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Where is the winning vote?
Bhekumusa Moyo
April 25, 2011

There is a lot of talk about elections being held this year. One is left wondering on who exactly will win a free and fair election in Zimbabwe. All those wondering are pure and true human beings. ZANU PF is not sure whether it has loyal membership as they are struggling to get 2 million signatures for their anti-sanctions petition. Two million against an estimate of 12 million Zimbabweans is nothing less a joke though. Other than that, the revolutionary party was dealt a heavy blow in the speaker of parliament election. If the MPs are not loyal, why would innocent Zimbabweans that have tasted the US dollar be?

They are not alone in the fear square. MDC-T also is shivering, that is why they are rubbishing the idea of elections this year. With their district and provincial congress elections turning out to be draws, riggings and boxing rings. They are bound to lose a lot of membership, neither to ZANU nor to the other smaller MDC led by Ncube or Mutambara. These voters will join the confused liberal space which appreciates no political party in Zimbabwe.

The other smaller faction of MDC looks at ease with the process. They are regrouping. All they are concerned about as of now is being spoilers. They just need a few seats in parliament and nothing more. They take the whole process as a joke.

Fellow countrymen/women, lets reflect on the March 2008 elections. MDC-T won the election and ZANU-PF stole the victory. How did ZANU-PF succeed? The people who voted against it were not necessarily against it. Either are those who voted for MDC or MDC-T were for those parties. There were a lot of protest votes in 2008. Either one voted with the intention of fixing the other party of just to cast a vote or they risked operation red finger.

I am not a river. I am not meandering. I am putting you into perspective. The discussion is on: Where is the winning vote?

All the concerned parties need a vote that will break the jinx. All the parties need a deciding vote but the question is: Where is it?

There are youths that recently graduated from A 'level studies. Most of them have turned 18. They need to be mobilized to vote in the next election. They need national identity documents and a voter registration centre too. Above all, these young people need political education or else they will go and vote for what their parents tell them to vote for. This is the first group.

This first group needs serious people. A leadership that will present a manifesto that will appeal to youths. They want to hear of their future. They want to hear about education, employment and good life. This is a dangerous group though, because if you don-t fulfill the promises, as a leader you risk an uprising.

The second group is mature. These are Zimbabweans in South Africa and Botswana. This group has learnt and felt the pinch of life in a foreign country. They would love to come back home. A serious leader needs to mobilize these people to come home. One would argue and say, "They need postal ballots". No! How will they defend and celebrate their victory if they are on foreign land. Winning is about numbers and defending the score not what happened in 2008.

There are above 2 million Zimbabweans in South Africa and Botswana. Statistics from the Immigration office show that. We also were witnesses to that when South Africa offered the Zimbabweans that country asylum. These people are not children for heaven-s sake. They are the juicy voters which every political aspirant longs for.

To win any election in Zimbabwe now, one has to mobilize only a million fresh voters. I don-t want to write about the rebel votes from Mashonaland that now hate Mugabe so much and just want a new person. No! I am writing of a new voter and a new vote for a new Zimbabwe. I am not speaking of the Matabeleland protest voter from 1980. The voter that thinks anyone from Mashonaland is a brother to the man who sent the fifth brigade to them and hence they will only vote against anyone from the other part of the country. I am writing of a new voter that wants to see a transformed Zimbabwe.

There is work to be done. Whether you are ZANU-PF or MDC (both).You can-t continue to fight over left over crust of the yester year bread. You are grownups (politically) except if I am overrating you. Cultivate new lands. I tell you that, no rigging expert can rig a million votes against he who mobilized it, never! A candidate needs an outright win to claim leadership space.

I am a Liberal and hence I share with all in sundry these ideas. Let he who has ears hear what the spirit says in this article.

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