via Diaspora vote key to unseating Zanu PF 22/12/2013
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF party will likely rule forever unless people in the Diaspora are allowed to vote from their bases, a political and economic commentator has said.
“We must take the issue of voting for everyone including Zimbabweans in the Diaspora to the international court and challenge it,” said Vincent Musewe last Friday during an event organised by the Mass Public Opinion Institute in Harare.
“We need a new movement in the country otherwise we are wasting time. We need to take action and assume responsibility of ourselves.”
Election laws only allow those working at the country’s embassies and others on national duty outside the country to participate in elections through postal voting.
An attempt to enable the estimated four million Zimbabweans living outside the country to vote from their bases failed during negotiations for the new Constitution due to opposition from Zanu PF.
Explaining his party’s opposition in July last year, Patrick Chinamasa, who was then Justice Minister, said Zimbabweans living outside the country were a “a hostage population, only free and accessible only to one (political party)”.
“With respect to people living in the diaspora, let me say this right from the outset, there are other 101 reasons why we are not ready for diaspora voting and I will just enumerate the few. The capacity to have polling stations in every country where Zimbabweans are is just beyond the capacity of this country,” he said.
“The other consideration and it is very important, given where we are geo-politically, where we are, we have sanctions imposed against one of the three political parties in the inclusive government.”
Mugabe and Zanu PF cantered to a landslide victory in general elections held on July 31 with the opposition dismissing the vote as a monumental fraud.
Despite his advanced age (he turns 90 in February) and speculation over failing health, Mugabe has insisted he will serve out his new five-year term to the private consternation of ambitious top lieutenants who, however, lack the courage to openly challenge him.
Musewe said Mugabe’s refusal to let go of power was no surprise.
“In 1980 when the country attained its independence Mugabe was clear as he said a one-party state,” he said.
“(Mugabe) was even reluctant to go and negotiate with the British at the Lancaster House because he did not want the inclusion of other parties like ZAPU which had played a significant role in the liberation struggle in those negotiations. He, in fact, wanted to say ‘I won the war alone’.”
Musewe also said opposition parties can forget about toppling Zanu PF as long as the party retains full control of key State institutions.
“This (defeating Zanu PF) will not happen if the likes of the Mudede (Registrar General Tobaiwa Mudede) is still there,” he said.
“I read in the book The Struggle for Zimbabwe that Robert Gabriel Mugabe – now the Commander in chief of the defence forces – once complained to Ian Smith that ‘how can I gain power when you (Smith) are in full control of the army and the state security?’.”
During the tenure of the coalition government, opposition MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai unsuccessfully pressed for key reforms to either break or weaken Zanu PF’s stranglehold on State institutions such as the security services which he accuses of helping Mugabe retain power.
Tsvangirai has ruled out participation in new elections without reforms to ensure a free and fair ballot but analysts say the former premier has little chance of forcing these changes now that he is out of government.
COMMENTS
The opposition and all others wanting true change must fight for the diaspora vote. Essential as this is a human right and all governments in our history have denied our people this legal right. We say no more.
This nonsense of the diaspora people wishing to vote from their bases is not what will take us forward , their are pushing their own goals which they will never achieve , Zimbabwe was liberated long back and it is a democratic country even though the good signs of being democractic are not yet clear and we need to work on that , these people living outside our country are the sellouts who have blacklisted Zimbabwe , always negetive about their own country , what else is their contribution apart from distructively critisising Zimbabwe , i am an MDC T member and i am against this kind of show-off from my comrades , lets refrain from fighting a loosing battle , those who want to vote they must not make funny out of it , they must come home and vote nothing stops them from doing so , they are refuges for what nonsense , Zimbabwe is free and why should we have idots acting as if we are in a war , the problems of Zimbabwe needs diplomatic approach ,people living outside Zimbabwe must not act smarter and exagarate the situation .
They must come home and start talking , we are facing the situation and they must listen to us , they are out there for their stormach and their families not because of the political situation , Morgan was abused and assaulted some time back but he never deserted us , MDC T members had been to court but they have never deserted this struggle for change , so who are you out there after enjoying the left overs from queen Elizaberth to tell us what to do , we are the people to talk better , you had been cowards ever since , so back off , shout-up , we are the true faces of Zimbabwe , we have got our internal problems to solve , we don’t need much of your contributions and i think you better stop blacklisting Zimbabwe , come home stop acting better .Zimbabwe was liberated so don’t forget that , we need to re-build Zimbabwe’s economy and other issues considering that foundation which was a sacrifice from the entire Zimbabweans ,so you can’t just be few individuals acting so smart , back-off.
There is benefit in learning and experiencing outside cultures. Too often in Zimbabwe there is the unfounded assumption that our ways of doing things are superior. There is nothing superior about the old fashioned Zimbabwean ways of doing things.. It is by sharing outside knowledge that a country can develop, therein lies the significance of diaspora.
You are saying all those in diaspora should come home. Be realistic, it will never happen. Those Zimbabweans living outside do share their knowledge with relatives based in Zimbabwe, thus enriching the knowledge inside Zimbabwe.
Just a few examples, were it not for diaspora Zimbabweans what hair salon fashion would be available in Zimbabwe ? Would Zimbabweans ever get to know about a IPhone or Ipad ? How would those based in Zimbabwe communicate with the outside world if there are diaspora Zimbabweans to interlocute with the outside world. Mugabe will feed you sovereignty and you will get to believe it if diaspora Zimbabweans do not challenge Mugabe’s views on facebook. These are just a few examples of how the global village is possible only if there diapora Zimbabweans.
Why do us Zimbabweans take everything the ZPF throw t us. The diasporan vote should have been insisted on! End of story
Khayabonina boy couldn’t get visa or was deported. That’s why he jealous. Anyway tsvangirai mdc were in such a scramble to get a totally flawed constitution pushed through they tripped fell. Sellouts
@Tafadzwa , don’t misinterpret my words , its good to share and gain knowledge from outside , we need to be part of the international community i agree . Go back again and fresh your understanding of the subject , the issue is about those Zimbabweans living outside willing to vote during election periods , they feel that they must be allowed to vote while outside the country , then my concern is whatis stopping them from coming home to cast their votes and then go back to wherever they are based , they can freely travel in and out of Zimbabwe , Zimbabwe is not in a civil war , so whats the big deal here .
@Revenger , iam finacially balanced okay , i am not jealous , deported from where ? , from Emzinyathini to Bulawayo , deported while driving my own car of my choice , just concetrate on the subject , raise your own views leave my views or better oppose with facts .
With all due respect Mr Musewe I really admire your comments most of the time. However suggesting that the diaspora vote can be ‘the solution’ to Zimbabwe’s electoral demise might be a fallacy. Whether all vote against the ‘people’s party’ it can still win. Sounds familiar? Even if all Africa voted against the “People’s Party it can still have a landslide victory and “a peaceful but incredible voting atmosphere”. Thanks that you are concerned about our beloved country. All of us are also becoming confused and fruastrated at how we are being taken to the cleaners by the adept match fixing! kikikikikiki. Just pray to God my man!
Although I am sure there are others, I can only envisage two scenarios where meaningful change takes place in Zimbabwe, in the short term. 1. A civil uprising. Although we were perhaps beginning to approach this in 2008, the chances now are next to zero. 2. Mugabe goes to meet his maker and ZANU PF implodes after failing to resolve succession. Although more likely than the first scenario, I would still put the chances of this at less than 40%.
I like Vincent why must the west lift sanctions on zimbabwe if there is no diaspora vote allowed? ITS a right for people in to be allowed a vote .
Please find more productive thingz to do. Elections in 2018 for goodness sake. Take a break. Get over it. Mugabe iz the President election till that date. Diaspora the my foot.
The diaspora vote can not be the solution according to those forces of darkness but whats wrong with them voting its only zimbabwe which is against its citizens from outside the country to vote pple like Khaya bonina dont care about what happens to the majority of zimbabweans I dont think people like him would help one orphaned child with school fees or just help with the smallest thing he just sounds cruel like his president.