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Addressing Zanu-PF’s 13th Annual National People’s Conference in Gweru in December last year, President Mugabe framed 2013 as the “Year of our Electoral Victory” and went on to coin the Bhora Mugedhi/Ibhola Egedini slogan.The moment for that to materialise is today.
For the country’s 6,4 million eligible voters, the decision is whether to elect an experienced leadership that is homegrown, inspirational and guided nationalistic policies that aspire for a Zimbabwe that is in full charge of its resources and destiny or an Anglo-American stooge party that is foreign all-round and guided by neo-colonialist policies that aspire for a hopeless, weak, poor client State beholden to western benevolence.
Zanu-PF seeks a Zimbabwe that is proud of itself; a country that asserts its sovereignty over its land, resources, culture and internal affairs. MDC-T, its main rival, is the opposite in every sense. It should be easy for voters to pick between the two.
Buoyed by the resounding success of the land reform programme which benefited at least 278 000 families, and its earlier delivery on Independence, democracy and freedom in 1980, education, health, gender equality, unity and peace, the revolutionary party has run its campaign on indigenisation and economic empowerment.
It is a compelling message which is already being implemented, bearing immense benefit to the masses who will vote today.
At least 50 Community Share Ownership Trusts, dozens of Employee Share Ownership Schemes and many businesspeople buying into foreign-owned companies under the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act, which was steered by Zanu-PF in 2007, are concrete results of what Zanu-PF has done to Zimbabwe.
These would be deepened and expanded in the next five years, if as widely expected, the people vote for their national interest.
This is in contrast to the highly academic message from MDC-T and other parties. Naively, MDC-T is promising planeloads of cash from somewhere, mere jobs without ownership and foreign investment without local involvement.
The British-backed party is also promising what is already there, democracy. Tens of thousands died during the liberation war, fighting for democracy. We have lived in a democracy since 1980 and anything to the contrary is mischievous propaganda which will not fool anyone.
Zanu-PF goes into the election in a stronger position, not only because of its nationalistic, pro-people policies and service delivery over the past three decades, but also because of the rare acknowledgement from its traditional detractors that the mass party is on the way back from the abyss it fell into in 2008.
Zimbabwe Vigil, Zvakwana/Sokwanele, National Constitutional Assembly (NCA), Freedom House, Afrobarometer, the US Council on Foreign Relations and Mass Public Opinion Institute have all predicted that the revolutionary party will win today’s election.
A number of pro-establishment British newspapers, like the Guardian and Independent have also foretold the same. Freedom House did another survey a few weeks ago, but the US government which is pro-MDC-T has suppressed its think-tank’s findings which gave President Mugabe a 10 percent lead over Mr Tsvangirai.
The US government reckoned the findings could have a demoralising effect on their client, MDC-T at a crucial time, so vetoed it.
But the Guardian foresees bad times for MDC-T.
“Running for election for the seventh time,” the newspaper wrote this week, “he (President Mugabe) is widely tipped to beat his rival Morgan Tsvangirai in Wednesday’s poll — and to be ushered back into respectability by a pragmatic West.” It is typical western media reportage these days; and western mainstream media normally reflects the views of their governments.
MDC-T has also done nothing to shore up its fortunes.
From obscene comments on young men’s undergarments, a humiliating verbal exchange with an old woman at a rally in Rusape, threats on traditional leaders, resettled farmers and war veterans to low turnouts at his rural rallies, MDC-T leader, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai has had a decidedly negative campaign.
Angry at the undemocratic way the party’s primaries were conducted, at least 29 former MDC-T members are contesting for National Assembly seats as independents. Twenty eight others are seeking council seats as independents. This will divide the party’s vote, thus giving space for other parties to capitalise.
The Zanu-PF revival started most earnestly during the constitution outreach exercise, in which it outsmarted its opponents by mobilising its structures to contribute its ideas for inclusion in the draft supreme law. It was evident again at the referendum when its strongholds turned up in thousands to vote in support of the draft constitution.
The high turnout at its primaries confirmed a party on the comeback. In addition, we have more new voters registering in traditional Zanu-PF strongholds, and as few as 3 500 in the MDC-T stronghold of Bulawayo.
MDC-T has grasped the negative indications and has been defeated in advance. This is why we are seeing a lot of nefarious activities, which seek to undermine a successful and credible election. The party is questioning the integrity of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) and that of the African Union observer group. We have also seen a string of court applications seeking the postponement of elections, nullification of the special vote and so on.
They have tried diplomatic pressure through Sadc and the American and British ambassadors to force a further delay of the election. Using the Ministry of Finance portfolio it holds, MDC-T has also attempted to refuse to provide cash to fund the election but Zanu-PF thwarted the move.
More recently, special ballot papers ended up in MDC-T offices, after they were suspiciously picked up from a dustbin. The strategy is to cast aspersions on the ability of Zec to run the election. However, the fact that we are heading to the polls today means all the machinations have failed.
It is important that the campaign has been very peaceful. The hope is that voting would be just as peaceful and the aftermath, so Zimbabwe can savour the “Year of our Electoral Victory.”
Online Reporter