Probably not a heckuva lot, having now covered recent political events/developments there pretty well backwards and forwards and all over the place...and then some. But since I promised...
"Any claim [lodged, of election-rigging/taking the election by fraud] we will cooperate with...if [such is] taken to the Electoral Commission or Supreme Court...because we know we have not engaged in any vote-rigging".
Such high-minded 'stuff' was broadcast over the BBC World News at 6 a.m. on August the 18th. And the speaker (of such an idealistic-sounding commitment to democratic principles and values such as we might consider the norm in - at least pre-2000 - general elections throughout the Western world)? No, you guessed wrong - I mean, right (on)!
Of course it wasn't Zimbabwean President-Elect Emmerson Mnangagwa...no, not by a country mile. Rather it was the - provisionally - newly-elected Pakistani Prime Minister, former longserving high-profile cricket captain *Imran Khan, the long-term candidate for high office there who was just then s/elected as P.M. by all (the various, both major and minor) parties - and **individual players presumably - in the Pakistani Parliament.
So far, so good - Khan at least is maintaining 'admirable' lip-service to the ***age-old democratic ethos.
*As per my other, recent, extensively-footnoted (?#5) blogpost on Zimbabwe (and lotsa interesting, quite unrelated matters) - and especially as a lay theologian of longstanding - I've been intrigued for literally years, even decades, as to the likelihood of Imran Khan (and in a pre-celebrity-cum-political leader era, to boot) possibly being one of the political leaders foretold in the Good Book as wielding significant influence in the Earth's last days...if not - and from my biblical studies he definitely is not - the actual, long-foretold Antichrist.
**Do they have the odd independent there as well? Who'd know - our (kiwi) media hardly ever reports on Pakistani politics, so why should anyone here even know, said media - sadly, probably rightfully - assuming no-one in God's Own even so much as cares?
***Birthed as is well-known - ****I mean, should be - in ancient city-state Greece, though fewer still arguably realize how very few Athenians then were in fact eligible for such electoral participation, let alone the right to 'sit' in their ancient political decision-making assemblies.
****Put it down to this history-deficient generation (or two) who've arisen in the shallow excuse for 'education' and 'lifelong learning' that is modern New Zealand - and doubtless also our cultural counterparts throughout the Western world. Yes, shallow, soul-skimming superficiality is the order of the day in our 'so sophisticated' modern era...and she looks set to be downhill from here on in, folks!
Continued (Now) Much More Succinctly...
...Two days on, and - appropriately enough no doubt - following the completely unsurprising decision of the Zimbabwean Supreme Court to toss out the electoral challenge by the Opposition MDC and its leader Nelson Chamira to Zimbabwe's recently-conducted election. Well, 'surprise, surprise!' What an unexpected development - not!
So what can decent Zimbabweans now do? Precious little, although perhaps that depends upon one's perspective upon life...because 'hope and pray(er)' over the centuries and even millennia have been said capable of moving mountains. And by none other than the Master Himself. Though 'faith and patience' are usually 'an even better bet' - but unfortunately there is no biblical sanction for even supposing that the long-fraught nation-state of Rhodesia/Zimbabwe will ever return to democratic norms in this old, fast-self-destructing, world of ours...
But if said result was really, truly legitimate and completely above-board, why then did the then Government (of Emmerson Mnangagwa) immediately *thereafter ransack the Central Headquarters of the Movement for Democratic Change in Harare - if not to seize MDC proof of the real results (as was then claimed by MDC spokespeople) - and then, days later, pester/harass/arrest up to 19 MDC parliamentarians...and then...barely a week or so later, this time apparently successfully seize the evidence of the true balloting that the MDC had up to that point successfully secreted away into safekeeping at some unknown destination. Ballots which point blank proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Nelson Chamira had actually been elected President of Zimbabwe.
But even **Robert Mugabe and his would-(have)-be(en) successor Grace Mugabe no longer support Mnangagwa - to be sure, doubtless for rather petty personal motives - but that nevertheless ought to give outsiders pause for thought and reflection. Though perhaps - having wielded essentially tyrannical power over Zimbabweans for almost four decades - they themselves have long since become quite oblivious to threats and almost believe themselves invincible at this point in time and unlikely to ever be dealt to (in a deadly fashion).
Yet oddly enough long-serving President Mugabe now appears rather innocuous in comparison with his successor, who - let's be in absolutely no doubt, whatsoever - was ever and always the henchman at Mugabe's right side - loyal to a fault (and well beyond). Someone who not only did Mugabe's 'dirty work' on his behalf, but arguably way exceeded his brief (see: Matabeleland - as I've briefly referred to in various of my five (immediately) previous blogposts), to the point of ultimately carrying out his own personal agenda/vendetta against Joshua Nkomo's forces and supporters...whilst currying favour with and gaining the undying allegiance of Zimbabwe's all-critical armed forces in the process...
*After the first official declaration of electoral results (for President and Parliament, that is).
**Or does he - as his very latest statement seems to indicate - actually support Mnangagwa? Who'd really know, it's such a moving feast, folks; and, as I say, his latest comments make it sound like he indeed does.
Or more likely still - how's this for a nifty conspiracy theory, folks? - it's all been an extremely clever ruse from the very beginning: to (cunningly) gauge the actual level of public support throughout Zimbabwe for the departure of Mugabe while his essential hand remained in place; or rather his right-hand man seamlessly maintained Mugabe's tight as grip upon the country's levers whilst appearing to all outsiders as effecting a non-violent coup d'etat and essentially ousting Mugabe from political office.
A brilliant political stratagem, and one of which the infamous Machiavelli himself would've been exceedingly proud. Yes, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Essentially just an adjustment in the deck chairs upon - the personnel manning - the (erstwhile) good ship Zimbabwe, while it progressively sinks beneath the waves and thus vanishes from the collective global consciousness. Just as its current leadership might well wish.
Final Afterthoughts:
There's one essential factor in any declaration that said election be declared null and void. Obviously, that proof be provided as to the actual results on the ground throughout Zimbabwe. But since these, having been secreted/squirrelled away by MDC officials soon after the election - thankfully, prior to the Movement for Democratic Change's central (Harare) headquarters being raided (immediately after the official election result declaration) - were unfortunately then confiscated by state police/military personnel (wherever they had been deposited) a few days later, let's be clear: said Supreme Court investigation was a pure - unmitigated - farce...from start to finish.
So the unprecedented delay in (presidential - but doubtless also parliamentary) election-counting, or rather the declaration thereof; the state-sponsored intimidation of opposition politicians (and devoted supporters) following the broadcast of official results - nay, (psychological and physical) bullying and heavying of, and moreover unlawful arrest, detention and imprisonment, however temporary, thereof; the significant discrepancies in tallies (especially in previously ZANU-PF-supporting rural areas) from previous elections (and reasonable guesstimates thereof); and the masterly way in which Emmerson Mnangagwa has - publicly, officially - made all the right noises in the election aftermath to the MDC and its leader, Nelson Chamira...to me, and doubtless most impartial, disinterested observers, really say it all...
And hey, you'd hardly raid the places where the irrefutable physical proof of election-rigging was held, and moreover confiscate the same, if your intentions were wholly honourable and you had nothing whatsoever to hide...would you...really? And then make damn sure that said proofs never again saw the light of day, much less were presented to the very body, i.e. the Zimbabwean Supreme Court, 'interested' in adjudicating said election and determining the legitimacy or otherwise thereof?
Hey, they're hugely rhetorical questions, as must be obvious - and anyhow, the watching world media essentially couldn't give a damn. No, they've gladly, eagerly bought - consumed, and assimilated - the essential deceit and falsehoods cunningly being disseminated by 'President' Mnangagwa...who's certainly learnt a thing or two off political spin-doctors (and fakenews meisters) throughout the known world... .
But then he's himself sat at the very feet of a master thereof - for three-and-a-half or even four-some decades now - hasn't he...so you'd imagine he'd pick up a trick or several in that time...wouldn't you? Yes indeed he did - and moreover was Robert Mugabe's chief henchman in enforcing his agenda and rule - which thing he indisputably perfected into an art form. And then some.
However like the Western media you maybe really don't care less about it, anyway - though if you've been reading this series of blogposts, I suspect you do care...but like me (and the Zimbabwean opposition) you realize just how futile the quest for truth and justice and democracy really is in that unfortunate land. Yes, it appears the Zimbabwean croc will be rockin' along for some considerable time to come yet...feasting upon his vulnerable prey...whom the apathetic watching world has apparently thrown to him and his many co-predators circling beneath Zimbabwe's turbulent political waters...
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