THE call by the ruling Zanu PF party to have all old people assisted to vote during the watershed 2018 harmonised elections, arguing that advanced age reduced mental concentration is a ploy to rig the elections.
Comment: NewsDay Editor
However, we have Zanu PF Highfield legislator Psychology Maziwisa who spoke during a Zimbabwe Elections Support Network public meeting on biometric voter registration last week to thank for letting the cat out of the Zanu PF bag of tricks if everything else fails.
We agree with Maziwisa that old people have a diminished mental capacity as we have seen on President Robert Mugabe, who now frequently sleeps in public at high level international assignments reducing the country to ridicule.
However, we do not think that is reason enough to unleash National Youth Service graduates, otherwise known as Border Gezi, against the people during an election.
The reason could simply be a ploy to rig the harmonised elections through the use of coercion against the electorate. It is important for Zanu PF officials to understand that one’s vote is their secret.
Therefore, they should not pretend to care for old people during elections when the party has failed in every aspect of it by ignoring Zimbabweans’ wishes to improve their welfare through poor governance, corruption and economic malaise, and reducing pensioners to paupers.
We believe Maziwisa’s call is a clear message that the party is dreading free and fair elections, hence, Zanu PF must be stopped before the next polls. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) must also be seen to be acting against such pronouncements that can cause consternation among the voting Zimbabweans.
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What boggles the mind is the fact that Maziwisa states Mugabe’s alertness discounted him from being assisted during the voting process, yet he is always snapped sleeping at international assignments. The fact is Mugabe is tired, and should rest.
Yet, the 93-year-old Mugabe – who is Zanu PF presidential candidate – will contest the election at the ripe age of 94.
The Zanu PF double-speak should be stopped. We call on all right-thinking Zimbabweans to ensure Zanu PF does not carry on with its threats to force people to vote for it. It is time for a new candidate to take over the leadership of the country – whether from Zanu PF or any other political party. The environment must be created for any candidate who wins to smoothly take over the running of the country.
Zimbabweans do not want a repeat of the 2008 election stalemate. Therefore, the opposition must do what they are expected to do so as to endear themselves with the majority Zimbabweans suffering under the ruling Zanu PF hegemony.
With these proclamations, clearly, Zanu PF will not concede defeat on a silver platter, and so the opposition parties in their numbers should fight for their space.
At least Maziwisa understands that Mugabe is now a liability for the country, and the only reason for the President to remain at the helm, at least according to Zanu PF is all about them enjoying the gravy train.
Zimbabweans must not allow what happened in the 2013 general elections, when Zanu PF forced educated people, including headmasters, teachers and other civil servants in the countryside to vote with the assistance of party appartchiks, which resulted in an unusually high number of assisted voters.
We are hoping that Zec will stop this madness to ensure the electoral process meets international standards. Zimbabwe has a high literacy rate and clearly it is absurd for Zanu PF to push for every old person to be assisted to vote.
That will definitely rubbish the outcome of the much vaunted polls.
