Former Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) national chairman, Senator Morgan Komichi says citizens are benefitting nothing from the country’s elections as they have remained in abject poverty despite their commitment to voting every five years.
In an interview with 263Chat, Komichi lamented the lack of independence in state institutions in as far as the conducting of elections is concerned.
“There is no independence in Zimbabwe as far as elections are concerned and there is no independence as far as the judiciary is concerned, people have to think outside the box to try and resolve our problems. What we have seen in Zimbabwe is that an election creates two jobs, a Member of Parliament and a Councilor, the third actor who is the voter gains nothing out of an election.
“The majority of the people will remain in abject poverty after every election because of the systems of elections that we have in Zimbabwe and all countries that went to the liberation struggle, the outcome is a strait jacket nothing will change that. We have been voting in Zimbabwe for the last 42 years nothing has changed. Opposition political parties have won elections in Zimbabwe and Mozambique but nothing has changed so many people are disillusioned and poverty continue to grow,” said Komichi.
Despite talk of electoral reforms to change the way elections are conducted, Komichi said there is need to change the mindset of those in power.
“Electoral reform it’s a statement, the reform required is a mindset and who makes it difficult for opposition political parties to campaign or to maneuver it’s not the document or paper it is the mindset of the people that are in power. They can agree with you to have reforms, it’s not necessarily that Zimbabwe does not have reforms look at our national Constitution it talks clearly on what we should do towards elections, it is very clear on what the military should do but it is the mindset which is more important,” he said.
Komichi urge political players to value the importance of Governments of National Unity to ensure peace and economic growth in the country.
“People have to value the importance of Governments of National Unity because we have proved and seen that every time we have a Government of National Unity we have economic improvement. In 1980 after the general election we had a GNU, in 1987 after the Gukurahundi we had a GNU, in 2008 after the run off crisis we had a GNU and in those three incidences the country attained unity, peace and focus on the economic growth and the people benefited,” said Komichi
