Putting an end to all speculations, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has decided to withdraw from Presidential run-off scheduled on 27th June. With mounting violence and absolute takeover of election process by state machinery, the result of polls looked almost fixed in favour of Robert Mugabe. Morgan Tsvangirai decided to bow out which is a symbolic protest gesture. Why play a game where rules and results are already fixed? There is almost no hope now for democratic process of election under tyrannical rule of Robert Mugabe.
It is unfortunate scenario for Zimbabwe. MDC came very close to winning in the first round of elections held earlier in March itself. Now it has been pushed into a corner and forced to withdraw by unimaginable violence and killings by Robert Mugabe, ZanuPF workers and militia. More than 35,000 MDC supporters have been abused and forced to flee homes, many more have been seriously injured, and nearly 86 supporters have been killed so far. The general secretary of MDC is in jail facing serious charges. Morgan Tsvangirai himself has been detained illegally five times. The voting for run-off is costing lives of innocent people. There is no point in paying huge price for a process where election officials are of either ZanuPF or militia, where many voter-cards are missing, all rigging mechanisms are in place and international monitoring body can do very little.
What next? Will the run-off get cancelled? Will 80 year old tyrant Mugabe and his gang of thugs get another term? Or since neither ZanuPF had a clear majority in March polls, will there be some ground for negotiation and power-sharing? Zimbabwean economy depends a lot on neighbouring South Africa. Under international pressure will Mbeki act as a negotiator and a key player in the future of Zimbabwe? What role will UK, US and UN play? What happens to the Movement for Democratic Change itself? Will it get crushed under Mugabe’s pressure or it’ll gain more momentum and international support? How many more people will be assaulted and killed?
There are many questions…
But most important of all; Will peace return to the land? Will opposition supporters be safe and allowed to return home? Will Zimbabweans have a life with all their basic human rights to safe life and livelihood protected? When and how will this genocide end?
Also the world has learnt a bitter lesson that just mass base is not enough to get democracy back in the land ruled by tyrant called Robert Mugabe.
Source:DailyMail
