"We celebrate 21 year of struggle and leadership" says Chamisa - celebrate failure and selling out P Guramatunhu

 Our political leaders have the knack for celebrating failure!

“On September 11, 1999, this movement (MDC) was formed at Rufaro Stadium and the country's political terrain would never be the same again,” announced Nelson Chamisa in his e-rally speech.

“Today we remain resolute, resilient and vigilant. The real issues facing our country today of hunger, joblessness, a dead economy, a broken public health system, the water crisis and poverty make the need for a viable alternative ever more urgent.

“We continue to articulate the illegitimacy of the unelected and unelectable.

“Twenty-one years on, we remain focused on our original goal which has always been to achieve positive transformation in the lives of the people of Zimbabwe.”

The people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders into public office on the promise the party would bring about the necessary democratic changes to stop the corrupt and incompetent Zanu PF rigging the elections to extend its stay in power. The MDC, as the party name implies, promised democratic changes the nation was dying for. 

Chamisa ready acknowledges the economic and political situation is Zimbabwe has not changed. Indeed, the situation have got progressively worse in the last 21 years. MDC leaders have failed to bring about even one meaningful economic and political change. Not even one! And it was not for lack of opportunity. 

Morgan Tsvangirai et al had the golden opportunity to implement the democratic reforms during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. SADC leaders had managed to force Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF party to agree to the implementation of the raft of democratic reforms designed to stop the blatant cheating and wanton violence in the 2008 elections. It was left to MDC to implement the reforms; if only greed had not got the better of them.

Mugabe, who was the President in the GNU, bribed MDC leaders with all the trappings of high office; the ministerial limos, the very generous salaries and allowances, a US$ 4 million mansion for Tsvangirai, etc., etc. With their snouts in the feeding trough, MDC leaders forgot about the reforms. Not even the constant nagging by SADC leaders could nag MDC leaders to implement even one reform in 5 years! 

To make matters worse, MDC leaders have continued to participate in the post GNU elections knowing fully well that Zanu PF was rigging the elections and that doing so would give credibility to the flawed and illegal process. They did so out of greed and David Coltart, a senior MDC leaders admitted in his book.

In his Book, The Struggle Continues 50 years of Tyranny in Zimbabwe, David Coltart, former MDC – Ncube Senator and Minister of Education in the 2008 GNU, gave details of how Zanu PF was flouting the electoral rules in the upcoming 2013 elections. It was clear the elections would not be free, fair and credible and yet the opposition still participated in the elections.

“The worst aspect for me about the failure to agree a coalition was that both MDCs couldn’t now do the obvious – withdraw from the elections,” wrote Senator Coltart.

“The electoral process was so flawed, so illegal, that the only logical step was to withdraw, which would compel SADC to hold Zanu PF to account. But such was the distrust between the MDC-T and MDC-N that neither could withdraw for fear that the other would remain in the elections, winning seats and giving the process credibility.”

Of course, MDC leaders have not only sold-out big time in failing to implement the democratic reforms but worst of all the party has all but abandoned cause of implementing the reforms and deliver free, fair and credible elections. MDC leaders are now running with the povo hare and hunting with the Zanu PF hounds! 

Emmerson Mnangagwa keeps wittering about Vision 2030 when Zimbabwe will attain a middle income economic status. And yet for the last 40 years and counting Zimbabwe has suffered relentless world record economic decline under Zanu PF rule. When Mnangagwa took over from Mugabe following the 2017 military coup he promised free and fair elections and to stamp out corruption and has failed to deliver on both fronts and still he keeps wittering about Vision 2030!

Compare and contrast Mnangagwa’s wittering with Chamisa’s own. 

“And true to our founding values and objectives, we remain unstinting and on course in our quest to consign repression to the dustbin and to give succour and happiness to our country's citizens,” continued Chamisa. 

“Today, we celebrate 21 years of struggle and leadership.”

How can MDC is still be “on course to consign Zanu PF into the dustbin” when the party has not only failed to implement even one reform in 21 years but worse still has abandoned the cause? 

After 40 years since our independence Zimbabwe is yet to achieve the milestone of holding free, fair and credible elections. A truly damning testimonial in our failed political system and political leaders. Because we have failed to end the curse of rigged elections we have, for 40 years and counting, been stuck with a corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical regime. 

Whilst Zanu PF remains in power we cannot address the economic challenges of gross mismanagement and rampant corruption, the health and economic challenges of brought on by corona virus, etc.  

The people of Zimbabwe should have enjoyed their freedoms and rights including the right to free, fair and credible elections ever since the country attained her independence on 18 April 1980. Zanu PF and MDC leaders have turned this into a struggle lasting 40 and 21 years respectively. And we are being invited to join in “celebrating the struggle!” How foolish is that!

How ironic that Zimbabweans risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders in the hope Chamisa et al will deliver  the democratic changes; only now, 21 years latter, the people discover that MDC leaders not only sold out on reforms but are the ones blocking change!