Opinion / National
'Sham 2018 poll resulted in illegitimacy' CIZC finally admit - yet still can't resist urge to appease Zanu PF
03 Sep 2019 at 06:36hrs | Views
It is heartening to see that organisation like Crisis In Zimbabwe Coalition (CIZC) are finally calling a spade a spade!
"The sham 2018 polls resulted in a serious legitimacy crisis that came with adverse effects on economic revival and re-engagement with the international community," said CIZC statement.
"In January 2018, suffering Zimbabweans took to the streets to protest against the continued economic meltdown and again, the army resorted to brutality and this resulted in the death of about 12 civilians while others were raped and tortured."
Gone is the wishy-washy "disputed 2018 elections" as if the writer is totally incapable of deciding for themselves whether or not the elections were free, fair and credible. Of course, last year's elections were a "sham"! ZEC failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters' roll, 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora were denied a vote, etc.
It is a great shame that country's corrupt and incompetent opposition participated in the flawed and illegal elections knowing fully well that Zanu PF was rigging the elections and, worse still, that by participating they would give the flawed process some credibility!
In his Book, The Struggle Continues 50 years of tyranny in Zimbabwe, former MDC – Ncube Senator and Minister of Education in the GNU, David Coltart, gave details of how Zanu PF flouted the electoral rules, it clear the upcoming 2013 elections would not be free and fair. Meanwhile talks of uniting the two MDC factions to fight the elections as one were going nowhere.
"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," confessed MDC Senator David 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."
As a matter of historic fact, four of the MDC factions did form a coalition before last year's elections and still they participated in these elections too.
It is a double shame that the people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders into power on the understanding they would deliver the changes to stop the curse of rigged elections. It is heart breaking that MDC leaders have not only failed to deliver even one democratic change in 20 years but worse still they are the ones knowingly giving rigged elections credibility!
"We further implore the government to respect the right to protest peacefully as enshrined under Section 59 of the country's constitution," continued CIZC statement.
"More importantly, we reiterate our call for an all stakeholders dialogue as a way of unlocking the multi-faceted crisis in Zimbabwe.
"This national dialogue process must not be restricted to political parties but should rather bring on board a cross section of stakeholders including civic society, labour, religious groups, business among other critical stakeholders."
So, it took CIZC a year to finally admit that Zanu PF rigged last year's elections. One can only hope that it is NOT going to take another year for CIZC to finally come to the conclusion that Zanu PF has no democratic mandate to govern, the party is in fact illegitimate.
The national dialogue that many people including the country's main opposition, the MDC, are proposing will result in a power sharing arrangement in which Zanu PF will play a role. A similar power sharing arrangement resulted in the 2008 to 2013 GNU involving both Zanu PF and MDC. The GNU failed to implement even one reform in five years. The new proposed arrangement will not do any better.
Zanu PF has rigged elections ever since the country attained her independence back in 1980. The nation has again and again foolishly rewarded the party with absolute power. After 39 years of appeasing Zanu PF with the tragic consequences we can see in Zimbabwe today; just how many more years, human suffering and deaths will it take before we finally accept appeasing an illegitimate regime is insane!
Last year's elections were a sham, Zanu PF is illegitimate and the least we can do is demand that Zanu PF steps down and not to be rewarding the party with political power for committing high treason! Even now with the country's very survival on the line, the primeval call to appease Zanu PF is simply irresistible!
"The sham 2018 polls resulted in a serious legitimacy crisis that came with adverse effects on economic revival and re-engagement with the international community," said CIZC statement.
"In January 2018, suffering Zimbabweans took to the streets to protest against the continued economic meltdown and again, the army resorted to brutality and this resulted in the death of about 12 civilians while others were raped and tortured."
Gone is the wishy-washy "disputed 2018 elections" as if the writer is totally incapable of deciding for themselves whether or not the elections were free, fair and credible. Of course, last year's elections were a "sham"! ZEC failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters' roll, 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora were denied a vote, etc.
It is a great shame that country's corrupt and incompetent opposition participated in the flawed and illegal elections knowing fully well that Zanu PF was rigging the elections and, worse still, that by participating they would give the flawed process some credibility!
In his Book, The Struggle Continues 50 years of tyranny in Zimbabwe, former MDC – Ncube Senator and Minister of Education in the GNU, David Coltart, gave details of how Zanu PF flouted the electoral rules, it clear the upcoming 2013 elections would not be free and fair. Meanwhile talks of uniting the two MDC factions to fight the elections as one were going nowhere.
"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," confessed MDC Senator David 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."
As a matter of historic fact, four of the MDC factions did form a coalition before last year's elections and still they participated in these elections too.
It is a double shame that the people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders into power on the understanding they would deliver the changes to stop the curse of rigged elections. It is heart breaking that MDC leaders have not only failed to deliver even one democratic change in 20 years but worse still they are the ones knowingly giving rigged elections credibility!
"We further implore the government to respect the right to protest peacefully as enshrined under Section 59 of the country's constitution," continued CIZC statement.
"More importantly, we reiterate our call for an all stakeholders dialogue as a way of unlocking the multi-faceted crisis in Zimbabwe.
"This national dialogue process must not be restricted to political parties but should rather bring on board a cross section of stakeholders including civic society, labour, religious groups, business among other critical stakeholders."
So, it took CIZC a year to finally admit that Zanu PF rigged last year's elections. One can only hope that it is NOT going to take another year for CIZC to finally come to the conclusion that Zanu PF has no democratic mandate to govern, the party is in fact illegitimate.
The national dialogue that many people including the country's main opposition, the MDC, are proposing will result in a power sharing arrangement in which Zanu PF will play a role. A similar power sharing arrangement resulted in the 2008 to 2013 GNU involving both Zanu PF and MDC. The GNU failed to implement even one reform in five years. The new proposed arrangement will not do any better.
Zanu PF has rigged elections ever since the country attained her independence back in 1980. The nation has again and again foolishly rewarded the party with absolute power. After 39 years of appeasing Zanu PF with the tragic consequences we can see in Zimbabwe today; just how many more years, human suffering and deaths will it take before we finally accept appeasing an illegitimate regime is insane!
Last year's elections were a sham, Zanu PF is illegitimate and the least we can do is demand that Zanu PF steps down and not to be rewarding the party with political power for committing high treason! Even now with the country's very survival on the line, the primeval call to appease Zanu PF is simply irresistible!
Source - zsdemocrats.blogspot.com
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