Writing in his weekly column in The Sunday Mail yesterday,
President Mnangagwa said countries go to their elections as sovereign nations,
and indeed as State parties of the United Nations whose Charter makes all
nations equal, regardless of size and age.
He said State parties relate to each other on equal terms,
with respect, and strictly on the basis and principle of reciprocity.
Zimbabwe will hold harmonised elections between July 26 and
August 26 with President Mnangagwa expected to proclaim the poll date soon.
“Going forward, and as a country and nation which is
proudly African and sovereign, we shall be insisting on the principle of
reciprocity when it comes to the practice of international election
observation.
“The time will soon come when we will not accept that
condescending and even racist view of a pecking order when it comes to
measuring electoral democracy unfolding in our sovereign countries, and which,
in any event, is meant for our people,” President Mnangagwa said.
He downplayed the issue of a pecking order with on one side
“white super dogs” who must observe elections of lesser beings, and on the
other black underdogs whose polls must be observed, passed or failed.
“Nothing about our chequered colonial history justifies
that false hierarchy; nothing in present international rules legitimises that
presumptuous supremacy.
“The theory and practice of election observation must be on
the basis of equality and reciprocity among nations. Anything less and
one-sided diminishes and creates a deep sense of bruise and injury to our
sovereignty,” the President said.
“Much worse, we reject as utterly racist and condescending
this practice of making our proud and sovereign nation an equal if not a junior
of some Western non-governmental centre, institute or foundation. We are no
one’s subaltern, least of all of some non-governmental organisation. Never
again will we subject ourselves to such false, humiliating equivalences.” HERALD
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