Registrar-General (RG) Tobaiwa Mudede’s pronouncements that his department did not have enough money to abide by the new Constitution stipulating that voter registration takes place for at least 30 days per ward, are unfathomable, to say the least.
NewsDay Editorial
When Mudede appeared before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Defence and Home Affairs, chaired by Glen View South MP Paul Madzore, he claimed the voter registration exercise, which began countrywide on Monday, would take place for only three days per ward.
This is unbelievable in that according to the new Constitution, voter registration should take place for 30 days in each of the 1 958 wards.
Mudede’s position on this matter, therefore, should be challenged. We need equal treatment both in rural and urban areas — not the so-called cluster strategy in urban areas where after completing voter registration in one ward, the registration team would move on to another.
Voter registration is ward-based, but if the RG’s Office staffers spend only three days, then that is tantamount to rigging an election even before it starts. People should have their full 30-day registration period — nothing less, no shortcuts.
Mudede said: “We were supposed to do registration per ward, but if we do not have sufficient money, we will be unable to do so. The method that we are following this time is that all districts will be visited by four teams, which means they should be able to cover all wards in a particular district.”
These pronouncements are enough ammunition for parties in the inclusive government and non-governmental organisations to contest the process, otherwise there is no reason why elections should be rushed when it is clear there are people with no respect for the country’s governance charter.
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Constitutionalism should be instilled into leaders — but not for political expediency. What exactly did Mudede mean by this? Does this not have a bearing on the holding of free and fair elections? We do not want to believe that Mudede, who has occupied his office since Independence in 1980, does not know the implication of what that means to the voting public.
We also do not want to believe that Mudede, who has been accused of rigging elections in favour of President Robert Mugabe and the Zanu PF party with each passing election ever since, holds a brief for Zanu PF.
Why should a civilised country like Zimbabwe go to an election when people who are supposed to vote cannot do so due to the government’s failure to provide resources as dictated by the new Constitution? Honestly, this is outright stupid on the part of Mudede to try to rewrite the Constitution to suit Zanu PF’s chicanery.
Isn’t it curious that the MDCs have reacted slowly to Mudede’s utterances? Why is Mugabe quiet when his official is desecrating constitutional provisions before a crunch election? Mugabe should call Mudede to order and instruct him to respect the new Constitution as we believe it’s not about money, but a ploy to rig a crucial election by stifling the people’s voice.
