adminPeople spoke during the referendum and overwhelmingly voted “Yes” in a free, fair and peaceful environment and one wonders why harmonised elections must not be held on or before June 29 to finish the process.
The process was flawless and democratic although a few lose ends need to be tied up.
It is every progressive Zimbabwean’s hope that after the completion of the constitution-making process President Mugabe would announce the poll dates and the people will proceed and vote for candidates of their choice and the country moves on.
It is our understanding that there should be set timelines for the country to go on an election campaign mood, people cast their votes, results are released and winners announced.
The losers will lick their wounds but do not take too much time to heal and they will also join hands with the winners and life goes on, the country progresses as one.
It is against this background that we question why the MDC formations are shifting goal posts when it comes to when the polls should be conducted.
They are giving some flimsy reasons why the harmonised elections should not be held before June 29 midnight, when the lifespan of the Seventh Parliament comes to an end.
Why are the MDC formations chickening out?
According to the timelines given in Global Political Agreement (GPA), the elections were supposed be held anytime after September 2010, 18 months after the day the inclusive Government was formed, also the same time it was given to conclude the constitution-making process.
Now almost five years after the formation of the inclusive Government, some players in the country’s body politic still say the country is not ready for polls.
The question is when shall the MDC formations by ready for polls?
We have noted a sad development in the political minds of the two MDCs in the inclusive Government. The formations are playing a primitive hide and seek game because anytime the revolutionary party say let’s go for polls, they start dramatising political violence and send emissaries to Sadc countries in a futile attempt to encourage them to condemn the idea of holding the elections in June.
When Zanu-PF says it is ready for the elections, the MDC formations start recording increased cases of violence and death of members.
This fizzles out when the poll hype starts dying down.
We implore Sadc not to be hoodwinked by these cry babies who are afraid of the elections.
The MDC formations should be reminded that Zimbabwe, as a sovereign State, should be given the right to determine when to hold the elections when they are due and not to be guided by some Sadc countries, some of whom have failed to hold credible polls according to Sadc guidelines on the conduct of democratic polls.
Zimbabwe has passed that litmus test and its record of holding free and peaceful polls is beyond reproach.
The country successfully conducted a referendum in a manner endorsed even by the country’s detractors and we challenge the MDC formations to explain to the country why they think the same conditions cannot produce a successful harmonised election result.
The country cannot continue to be governed by a consensus arrangement. We cannot be in an election mood for five years.
When will the people hold the polls, settle down and start planning for the future? It is now common knowledge that the MDC formations are afraid that the elections might mean their demise, marking the end of their political careers.
Hanging around in Government for extra months will help them pick a few riches before they are kicked out of Government.
The majority of their Members of Parliament are not coming back because their parties have empty policies that are driven by some abstract western imposed values that do not address bread and butter issues.
Defence Minister Emerson Mnangagwa should be commended for reminding the MDC-T formations on Wednesday not to lay their hands on the security services because it was never part of the issues raised in the GPA.
Minister Mnangagwa said the major outstanding matters in the GPA were the removal of the illegal economic sanctions and dismantling the pirate radio stations broadcasting hate speech into Zimbabwe from other countries.
The MDC formations are aware that the political playing field the world over will never be as even as a water body on a calm day.
The country should just aim for acceptable standards that ensure peaceful conduct of polls like what happened on March 16 this year.
Whether players in the country’s body politic are ready or not, the time to go for the harmonised elections is now before the midnight of June 29 this year.
Online Reporter