Nothing Lasts Forever

Everything has a beginning and an end, even governments formed on a bedrock of anti-colonisation movements even dictatorships come to an end. It was 27 years for Zambia, 30 years for Malawi and it will be almost 28 years exactly for Zimbabwe just 18 days shy of our independence from colonial settlers for us to be able to have a post-liberation struggle government. Tomorrow the 29th March 2008 Zimbabweans will go to the polls to choose their next government and bin the current illegal government of Robert Mugabe. I have no doubt in my mind that MDC will win the vote as we did in 2000, 2002 & 2005 for us to loose the count.

The rigging of this election started in earnest in 2005 when the partisan Zimbabwe Police together with the military descended with bulldozers to demolish homes and livelihoods of more than 2 million people all urban dwellers that had been a bane to the dictator Mugabe and Zanu PF by consistently voting MDC since 2000. With no where to live the displaced Murambatsvina victims cannot not vote. Then came the new delimitation exercise that reduced the number of constituencies in the urban areas where MDC is heavily supported and the increase of constituencies in rural areas where the Dictator and his party Zanu PF purportedly think they have a bigger support than MDC. Its fact that Mugabe wants to stuff ballot boxes with ghost voters as MDC's examination of the voters roll has revealed. Mugabe has gone on and printed 9 million ballot papers where there are only 5.9 million voters on the voters roll. We also hear of a slush fund that will be disbursed to polling agents in order to bribe them. I will not even talk about the issue of the elections being free and fair. As a Zimbabwean in exile I have been forced to watch events unfold in Zimbabwe having been denied my right to vote which render any outcome which is unfavourable to me not free and not fair. Mugabe and Zanu PF continue to dominate the state owned media from Newspapers to television whilst denying the opposition equal access to the media. What about intimidation its what Zanu PF is renowned for, a large number of MDC members have falsely arrested, detained and released without charge that has impacted on their ability to campaign. Some MDC election support workers have been beaten some forced to eat campaign posters. On larger scale intimidation of voters has been conveyed by the militocrasy in Zanu PF who have come out to say that they will not salute anyone without liberation credentials they are even threatening to take up arms again if Mugabe looses.

Zimbabweans have endured very traumatic and tough times under the dictatorship of Mugabe. Its no secret that no one except those that are benefiting financially from the socio-political and economic meltdown that Mugabe is no longer wanted in Zimbabwe. The large crowds that were seen at MDC rallies in the run up to this election are testimony enough where the allegiance of Zimbabweans lie. The people of Zimbabwe are not fools they know its now or never. Thats why the appearance of Simba Makoni a Zanu PF loyalist who served in Mugabe's first cabinet as rival candidate was dismissed by pundits and fellow Zimbabweans alike. Zimbabweans can now distinguish between the real deal and political opportunists, red herrings, extensions of Zanu PF masked as opposition parties which has emerged with the likes of Arthur Mutambara, Welshman Ncube. Simba Makoni was thrown in by Mugabe partly to divide the vote and in the event that MDC had boycotted the elections , Makoni's participation in these elections would give the result a semblance of being free and fair.

I have called my family in Zimbabwe telling them that I am looking forward to going back to Zimbabwe, all they have to do is to Vote For Morgan Tsvangirai and MDC the change that they can trust. If you haven't called you loved ones its not late, get that card, make that call, tell them like I said to my sisters that if they do not go and vote I will be withholding the remittances that I sent them every month. Many Zimbabweans in the diaspora are tired, they long to go back home and import skills and business that they have learnt here in the re-building of Zimbabwe.

MDC will win tomorrow make no bones about it, anything other than that will be catastrophic for Zimbabwe and this time MDC will not seek redress of the stolen elections in the biased courts of law as we did before. If election is stolen from the people brace yourselves for the anarchy and mayhem that will follow as Zimbabweans can not continue just stand idle while the someone is literally pissing in our mouth. For those in Zimbabwe that read this blog after you have casted your vote do not be intimidated to leave the polling station, stand and guard your choice of the next government.

Ian Smith thought his Rhodesia would last 1,000 years: it lasted less than 15 for Mugabe to emulate him by saying MDC will never rule Zimbabwe in his lifetime well he might as well die tomorrow because after the 29th of March 2008 MDC will be ruling Zimbabwe, women and men and children will again leap to embrace a dream called Zimbabwe as they did on the 18th April 1980 only to be taken for a ride by Mugabe. Let also this be a warning to Zanu PF and all its state machinery steal tomorrow's elections at their peril, if they dare steal the people's vote then what happened to Kenya might look like child's play.