"Deploy SADC force to stop violence," argue Mandaza - you insisted in elections, face the music W Mukori

What is very disappointing here is the nation is looking to people like Ibbo Mandaza, the intellectuals, for guidance out of this mess but instead of pointing the way forward all they are getting here is confusion!

“Security sector containment: As a bare minimum this will require a public statement by the heads of security services that they will be non-partisan in terms of the constitution and their enabling legislation. This needs to be expanded by the removal of security personnel from civilian activities, including ZEC and command agriculture, and the setting up of a multi-party monitoring team to ensure compliance with all of the above,” Mandaza suggests.

1)   SADC has already come up with a raft of democratic reforms which MDC should have implemented during the GNU but failed to do so. Why are will reinventing the wheel by coming up with yet another set of reforms?

2)   Mandaza’s proposed reforms entail various groups issuing “public statements” to the effect that they will not be involved in politics. These individuals have been thoroughly corrupted by the regime, there are one with Zanu PF. If the MDC had implemented the reforms as expected the last act was going to be the removal of the bad apples from Army, ZEC, etc. because they are beyond rehabilitating. The suggestion that a verbal promised with no legal backing or anything is enough is a sick joke!

3)   There is three months to go before the voting day; surely it is now too late to implement even these wishy-washy reforms!

Dr Ibbo Mandaza’s solution to the question; what if these elections are not free, fair and credible; what then? Was yet another disappointment!

“The big question we are raising here is what happens when the conditions are unfavourable, and in the broad terms we have described, and the election is a disaster?” he argued.

“There are many different kinds of disaster than can occur, and it is not the point here to itemise these, but to ask what will be done if any of them happen, and how to avoid chaos and, more seriously, violence.

“This is why we suggested the need for both close (embedded) (SADC embedded in ZEC) monitoring and the establishment of a peace-keeping force. Not merely a peace-keeping force on stand-by, but a peace-keeping force with a presence in the country. There is considerable evidence from around the world that peace-keeping forces not only ameliorate violence, but frequently prevent this.”

SADC leaders have already made their position very clear; Zimbabweans should not participate in the elections without meaningful reforms being implemented first.

 “If you go into elections next month, you are going to lose; the elections are done,” SADC leaders told MDC leaders in 2013.

Ibbo Mandaza was at the SADC Maputo summit when this was said and he is the one who has told the world what happen. He clearly never understood what SADC leaders said nor the implications of their advice.

“The elections are done,” SADC leaders had said and why would they ask anyone to take part in an election process whose results are already a forgone conclusion long before the first ballot is cast. If MDC had heeded the regional leaders’ advice, they would have had no qualms in declaring the process null and void; that was plan and self-evident!

Not even one reform has been implemented since the July 2013 rigged elections it is plan to see Zanu PF is rigging this year’s elections just as it did past elections. These elections are done!

What Dr Ibbo Mandaza should have called for before the 2013 elections is for the MDC leaders to boycott that year’s elections until reforms were implemented. After MDC failed to listen and participated in the 2013 elections with the disastrous consequences we all know, Mandaza should have denounce MDC leaders for betraying the nation. He should have made it his mission to ensure MDC do not drag into yet another flawed election.

“Such a force will prevent chaos and/or violence, and will allow the next logical step following a disaster of an election, a national, internationally supported conference by SADC, the AU and the wider international community, leading to the setting up of a National Transitional Authority,” Mandaza concluded.

“This opportunity was missed after the coup last year. For the international community to only act after the fact of a disastrous election will be the grossest irresponsibility in the aftermath of a coup, and Zimbabweans will take no pleasure in once again saying "we told you so"!”

No, Dr Mandaza! There flawed elections are going ahead because people like you have failed to point out the sheer insanity of keeping on contesting flawed elections against sound advice not to. People like you have come up with wishy-washy reforms and thus gave the corrupt and incompetent opposition the excuse to take part in the flawed elections.

The international community including SADC would find is a lot easier to condemn these flawed elections and declare them null and void. But first, we Zimbabweans ourselves must stood firm in demanding the implementation of democratic reforms. If we do not mind if Zanu PF rigs the elections again; why should the world care!

If there is going to be any disasters to follow these rigged elections then it will all be our fault, not SADC’s, for having allowed the elections to go ahead in the first place.