By Wilbert Mukori| The worst thing that has happened in Zimbabwe since MDC leaders sold out of implementing democratic reforms was for the nation to abandon the fight to implement the democratic reforms as the only sure way to guarantee free, fair and credible elections. The new rallying call was to forget reforms and concentrate on winning rigged elections. SADC leaders, did not agree and even tried to have the 2013 elections postponed until reforms were implemented.
“In 2013 the Maputo Summit, in June 2013, before the elections, the Maputo Summit was all about having the elections postponed – the SADC summit. I went there,” Dr Ibbo Mandaza told Journalist Violet Gonda.
“I was there at the Summit and Mugabe pretended to agree to a postponement of the elections. If you recall, the postponement was based on the need to reform at least electoral laws.
“And after that Summit, Morgan Tsvangirai, Tendai Biti, Welshman Ncube, all of them were called to a separate meeting by the Heads of State of SADC in the absence of Mugabe, that same evening. And they were told; I was sitting there outside the room with Mac Maharaj; they were told ‘if you go into elections next month, you are going to lose; the elections are done’.”
As we now know Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC-T and MDC-N friends ignored the waring to postpone the elections. Tsvangirai’s self-confidence that participating was the right decision by the “sea of red”, MDC-T regalia colour, at the party’s campaign rallies.
The 2013 election results was a landslide Zanu PF victory as SADC leaders had predicted. The victory was so overwhelming that many MDC-T and MDC-N leaders were surprised and more significantly it knocked so sense into their heads. The 2014 MDC-T party congress resolved the party will not participate in future elections without first implementing the democratic reforms.
“No reform, no elections!” was the new MDC-T rallying call. Tendai Biti was one of the senior opposition leaders to underline the sheer futility of participating in these flawed elections.
“Look, you can’t keep on participating in flawed electoral processes that serve to give big benefits to dictators such as Robert Mugabe. Mugabe has perfected the art of winning elections. So it will be very foolish for the opposition to continue legitimising these sham elections which don’t deliver. This country will go through a serious economic crisis in 2020 caused by Zanu PF. And yet, this is the only country where a government doesn’t perform, it is encouraged by a super majority in parliament,” said Tendai Biti in a 2015 interview with Isaac Mugabi.
“So you can’t continue subjecting Zimbabweans to processes where their hopes just get crushed.”
Sadly, greed got the better of our opposition leaders because by the 2018 elections they had all changed their minds; they participated in the elections although not even a token reforms had been implemented.
Since the 2018 elections some opposition leaders and supporters have shifted one gear up. Instead of the usual “we can win rigged elections, if we work hard enough”, they now add the foolish notion that few opposition leaders elected into parliament have been effective. In other words the status quo in which Zanu PF blatantly rigs the election to secure a Zanu PF majority in parliament and senate plus the presidency is fine because the few opposition leaders elected have done a splendid job of representing our interests.
“Dear Reader,
Tendai Biti of Zimbabwe’s Citizens Coalition for Change’s re-deployment to PARLIAMENT & others of his pedigree is a matter of NATIONAL & not PARTY/ MOVEMENT interest.
Sometimes a PARTY/ MOVEMENT must consider NATIONAL ahead of INTRA interests.
That is NATIONAL LEADERSHIP DEFINED or at least SIGNALED especially in a POLITICALLY POLARIZED context like Zimbabwe.” pleaded Dr Phillan Zamchiya an Oxford based academic.
On the contrary Zimbabwe’s tyrannical autocracy, masquerading in the post 2008 GNU era as factitious multiparty designed to deliver a majority Zanu PF government with a sprinkling of opposition leaders, has failed the nation and must be dismantled. Opposition leaders like Tendai Biti and Temba Mliswa have said many pertinent issues in parliament but when push came to shove Zanu PF used its majority to do as the party damn well pleased.
What is the point of electing leaders like Biti into power when all they ever do is make noise!
Zimbabwe is a failed state, pariah state, ruled by corrupt, incompetent and murderous thugs who have rigged elections to stay in power. The thugs learned during the 2008 to 2013 GNU that by letting a few opposition leaders win some other gravy train seats they can continue to rig elections and get political legitimacy.
43 years of gross mismanagement, rampant corruption and lawlessness have left Zimbabwe in economic ruins and political paralysis. Millions of our people are now living in abject poverty, without hope and a future. The current economic, social and political situation is unsustainable we need change. Real and meaningful change!
Opposition leaders like Tendai Biti have done nothing of note to stop Zimbabwe becoming a failed state and will not make any difference post 2023 elections. The nation is hungry for real change and not token change.
“Does the TRANSITIONAL PATHWAY to STATE POWER remain the same even in the case of CCC winning the POPULAR VOTE on election day that is on the day our Lord 23 August 2023. Yes, it does,” concluded Dr Zamchiya.
Zanu PF control every aspect of Zimbabwe’s election process. It is naive to expect the opposition to win these flawed elected elections especially after 43 years of Zanu PF Mafiosi rigged the elections.
Besides the notion that we should give up the fight for reforms and free elections in pursuit of winning RIGGED elections is an oxymoron. Why are we trading gold for fool’s gold!
Zanu PF is rigging these 2023 elections and thus underline that fact that Zimbabwe is a pariah state and nothing has changed. If Tendai Biti was to be honest and put aside his greed, the only reason for participating in the flawed elections, then he would be boycotting these flawed elections and be calling on his fellow opposition leaders to do the same.
“It will be very foolish for the opposition to continue legitimising these sham elections!” said Tendai Biti in 2015. He was right then and he will be right now! In the present political system all he does is make noise and that is a criminal waste of human resources.