John Makumbe

MDC must abandon talks

It has now become very clear that the ruining Zanu (PF) party of Robert Mugabe does not intend to hold free and fair elections come March 2008. I have always stated that the master of deception, Zanu (PF), is leading the MDC up the garden path. Sometimes I am astounded by the level of naivete that the MDC displays from time to time regarding the political machinations of Mugabe and his party.

It befuddles my mind how any politically conscious Zimbabwean can ever imagine that they can ever agree to implement measures that will result in them being democratically ousted from political office. I have also consistently stated that if Mugabe ever accepts conditions that effectively promote free and fair elections then he does not qualify to be labelled a dictator.

A dictator cannot be removed from political office through legitimately democratic means. It therefore stands to reason that all that the MDC and Zanu (PF) have agreed upon through the mediation talks is little more than efforts aimed at hoodwinking the SADC and the generality of the people of this country.

The insistence by the deceptive Zanu (PF) that the allegedly agreed transitional constitution should only come into force after the 2008 elections is a clear indication that Mugabe and his party are not in any way serious about resolving the worsening Zimbabwe crisis.

The MDC owes it to the people of this country to insist that no elections shall be held under the current Lancaster House Constitution which the stinking Mugabe regime has amended some eighteen times since Independence. History has amply demonstrated that any elections held under this deceptive constitution would necessarily be contested because the legal basis is grossly deformed and defective. Indeed, the only reason why Zanu (PF) prefers to hold the 2008 elections under the current constitution is that it can effectively manipulate the whole electoral process to its own advantage.

The MDC will have sold the people of this country right down the river if it agrees to participate in the 2008 elections under the current constitution.

The MDC must also insist that all the agreed changes to the various laws in this country should come into force before the holding of any elections. We are aware that the opposition MDC is currently experiencing problems in holding campaign rallies, especially in rural areas.

It is imperative that all political parties are able to stage campaign rallies anywhere in the country before there can be elections that can be deemed to be free and fair. Further, there is no way that all the agreed changes can be effected by March 2008. It is therefore obvious that the Zanu (PF) plan to hold the elections in March is aimed at ensuring that none of the agreed changes to the status quo will have any meaningful impact on the electoral process and results.

Sadly, the MDC had foolishly sold its heart and soul to Zanu (PF) when it voted in support of Constitutional Amendment 18 and the peripheral adjustments to POSA, AIPPA and the BSA. In many ways, it is a little too late to cry foul now for the MDC. Perhaps the only way to salvage the situation is to refuse to participate in the forthcoming deceptive elections.

Let the rotten Mugabe regime sweat it out. Allow Thabo Mbeki to inform the SADC that the mediation talks have reached a deadlock. Why should the MDC be used to legitimise and clean up the filthy dictator? Regime change is imminent and there is no need to panic. The people of Zimbabwe are strong-willed and determined to resist the tyrant to the bitter end.

Post published in: Opinions

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