018 election. RG Mugabe's administration has done a lot of firefighting to remain in power. They manipulated and rigged election, they slashed the zeros on notes to curb inflation, and these kept coming back, they changed to multi-currency system and now there is liquidity crisis, companies are shutting down, service delivery has vanished, not any single in the country person now has access to medical insurance, government is broke and can no longer pay civil servants, unemployment is approaching 100% but still the Zanu pf party want RG Mugabe to run for 2018. Is Robert Mugabe's mission to make sure that Zimbabwe totally collapse after him. Bringing back the bond note is an effort by government to treat symptoms of economic malaise, its still not solving the root of the problem, its not solving the supply side of the economic problem, it is not fighting corruption and financial indiscipline. But most important, its not solving the critical and most important, the need for people to have an elected and an accountable government to run their affairs, a government they can take to task or even fire once it fails to deliver. What we have is a regime that is forcing itself on people, manipulating the election process to stay in power, but with no will whatsoever to improve the standard of life of the people. It is a government that has no direction, that refuses to be accountable, that does not pull together with the people, it is a government that brews one destructive policy after another, and it is this zanu pf government that is the source of every problem that bedevils the Zimbabwean society. There is nothing more for Mugabe to do to relieve the situation, except only to worsen it, to beyond repair. The greatest and only service he can do to zimbabweans is to resign, and create conditions for a free, fair and transparent election where all political parties can have free campaign in all state media, and where ZEC ceases to be partisan, and where extensive voter registration is done prior to the election and where a wide range of election observers are welcome.
-------------
Zanda Shumba
zekishumba@gmail.com,
St Johns, Bag 113, Nyazura,
Zimbabwe
+263776630178
It is impossible, therefore, under the current election settings to unseat, to me, an illegitimate president, RG.
To start with, the Zanu-pf government has made sure that voter registration is not taking place, disenfranchising many young people who turned 18 since 2013. In the rundown to elections of 2013, voter registration was stifled in urban areas so that many people were not able to register to vote. People who wanted to register witnessed long very slow moving queues and at the end of the process very people had been registered, less than 10% of those who wished to register. Up to now, these people have not been registered. ZEC has danced to the tune of Zanu pf sanction mantra and has been instructed not accept any funding for the voter registration exercise from industrialized and democratic countries. Still, Zanu pf government is appealing to same western governments for food aid to ameliorate starvation. Zanu pf doesn't want voter registration to be carried out so will not accept any funding for this exercise. This playing along of ZEC to the demands and wishes of Zanu pf, which in turn assures Zanu pf victory, shows that ZEC is still a long way from being an independent referee to the process of elections in Zimbabwe. RG Mugabe has been on the record saying the country will not accept unfriendly (to Zanu pf) countries to observe elections in Zimbabwe. ZEC has not reacted to these rants and has remained mum and did not comment. In fact, in 2013, ZEC did not accredit observers from aforesaid countries even if there was wish from some of these countries. ZEC indeed only went to accredit countries as per Zanu pf wishes, thus showing that the election was not fair. Zanu pf only wishes to have observers from countries like Uganda, Angola and Mozambique, among other countries in Africa, where democracy and freedom, like in Zimbabwe, are suppressed. This is one way RG Mugabe ensures reelection in national elections, of cause having arm-twisted election delegates in his own party to endorse him:-elections are not conducted to have a presidential candidate in Zanu pf, and this is highly undemocratic.
With only friendly observers in the country during election times in Zimbabwe, a predetermined election is conducted, and usually, by the time election results are made known, RG will already be waiting for the swearing-in ceremony, along with the chief justice. Friendly countries will be quick to declare the election free and fair, and when they hold elections in their own countries, the Zanu-pf government will reciprocate the favor.
Zanu makes sure that ZEC puts few polling stations in opposition strongholds so that few people can vote with many being deterred by long slow moving lines. In remote areas, there are no stringent conditions to voter registration, and headmen frog marches their subjects to registration centers and have them registered in shortest possible times, and in election times the same force their subjects to vote for the incumbent RG.
The state media also plays an important role in suppressing the campaigning of other parties. Zimbabwe has a tightly controlled state media and this is being used exclusively by zanu pf government for campaigning, vindicating and praising poor and damaging zanu pf government policies and also for discrediting and ridiculing opposition efforts. ZTV and Sunday Mail goes to a larger extent to do damage control for the government explaining reasons for its failure, and now that everything is falling apart, these entities are working overtime covering up for the president's in-competencies thereby loosing all credibility in the process, for now people know the summary to their misery, RG Mugabe. These entities are also used as weapons of suppression during election times to cower the electorate and therefore sway the election in zanu pf favor. For example, army commanders have been having on many occasions, openly shown allegiance to zanu pf and Mugabe on state controlled media. During independence, heroes celebrations, a portrait of RG Mugabe is shown in state media being idolized by the guard of honor, and this is consistent with a statement issued by the generals that they will never salute anyone else without liberation history. Maybe this paves way only for the likes of Joyce Mujuru of people last, Munangagwa and perhaps Mboko to be successors. Apparently being president of zimbabwe then is not on merit basis, it depends on what the army wants and says, the wishes of the electorate, therefore, falls away.
Given this scenario, it is difficult for any political party to win with such tightly controlled election process. Zimbabwean army has played a major role in terrorizing the electorate in past elections to vote for RG and will do the same in 2018. It is necessary that such irregularities be addressed and the election play-field leveled off before the 2018 election. RG Mugabe's administration has done a lot of firefighting to remain in power. They manipulated and rigged election, they slashed the zeros on notes to curb inflation, and these kept coming back, they changed to multi-currency system and now there is liquidity crisis, companies are shutting down, service delivery has vanished, not any single in the country person now has access to medical insurance, government is broke and can no longer pay civil servants, unemployment is approaching 100% but still the Zanu pf party want RG Mugabe to run for 2018. Is Robert Mugabe's mission to make sure that Zimbabwe totally collapse after him. Bringing back the bond note is an effort by government to treat symptoms of economic malaise, its still not solving the root of the problem, its not solving the supply side of the economic problem, it is not fighting corruption and financial indiscipline. But most important, its not solving the critical and most important, the need for people to have an elected and an accountable government to run their affairs, a government they can take to task or even fire once it fails to deliver. What we have is a regime that is forcing itself on people, manipulating the election process to stay in power, but with no will whatsoever to improve the standard of life of the people. It is a government that has no direction, that refuses to be accountable, that does not pull together with the people, it is a government that brews one destructive policy after another, and it is this zanu pf government that is the source of every problem that bedevils the Zimbabwean society. There is nothing more for Mugabe to do to relieve the situation, except only to worsen it, to beyond repair. The greatest and only service he can do to zimbabweans is to resign, and create conditions for a free, fair and transparent election where all political parties can have free campaign in all state media, and where ZEC ceases to be partisan, and where extensive voter registration is done prior to the election and where a wide range of election observers are welcome.
-------------
Zanda Shumba
zekishumba@gmail.com,
St Johns, Bag 113, Nyazura,
Zimbabwe
+263776630178
Source - Zanda Shumba
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.
