David Chigwada chairman of the newly established Zimbabwe Association of Workers in Southern Africa (ZAWSA) said the organization was in the process of lobbying the MDC-T branch in South Africa to pressure the inclusive government to come up with a voting system that will also include millions of Zimbabweans living in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, the United Kingdom and other countries.
We will be presenting a petition to the inclusive government because we believe that it is the right of every Zimbabwean, regardless of their geographical location, to take part in a democratic election because the outcome of the election will also have a bearing on their future.
It is unfathomable that the views of an estimated 3 million people living outside the country would not be considered during an important national event such as an election. ZAWSA ventures to say that any poll that does not include Zimbabweans living in the diaspora will be undemocratic, said Chigwada.
Chigwada said Zimbabweans working outside the country were playing a critical role in the resuscitation of the countrys economy and should therefore be included when it comes to elections.
Most Zimbabweans living outside the country are investing the money they make into various projects back home and this is helping in rebuilding the economy. Unfortunately, politicians only think about us when they want money to fund their campaigns, said Chigwada.
Unlike polling systems used in other countries, Zimbabwes voting process has never been open to the scores of people living outside the border, amidst assertions by the Zanu PF echelons of power that the majority of people in the diaspora support the MDC.
In the past, only ambassadors who would have been appointed on a Zanu (PF) ticket and their immediate families have been allowed to take part in national elections and this has raised questions about the credibility of the entire process.
Post published in: News