Chronicle Editor
Lawson Mabhena, Zimpapers Elections Desk
THERE is something fascinating about atheists. It’s their belief that nothing created everything.
Christian scholars have often marveled at this one-sided belief that dismisses an Almighty God who created everything from nothing, but is adamant that everything created itself from nothing.
Perhaps English philosopher Gilbert Keith Chesterton made the point clearer when he said: “It is absurd for the Evolutionist to complain that it is unthinkable for an admittedly unthinkable God to make everything out of nothing, and then pretend that it is more thinkable that nothing should turn itself into everything.”
Recent events after Zimbabwe’s harmonised elections got me thinking about the absurdity of atheists when a section of observers to the elections led by the European Union attempted to report that nothing had turned itself into something.
How do peaceful campaigns instill fear in voters and create an uneven playing field?
Is it so difficult for the European Union to speak the truth? These were the most peaceful elections in Zimbabwe’s history.
The lack of truth in the EU report also reminds me of atheists. They have a strong belief that the evolution of man was inspired by survival and not the search for truth. This, they say, explains why science can never answer simple questions like: “Why are we here (on earth) in the first place?”
In a way, the EU Election Observer Mission (EU EOM) trip to Zimbabwe was inspired by political survival and not truth. Is that also not the case with the country’s main opposition, the Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC)?
As expected, the CCC trashed last week’s elections based on the need to survive till the next elections.
That is why anti-Government civil society organisations and the opposition party’s long-held claims made the bulk of allegations in the EU report.
Reads the report in part: “Curtailed rights and a lack of a level playing field led to an environment that was not always conducive to voters making a free and informed choice in Zimbabwe’s elections.
“The passing of regressive legal provisions and acts of violence and intimidation resulted in a climate of fear.”
Government rightfully summoned EU ambassadors accredited to Harare for a meeting, where it made clear its disappointment over the EU EOM bias.
Said acting Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister, Professor Amon Murwira during his address: “Zimbabwe finds it disturbing and unfortunate that the EU Electoral Observation Mission deliberately issued a broad statement full of misrepresentations and allegations.”
However, arguing with the EU and opposition CCC is like arguing with an atheist. They only believe in their beliefs.
They will talk of math and science, but the truth is that all they have is their faith. During the counting of votes, the CCC made claims of numbers pointing to their leader, Mr Nelson Chamisa’s unassailable victory in the Presidential elections.
Unsurprisingly, up to this day, these numbers have not been availed. Who can argue with math?
To the EU and CCC, it is unthinkable that if the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s math is correct Zanu-PF’s candidate, President Mnangagwa, won the presidential elections. They then pretend that it is more thinkable for Mr Chamisa to win the election even though Zanu-PF won a majority in Parliament.
It is more thinkable that Zanu-PF supporters voted for their own councillors and legislators, but rejected their own presidential candidate for Mr Chamisa.
It is more thinkable that Zanu-PF supporters attended President Mnangagwa’s rallies in their hundreds of thousands only to reject him for his main opposition opponent.
It is unthinkable for Zimbabweans to willingly vote for President Mnangagwa, but thinkable for them to vote for the EU’s preferred candidate.
What type of math is that? What type of science is that? Like atheists, the EU and CCC only have their beliefs which they want to impose on all Zimbabweans.
Zanu-PF has no problem with Zimbabweans who vote for Mr Chamisa and his party. It is unthinkable that all Zimbabweans would go to an election and vote Zanu-PF, no matter how good the ruling party is.
What is important during elections is for voters to be able to choose the leaders they want. Zanu-PF used its works over the past five years as its manifesto, but that was not enough for all Zimbabweans. It may have been enough for a majority, but not all Zimbabweans.
So, if it is unthinkable that Zanu-PF’s works are good enough for all Zimbabweans, why would it be thinkable for Mr Chamisa’s yet-to-be-seen works to be good enough for everyone? What would he have possibly done to outdo a ruling Zanu-PF in such a fashion?
In any case, if Mr Chamisa was the only thinkable alternative, why did we have 11 presidential candidates?
The belief (and not science or math) that Zanu-PF is unpopular has always been the opposition and their funder’s major undoing.
No amount of lies can ever prove that the elections were unfair as claimed by the EU or rigged as claimed by the CCC.
Until anyone proves otherwise, 4,47 million voters cast their ballots out of the 6,62 million registered voters in Zimbabwe. A total of 2,35 million voted Zanu-PF while 1,97 million voted CCC.
Let’s respect those who voted Zanu-PF and those who voted CCC equally. They all exercised their democratic right peacefully.
Zanu-PF should continue to build a better Zimbabwe and the opposition CCC should continue to keep the ruling party in check until the next elections.
We all have different beliefs, but we are all Zimbabweans. The EU should never be allowed to divide us.
Online Reporter