Editorial Comment: Thank you Madhuku for stating the obvious

One of the long time actors in Zimbabwe’s public life and University of Zimbabwe law lecturer Professor Lovemore Madhuku has publicly dismissed unsubstantiated claims of vote-rigging by local opposition political leaders.

He told students during a public lecture on constitutionalism at Midlands State University last week that Zimbabwe follows and operates within the law. He said deficiencies in the law, like denying the diaspora a vote in national elections, should not be confused with rigging of the ballot.

Professor Madhuku’s comments cannot and should not be taken lightly by anyone who wishes the country well. We know from experience the remarks will be dismissed with the customary cynicism by the brood of vipers in the NGO sector and legion of opposition supporters who are always ready to conjure up excuses for their failure to win the hearts and minds of the Zimbabwean electorate.

They are the lot always shouting “wolf, wolf” when there is none. For their efforts, they retain the backing of foreign donors fighting for regime change in Zimbabwe. We appreciate that vote rigging can take various subtle forms. It happens in every society and every country. But like the scourge of corruption, it is often difficult to nail down. The truth is that even losing political parties practice vote rigging by inflating their own support base, making wild claims of violence against their supporters or telling the world that their members are denied access to polling stations.

All this is meant to influence public opinion and cast the victors in bad light. The consequences are often dire for the country. We exist in a community of nations. It doesn’t help our cause when some among us act in bad faith and want the victorious party to be viewed negatively just to further their political ends.

The poor image of the country affects everyone regardless of political affiliation. But then we are dealing here with party leaders who have mortgaged their conscience to the devil if he will assist them grab political power.

This is where Professor Madhuku’s remarks differ markedly from the self-serving protests of people like MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai for whom justice exists in Zimbabwe only when it is delivered in his favour.

Professor Madhuku is leader of the NCA. He is one of those who contested and lost in the 2013 harmonised elections. Since then, the NCA has fielded candidates in most parliamentary by-elections and still lost. But Madhuku has had the moral courage to defend the integrity of the nation’s electoral processes, including institutions like the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.

Where others would find a face saver for their failures in making unprovable claims of vote rigging, Professor Madhuku, by implication, acknowledges the weakness of his own party and possibly disadvantages inherent in the law, not the deliberate, dastardly acts of individuals as the cause of the NCA’s losses.

MDC-T leader Tsvangirai on the other hand has never cried foul when it comes to urban local authority elections where his party dominates to this day. He only sees the wolf where other parties, particularly Zanu-PF, prevail. By this he insinuates that rural voters are gullible and easily intimidated to make ballot rigging possible while urban constituencies are smarter.

It is partly his contempt for the majority of Zimbabwean voters which has cost his party dearly, not to mention his opposition to all major policies which seek to empower the poor.

Since his stunning loss in the 2013 elections the MDC-T has tried to raise every fig leaf it can find for not participating in subsequent by-elections, including allegations of vote rigging and the need for electoral law reform. But laws cannot be amended just to ensure an MDC-T or Tsvangirai victory.

His party participated in the making and voting for the 2013 national Constitution. If that constitution allows for vote rigging, we must assume he and his party hoped to profit by it, but lost. If rigging is there in our national elections, its impact and effect should be minimal, which is why in 16 years Tsvangirai’s assiduous efforts to nail it have been in vain. He must do some soul-searching. Thank you Prof Madhuku for stating the obvious.