Zimbabwe’s democratic deficit is undeniable, but reports that the police issued stringent conditions for yesterday’s National Electoral Reform Agenda (Nera)-organised demonstration against government’s decision to take over the procurement of biometric voter registration (BVR) kits, are regrettable as that should never be allowed in progressive societies.
Comment: NewsDay Editor
The move was clearly a strategy to draw daggers with the opposition political parties and, therefore, find a reason to make unnecessary arrests under the guise that they would have flouted conditions of holding a peaceful event.
Naturally, because the opposition currently feels hard-done by the Zanu PF government’s decision to snub the United Nations’ offer to purchase the BVR kits at a time Treasury does not have financial resources for same meant, they were bound to defy the police ban.
With Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) chairperson Justice Rita Makarau snubbing a dialogue with political parties leaving them seething with anger after she stormed out of their meeting claiming she was being abused in the media, it is clear that the country is headed for a showdown in the 2018 plebiscite.
The country is already in election mode yet the economy is crumbling than ever before. There can never be a plausible explanation as to why the government has hijacked the purchase of BVR kits after initially agreeing to accept funding from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). This, actually, raises suspicion that they want to tamper with the voting process, something that may be out of their control if they allow the UNDP to come in.
We believe the election process should not throw the country into turmoil simply because of selfishness. It is time Zimbabweans came together to resolve their differences than fight.
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The fact that the ruling Zanu PF finds it prudent to continue to abuse State security apparatuses to protect its interests shows that President Robert Mugabe’s party is not prepared for a peaceful election.
This is not how things should happen. We believe democratic voices are a place for progressive and humanistic politics that will benefit all across the divide.
While we are hopeful that these differences can be resolved in time to allow peaceful harmonised elections next year, the Zanu PF government should, however, be warned that regardless of how much stifling would happen to break the spirit of human rights, political and democracy activists, the democratic voices of sanity will emerge amid all this hysteria.
Makarau’s demeaning of opposition political parties who are within their right to demand fairness in how Zec will run the polls cannot be allowed to continue.
Makarau, an experienced judge — so we suppose — should understand that before, during and after the elections all political parties for as long as they make their intention to contest known, are equal, not even the ruling party should dictate what happens in the polls that they have a vested interest in.
But then this is Zimbabwe and Makarau, besides being Zec chairperson, is also the head of the Judiciary Service Commission secretariat and former Non-Constituency senator appointed by Mugabe more than 10 years ago.
Given her history, Zimbabweans are within their rights to claim she is biased towards Zanu PF. It is time for Makarau to state her position to extricate herself from this mess created for her by the Zanu PF government whose roles are conflated. Indeed, the most effective democratic voices in the country do not belong to the opposition political parties, trade unionists, or Zanu PF, but the people, and they shall have their day very soon too.
