Maravi

(STICKY) (NEWZIMBABWE) MDC-T admits blocking diaspora vote

COMMENT - The MDC is a corrupt party that came to power through lies and destruction of the national economy through sanctions like ZDERA, which they helped draft for maximum damage to the economy. They also called for illegal invasion of Zimbabwe. According to the Wikileaks cables, MT opposed sanctions in public while urging them to be maintained in private conversation with his US backers. ("He [Tsvangirai - MrK]also acknowledged that his public statements calling for easing of sanctions versus his private conversations saying they must be kept in place have caused problems.") They will not talk about their neoliberal economic philosophy, because they know the people of Zimbabwe will never knowingly vote for it.

MDC-T admits blocking diaspora vote
17/09/2012 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

PRIME Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC-T party did not push for voting rights for Zimbabweans based abroad over rigging fears, a senior official said. The shock admission by the party’s deputy organising secretary Abednico Bhebhe flies in the face of previous claims by senior party figures – including secretary general Tendai Biti – that it was Zanu PF which was blocking the Diaspora vote.

An amended Electoral Bill which sailed through parliament in July last year and a draft constitution published in July this year both offer no electoral participation for Zimbabwean expats.

Bhebhe told a meeting organised by the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) in Bulawayo last Friday that there was agreement between his party and Zanu PF that voting should only be limited to Zimbabweans on diplomatic and official government duties.

“It is not clear how the government would allow the generality of Zimbabweans outside the country, some of whom are illegal immigrants, to vote,” he is quoted as saying by the NewsDay newspaper.

“The parties agreed that the rest of the Diasporans should be left out for now. While it bothers many of us that people in the Diaspora should be allowed to vote, it is important to know that in Southern Africa we are dealing with the united liberation movements that can do anything to support their counterparts during elections.

“These liberation movements cannot be trusted on how they handle postal votes. It is not necessary to say all the people in the Diaspora should be allowed to vote.”

An estimated two million Zimbabweans are resident in South Africa alone, with former colonial power Britain hosting as many as 600,000 Zimbabweans according to recent estimates.

UK campaigners led by New Zimbabwe.com CEO Jeff Madzingo petitioned the Supreme Court seeking a right to vote for millions of Zimbabweans outside the country, but the application was rejected as “without merit” by Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku.
Bhebhe, however, insisted that in principle his party supported the Diaspora vote.

Meanwhile, Bhebhe said people’s hopes that a new constitution would ensure free and fair elections were misplaced.

“Even the Lancaster House adopted constitution did not condone violence, but some politicians chose to violate it,” he said.

“A new constitution is only important to enable people to deal with those who violate the rights of others, but still the problem will be those who say their interests supersede laws of the land.

“Some people have a habit of not following the laws. Even the GPA signed by three political parties, some of us, do not want to follow though they signed it. Even if we have good laws, if some players want to play wearing iron boots those laws will not work.”

Labels: CONSTITUTION, DIASPORA, LYING, MDC, MDC CORRUPTION, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI

posted by MrK @ 2:40 PM