From being the bread–basket of Southern Africa just a few years ago, Zimbabwe has degenerated into a basket case; a banana republic that doesn’t have its own national currency and a country where more than 90% of the population survive on less than US$1 per day. Such has been the tragic and depressing story of Zimbabwe under the tutelage of one of the world’s most intolerant and oppressive dictators, Robert Mugabe.
The MDC Alliance offers the down–trodden masses of Zimbabwe a rare opportunity to finally put the Zanu PF dictatorship to rest in the 2018 harmonised elections. Granted, negotiations for a final opposition coalition are still on-going but we should seize this opportunity to give the brutal, insipidly and rabidly corrupt Zanu PF regime the sucker punch in next year’s elections.
It is horrendous to even imagine another five years under the Zanu PF regime after next year’s elections. We have to coalesce and find each other as we seek to liberate the toiling masses of our motherland. Surely, we cannot have a situation in which millions of people are not able to access their hard – earned money from the banks. A situation in which millions of Zimbabweans have to escape to neighbouring countries such as South Africa, Botswana and Namibia as desperate economic refugees. No! Zimbabwe is just too rich to be this poor!
The main contest in next year’s elections is between good and evil. It is a choice between enhanced political repression and socio– economic trepidation as represented by Zanu PF and a refreshing new trajectory of political freedom and socio–economic regeneration and progress as represented by the MDC Alliance.
Going forward, the MDC Alliance should strenuously fight for electoral reforms because we know that Zanu PF is extremely reluctant to reform itself out of power. The battle for electoral reforms should now be the rallying and clarion call for the MDC Alliance. We are confronting a vapid, rabid and vacuous Zanu PF dictatorship that is prepared to break the bank in order to retain political power.
It is not going to be a stroll in the park but nevertheless, we can overcome and overthrow this dictatorship in the ballot box if we play our cards carefully and skillfully. Actually, there should be a virtual zero margin of error on the part of the MDC Alliance. It is like a hunter who is faced with a single bullet to liquidate a lethal animal. We simply can’t afford the luxury of wasting this single bullet that is left.
We should now put all our ducks in a row. This is the time for us to look beyond our petty personal differences and egos and look at the bigger picture. The people of Zimbabwe are looking to the MDC Alliance for their salvation. Let us now close ranks and give the enemy no room to take advantage of our differences. We can rest be assured that the enemy is not sleeping. The enemy is lurking in the dark; ready to pounce at any cracks that might surface within the opposition ranks. Remember, the last kick of a dying horse is almost invariably fatal!
We have now entered the homestretch. We are stronger together. United we stand and divided we fall. History will judge us very harshly if we miss this final opportunity to send the Zanu PF regime to the cleaners.
MDC: Equal Opportunities for All
Obert Chaurura Gutu
MDC National Spokesperson
Obert Chaurura Gutu is absolutely right. It is now too close to the elections to look for alternative ways to defeat Mugabe and ZANU PF, so every Zimbabwean who wants them out must support the MDC Alliance. Love or hate MDC, the only alternative to the Alliance is another five years of ZANU PF, so decide now which you would rather have.
Everyone needs to put their personal criticisms and misgivings about MDC aside, and all other opposition politicians must put aside their egos and personal ambitions in favour of the National Good.
But I would suggest not wasting time on trying to get electoral
reforms because you won’t get ZANU PF to vote them in. Focus instead 100% on motivating a mass movement of citizens behind the Alliance.
Should never allow anyone to “box” you with such arguments as “it is now too close to the elections to look for alternative ways” particularly when the very people doing so are the ones who saw to it that there blocked all the avenues to alternatives and they are the ones who stand to benefit from you having no other choices.
We took part in the elections in 2013 and we ended up with the every thing to thing saying we should fear “another five years of Zanu PF”.
SADC leaders showed us an alternative, not to contest the elections without reforms.
Of course, contesting elections you know are going to be rigged is insane, madness.
This MDC Alliance will do nothing to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections yet again. All the Alliance has done is give MDC an excuse to contest next year’s elections knowing fully well the elections will be rigged.
Indeed the vote rigging is well on its way already with the dilly-dallying over the registering of the voters. Zanu PF is not going to register all those who want to and will exclude many more from being entered in the voters, etc., etc. I will bet you the regime will never produce a verifiable voters’ roll for 2018.
Boycott the election is the most sensible alternative to contesting a flawed process. The reason why MDC did not boycott the elections in July 2013 and will not do it next year is the same reason they failed to get even one democratic reform implemented during the GNU. GREED.
To keep contesting flawed elections is insane. There is an alternative to madness, do not contest.
Thank you very much for your reply, Nomusa, and I really do understand your frustration. No one has boxed me in, it is just my reading of the situation.
But if no one contests the election (except, of course, ZANU PF supporters), doesn’t that just mean ZANU PF will be returned unopposed? Or am I missing something? I keep asking people, but no one will explain.
The problem is that Zimbabwean citizens have had five years to come up with an alternative to MDC, but they don’t seem able to. Given that, and as it is so late in the day, isn’t the choice either to go MDC Alliance or ZANU PF? By some miracle, MDC might just pull it off! Or you can just give in and let ZANU PF carry on.
Ask yourself why did SADC leaders take the trouble to advise Tsvangirai and company not to contest the July 2013 elections if that meant Zanu PF winning all the seats “unopposed”.Of course, they would have known why no one in the opposition had bothered contest – they knew Zanu PF was going to rig the elections before voting started, remember.
By boycotting the elections it would have made it easier for SADC leaders to condemn the elections. But by contesting, particularly in this case after you have been warned elections will be rigged. MDC made it very difficult to condemn the result afterwards.
Tsvangirai thought he would win the rigged elections and has only himself to blame when he lost the elections.
Thank you for your reply, Nomusa. I fear this is just political posturing by SADC, and I cannot see them doing anything meaningful because Mugabe has too many friends among other national leaders. He will just ignore them.
Aren’t you a bit hard on Tsvangirai? He and MDC members have
suffered greatly over the years but they are still there. Agree or disagree
with him, at least he is trying to do something. But this is all a red herring anyway because, historically by far the best way to get rid of dictators is by a mass movement of citizens, not the ballot box. So the real problem, the people you
should really blame, are Zimbabweans as a whole because they don’t seem prepared to do that. Had they done so years ago, Mugabe would have gone years
ago. A mass movement can be mobilised very fast, and get rid of him well before the elections.
Thank you for your reply, Nomusa. I fear SADC can’t do much meaningful
because Mugabe will just ignore it. He has too many friends among other
national leaders.
Aren’t you a bit hard on Tsvangirai? He and MDC members have
suffered greatly over the years but they are still there. Agree or disagree
with him, at least he is trying to do something.
The real problem is not Tsvangirai but Zimbabweans themselves. Historically by far the best way to get rid of dictators is by a mass movement of citizens, not the ballot box. But they don’t seem prepared to do that. Had they done so years ago, Mugabe would have gone years ago. A mass movement can be mobilised
very fast, and get rid of him well before the elections.
Thank you for your reply, Nomusa. Actually, all this is a red herring because, historically, by far the best way to get rid of dictators is by a mass movement of citizens, not the ballot box.
So your real target should not be Tsvangirai but Zimbabweans
themselves because they don’t seem prepared to create a mass movement of citizens. Had they done this years ago, they would have removed Mugabe years ago. A mass movement can be mobilised very fast and have Mugabe out before the elections anyway.
MDC failed to dislodge Zanu PF in 2013 and there is nothing to suggest why next year should be different.
Tell me, what did the ordinary people get from participating in the 2013 flawed elections? They will be very foolish to do so again.
Hello Nomusa. So are you suggesting that Zimbabweans should give in and stick with ZANU PF as, this late in the day, there is no realistic alternative to the MDC Alliance?
There is a realistic alternative here, do not participate in the elections until the reforms are implemented. Why have we not tried that one?
Because:
a) Zanu PF does not want free, fair and credible elections.
b) MDC leaders have no clue what the reforms are and they were very pleased with the bribes fromPresident Mugabe to do nothing about the reforms during he GNU. Since the 2013 rigged elections they are happy with the few gravy train seats Zanu PF throws away as bribes to entice them to contest flawed elections.
The present arrangement suits Zanu PF to the T and it is not ideal for the opposition still it is acceptable. The real losers here are the ordinary Zimbabweans whose lives is now hell-on-earth.
The only solution for the ordinary people is to refuse to have anything to do with this charade and make it clear they have nothing to do with the election. SADC leaders are not stupid, they too can see what is going on here. If SADC rejected the rigged elections, which is what they would have done if MDC had boycotted the elections, this will force Zanu PF to accept another GNU. This time the people should make sure the reforms are implemented.
Thinking that MDC will win rigged elections is wishful thinking bordering on insanity!