"To win 2023, Chamisa, already most popular, must form new party" say Chan - usual flattery and nonsense P Guramatunhu

“Morgan Tsvangirai is a flawed figure, not readily open to advice, indecisive and with questionable judgment,” wrote then USA Ambassador to Zimbabwe 2004 to 2007, Chris Dell, in a top-secret cable to his bosses back in Washington, USA. The cable was leaked and published in Wikileaks.

"He is an indispensable element for opposition success … but possibly an albatross around their necks once in power. In short … Zimbabwe needs him, but should not rely on his executive abilities to lead the country's recovery."

Chris Dell named Morgan Tsvangirai as flawed but all MDC leaders have since, notably the 2008 to 2013 GNU, proven beyond doubt that they too are flawed, indecisive and worst of all corrupt, incompetent and sell-outs.

Indeed, if Ambassador Dell had ever revisited his original cable; he would have added in red: “I knew MDC leaders were corrupt, incompetent and sell-outs but never imagined they would ever sink to such depths of depravity. What a batch of useless a***holes!”

One of the inherent fortes of flawed and indecisive people is they not only reject sound advice but worse still they are vulnerable to flattery and readily swallow bait, hook, line and sinker foolish advice.

What makes MDC leaders such first class a***holes is their failure to implement even one meaningful democratic reform in five years of the 2008 to 2013 GNU. SADC leaders, credit where credit is due, advised Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends to implement the reforms. SADC leaders even tried to have the 2013 election postpone until the reforms are implemented.

“If you go into elections next month, you are going to lose; the elections are done!” SADC leaders told Tsvangirai et al at the SADC Maputo Summit in June 2013. But once again MDC leaders paid no heed.

In 2013 and thereafter MDC has had many, many advisers, the nonsense-advisers, telling the party leaders MDC would win the elections even with not even one reform in place. Each time Zanu PF blatantly rigged the elections the nonsense brigade has offered a feeble excuse why MDC lost and fresh advice, which if followed, will guarantee a landslide victory.

The usual nonsense brigade suspects have been scrambling for an political spin to please the gullible MDC leaders should disregard the recent Supreme Court judgement condemning Nelson Chamisa for failing to follow MDC-T’s own party constitution when he seizure power following Morgan Tsvangirai’s death in 2018.

Political analyst, author and publisher Ibbo Mandaza believes there are political machinations behind the ruling, questioning why the ruling was handed down a day after a pronouncement that all non-urgent court proceedings had been suspended due to Covid-19.

So, we are to reject the judgement on the spurious grounds that it was handed on a Tuesday and not Monday or Wednesday!

"There were indeed untoward circumstances in the lead up to Chamisa becoming leader of the MDC. The Supreme Court has delivered a technical ruling on these—although its ruling has of course significant political consequences. The opposition is already so divided that it has ceased being able to mount a coherent challenge to President Mnangagwa, whether on his own legitimacy, or on other detailed policy matters such as the fiscal reasons behind the finance minister's inability to deal with the budgetary crisis," acknowledged Professor Stephen Chan of University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies.

"However, no matter how he came to be party leader, it remains the fact that Chamisa is the opposition leader with the greatest public support. He should, in my opinion, now simply make a clean break and reconstitute his very significant portion of the MDC into a newly named party," continued Professor Chan. Sweet, sweet music to Chamisa and his supporters!

Just to bring the reader up to speed, Professor Chan is the one who said Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF won the 2013 elections on merit, the elections were free, fair and credible. He has given the MDC free advice in the past on what the party needed to do to win the elections. There is no need for implementing reforms, as far as he is concerned, since elections are already free and fair.

So, to win the 2023 elections all Nelson Chamisa, already the opposition leader with the “greatest public support”, now need “a clean break, reconstitute and have a newly named party”!

The only valid political advice to MDC and the nation is that given by SADC leaders throughout the 2008 GNU and they repeated on the eve of the 2013 elections: implement the raft of democratic reforms and don’t go into any elections until you do!

The people risked life and limb to elect Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends into power on the understanding the party will bring about the democratic changes the nation has been dying for. Sadly, MDC leaders were so busy enjoying the trappings of high office they failed to bring about even one change, to implement even one reform.

Ever since the GNU MDC leaders have all but given up on implementing reforms and have participated in flawed and illegal elections as long as Zanu PF gives them a few seats on the gravy train.

We still need the reforms implemented but now must deal with Zanu PF as well as MDC opposition leaders who have acquiesced to Zanu PF rigging the elections in return for a share of the political spoils. Ambassador Chris Dell was right, once in power, MDC leaders are now the albatross round the nation’s neck.