Published by the government of Zimbabwe
Isdore Guvamombe
25 February 2008
opinion
Harare — ZIMBABWE'S 2008 harmonised election campaign effectively roared into life at the closure of the nomination court on Friday February 17, and over the weekend, the main contestants launched their presidential campaigns.
The time has come to separate boys from men and girls from women. The election machinery is now cranking and exploding and political punters are beginning to weigh their chances.
Four presidential candidates, President Mugabe of Zanu-PF, Morgan Tsvangirai of the MDC, independents Simba Makoni and one Langton Towungana have made their bids; while 926 others are contesting House of Assembly and Senate seats in the historical election slated for March 29.
What is more important about this election is that Sadc-appointed mediator, South African President Thabo Mbeki says the main contestants Zanu-PF and the two MDC factions have agreed on all matters that were under discussion in the inter-party dialogue, setting the pace for a free and fair election next month.
"In short, the parties involved in the dialogue have reached full agreement on all matters the parties had to address.
"These include issues relating to the Constitution, security, media and electoral laws and other matters that have been in contention for many years.
"The relevant laws in this regard have already been approved by Parliament, including the necessary constitutional amendments," Mbeki told his Parliament in a speech broadcast live.
Since the Sadc initiative has proved successful it goes without saying therefore that Zimbabwe's election process does not need endorsement from Britain and the US. Sadc understands Zimbabwe better than any other regional grouping.
It therefore means that the MDC factions that have been crying foul over the years on electoral, media and social laws now no longer have anything to cry foul about. They go into this election satisfied with the political playing field.
Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No.18), amendments to the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, Broadcasting Services Act, Public Order and Security Act and the Electoral Laws have levelled the playing field.
Now we want to see how George W. Bush and Gordon Brown will cook up allegations of election fraud, unfair playing field and all the political misinformation about Zimbabwe.
Even the two MDCs have not complained this time but as usual, we expect them to cry foul when they lose. This time they must be ashamed because gone are the days when Zimbabwe could be bogged down on political mudslinging, backbiting and haggling to please the British and Americans but instead each political party should concentrate on improving the living conditions in the country.
The same applies to their British and American handlers, who are having sleepless nights, trying to find a new impetus to criticise the Government of Zimbabwe.
The MDC formations must tell their handlers that there is no longer need to complain because all their complaints have been taken care of, through the Sadc mediation. President Mbeki's statement has killed the hyped allegations of dictatorship, lack of rule of law and lack of democracy -- areas which the British and Americans have always used as a smoke screen behind which they were hiding their regime change agenda.
Zimbabwe's detractors must now be scampering for cover with shame and disbelief as they try and find ways of discrediting the election and making an impish attempt to turn Zimbabwe into another violent Kenya.
But Zimbabweans are a clever lot whose intelligence and political correctness must never be underestimated and any hope of violent Kenya reincarnate should be mere wishful thinking.
While the detractors have tried to portray President Mugabe as a dictator who is intolerant of divergent views, the Mbeki brokered talks have shown him as a man prepared to listen and to be flexible with issues that are of national interest.
Hate him or love him, one consistent fact about President Mugabe is that he has always stood for national unity, peace and stability and has gone to greater length to forgive some of his outstanding enemies for the sake of national unity.
Ian Smith, the rogue Rhodesian leader whose forces massacred 50 000 black Zimbabweans in Nyadzonia and Chimoio and even detained President Mugabe for 11 years, died a free man.
He was never arrested for crimes committed against black humanism, even after President Mugabe eventually won and came to power. An unrepentant Smith was never arrested for shooting his mouth off in independent Zimbabwe, as he continued to do while freely marching to his grave.
Today, the same British and Americans who milked Africa dry during the colonial era, the same Americans and British who flogged blacks for not removing hats in respect and for getting into offices wearing shoes, claim to be the world's most accomplished democrats and human rights activists.
But the same have not paid back to Africa for the colonial exploitation, let alone apologise for the wrongs.
If the British and Americans are the vanguards of democracy, good governance and accountability as they claim, why are they not paying back to Africa for the unilateral exploitations of resources? Why is it difficult for them to apologise for war crimes and untold abuse of Africans and crucifixion of African leaders like Mbuya Nehanda and Sekuru Kaguvi and many others liberation fighters whose bones still inhumanely lie scattered in the valleys and shallow graves after being killed by whites? Instead, they spent time fomenting divisions and sewing seeds of hate and malice between Africans until situations degenerate like what happened in Kenya so that many more Africans die.
Bush and Gordon Brown do not need a political scientist to tell them that democracy should not be applied selectively as if it only applies when it benefits, their kith and kin. What about other people?
Interestingly, when Africans start killing each other, the British and Americans are not killed. They pretend to give humanitarian aid yet some of us ask; What is more important creating war and a crisis so that you can use your powerful dollar and pound to effect regime change and then give humanitarian aid when people kill each other or leaving the Africans to live in peace?
At this juncture, Zimbabweans must be clever enough not be used before and after the election to fight each other.
Zimbabweans must read between Afro-centric and Euro-centric development projects and see what is good for them, without shedding any drop of blood.
We should all stand up and say not to violence, especially when the violence is engineered by outsiders so that we wipe out our own kith and kin and create a war that subsequently creates a market for their guns.
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