MDC leaders are like Lewis Carroll’s characters Tweedledum and Tweedledee, complete with big mouth and pea-size brain. They will fight at the drop of a hat and, more significantly, fight over nothing. It is no exaggeration to say ever since the launch of the MDC in 1999, the party has accomplished nothing of substance and the leaders have expended a lot of time, passion and resources fight each other than fighting to deliver the democratic changes, reforms, they were elected to do.
It was USA
ambassador to Zimbabwe 2004 to 2007, Chris Dell, who said in a leaked cable to
Washington that Morgan Tsvangirai was “a flawed and indecisive character, who
would be an albatross round the nation’s neck if he ever got into power!” The
ambassador should have said the same about the MDC leadership, for they have
all turned out to be deadwood.
Sadly, for Zimbabwe,
Tsvangirai and company did get into power and have been the milestone round the
nation’s neck, dragging us all deeper and deeper into the crashing abyss! Instead
of focusing on the important task of implementing the democratic reforms and
holding Zanu PF to democratic account MDC have been fighting each other incessantly
resulting the party splitting again and again like amoeba.
Some people have
focused on the events leading to these incessant fights such as Nelson Chamisa
takeover as MDC-T president following the death of the late Morgan Tsvangirai as
the basis for judging the leadership qualities of the individuals involved.
This is a mistake because these events are trivial compared to the pressing matter
of implementing the democratic reforms.
The people of
Zimbabwe risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders into office to implement the
democratic changes, as the party-name imply, to stop Zanu PF rigging the
elections and thus end the curse of bad governance. After 22 years, 5 of which
in the GNU, MDC has failed to implement even one meaningful democratic reform.
Worse still,
against repeated advice not to participate in the flawed and illegal elections
until meaningful reforms were implemented. These leaders knew that by participating
in the flawed elections they would give Zanu PF legitimacy. They ignored the
advice and damn the consequences because they have been after the few gravy
train seats Zanu PF offered as bait.
All the MDC leaders
who were in the 2008 to 2013 GNU and/or have participated in the flawed
elections since 2013 have proven beyond doubt that they are corrupt,
breathtakingly incompetent, and utterly useless. Whether or not they are also
guilty in any of the other trivial matters in between; is of academic interest
to the small minds obsessed about trivial matters!
Some people have
criticised Dr Thokosani Khupe for joining Mnangagwa’s POLAD after the 2018
elections, for example. This is a trivial matter because Mnangagwa derived his
political legitimacy from all 23 presidential candidates and the thousands in
the parliamentary race. Those presidential candidates who went on to join POLAD
and publicly endorse Mnangagwa as the legitimate winner added the cherry on top,
the real cake was produced in the participating.
Chamisa and his supporters
have made a mountain out of the POLAD molehill, focusing on the trivial matters
and ignoring the real substantive issues, for the sole purpose of heaping all
MDC party’s historic failures and betrayals on Mwonzora and Khupe’s doors. Making
the two leaders the fall-guys.
Meanwhile, Nelson Chamisa,
Tendai Biti, David Coltart, Welshman Ncube and all the other MDC leaders in the
Chamisa faction are emerging squeaky clean and innocent, as a rose.
This is the work of
small minds and should be dismissed with the contempt it rightly deserves.
Because by focusing on the trivial issues at the expense of the substantive
issues the small minds are ignoring the historic facts, the truth, the reality,
etc.; the stuff we need to comprehend our situation and find the solution out
of the mess.
Ignoring the
historic facts, etc. is the reason why we have been stuck for 42 years and
counting in this mess. Nelson Chamisa and company have already proven that they
are corrupt and breathtakingly incompetent pretending otherwise will help them
being elected back into power but to what end and purpose. They will not
implement the democratic reforms the nation has been dying for, for example. If
they failed to get even one reform implemented during the 2008 to 2013 GNU, it
is a historic fact that they did not. What is there to say they do it this
time?
For Zimbabwe to get out of the economic and political mess we find ourselves stuck in we, the people, must have the courage to admit MDC leaders are corrupt and breathtakingly incompetent. After 22 years, 5 of which in the GNU, MDC leaders have failed to implement any meaningful democratic reforms and are not going to implement any in the future. We should have the courage to admit we made a mistake of entrusting MDC leaders with our vote, end the relationship here and now and refused to be sucked into their minion world one more day!
THE Nelson Chamisa-led MDC Alliance has vowed to put pressure on the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to implement all the necessary reforms ahead of the March by-elections.
ReplyDelete"The issues that we put to ZEC are around access to public media because this is a campaign, issues of publicity around the registration blitz, the capacity and funding to carry out the blitz," Mafume said.
"And also the consultative and monitoring processes that will happen around delimitation and also the issue around voter education and equitable access to the public media and the enforcement of the codes of conduct in relation to the behaviour of political parties and candidates."
The MDC Alliance is also demanding for the electoral reforms to pass through Parliament for scrutiny before they are passed into law.
Everyone knows that MDC leaders are masters at grandstanding and posturing like silver back gorilla, all an empty bluff. Zanu PF knows all about MDC leaders drumming their chests and making all manner of demands which they will always forget when they see the Zanu PF bribes – a few gravy train seats, in this case.
It is surprising that there are still some media houses there who continue to report the MDC threats as news!
LOCAL Government minister July Moyo has been implicated in a massive land scandal in Masvingo after it emerged he is piling pressure on the ancient city's local authority to cede vast tracts of land to an Indian investor in a murky deal.
ReplyDeleteThe company, known as Simbi, retrenched some of its workers in 2019 due to financial challenges, yet is eyeing a multi-million-dollar project which requires huge tract of land.
Currently the company has almost 50 hectares, of which it land has managed to utilize just 15.
Even so, it is now demanding 200 hectares from the local authority.
July Moyo is one of the Zanu PF ruling elite who has been at the top table since independence in 1980; of course, throughout those years, he has claimed his share of political power and looted wealth. He is still at it; absolute power and wealth are addictive, the more you have the more you want!
The ordinary Zimbabweans are the ones who have paid dearly for Zanu PF ruling elite and their cronies’ insatiable hunger for power and wealth. The country’s once promising economy has all but collapsed, unemployment has soared to 90% and over 50% of our people now live in abject poverty. The economic and humanitarian situation is intolerable and unsustainable.
Zimbabwe is now economically and socially unstable; we are standing on the edge of the precipitous abyss. Worse still, Zimbabwe is making the whole SADC region unstable.
We really need to stop this Zanu PF madness before the regime dragged us all over the edge into the abyss.
The challenges and the split in the MDC-T are other reminders of the accumulating costs associated with the MDC brand. Splits are now almost synonymous with the brand, and this has a damaging effect on everyone who uses it, whether they are involved. In this context, the conflicts and controversies affecting the MDC-T also impact the MDC Alliance, even if it is not involved.
ReplyDeleteThe political market simply looks and says the MDC parties have started again. It is even worse for the external market which is not familiar with the nuances of local politics. When they hear that the MDC has split, the reaction is likely to be one of exasperation. The reputation is toxic.
The MDC Alliance might feel a strong attachment to the label, but it should know that it carries the costs of whatever nonsense goes on where the label is used.
Magaisa made the remarks in his latest Big Saturday Read titled Things Fall Apart in The Judicially-Reconstructed Party.
Yes, the amoeba style splitting of MDC since the party’s formation in 1999 has been toxic to the MDC brand, there is no denying that. But to look at the splits alone is to completely miss the point because there are just one of the myriad manifestations of the underlaying problem in MDC – the lack of quality leadership.
USA ambassador to Zimbabwe 2004 to 2007, Chris Dell, said in a leak cable to Washington that Morgan Tsvangirai “was a flawed and indecisive character who will become an albatross round Zimbabwe’s neck if he should ever get into power!” The ambassador should have said this about the entire MDC leadership. And yes, MDC did get into power and have become a milestone round the nation’s neck dragging us all in deep into the crashing abyss.
Forget the party splitting, that is nothing, compared to the party’s failure to implement even one meaningful reform and dismantle the Zanu PF dictatorship during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. And ever since the GNU debacle, MDC leaders have participated in flawed elections giving Zanu PF legitimacy; selling out on the chance for free and fair elections for the sake of a few gravy train seats.
It is laughable that Dr Alex Magaisa should focus on the MDC splits as if they are the only thing “toxic” in MDC! He was Dr Tsvangirai’s special advisers during the GNU, some special adviser he turned out to be given he failed to get MDC to implement even one reform!
In all his BSR wittering Magaisa has never ever explained why MDC failed to implement even one reform much less apologise to the nation for his role in landing the nation in this mess. He must apologise and shut up!
GOVERNMENT has started paying pensioners a maximum of US$100 in compensation for losses suffered after the country adopted the multi-currency system in 2009.
ReplyDeleteA commission of inquiry was once set up to investigate the conversion of pensions and insurance benefits in United States dollars from the moribund Zimbabwe dollar.
Insurance firms have been clashing with pensioners and policyholders, who are unhappy with the paltry benefits being disbursed to them. Pension companies claim contributions had been wiped by inflation.
In a statement yesterday, Finance minister Mthuli Ncube said government was seeking to bring closure to the matter.
"To cushion pensioners, Treasury through the 2021 national budget allocated an investment worth US$75 million in Kuvimba Mining Housing for the purpose of compensating pensioners. It is the investment return that is earmarked for compensation to private occupational pensioners so that pensioners benefit on a sustained basis," Ncube said.
"These modalities were concluded in December 2021 and disbursements to almost 4 000 eligible pensioners have commenced in earnest, with each pensioners getting US$100 each cash through BancABC and its kiosk in Pick n Pay outlets across the country. Payment of pensioners began on January 10 this year."
He added: "As government, we are aware that not all pensioners will benefit from this first tranche dividend distribution. However, rest assured that future dividends will target other cohorts of pensioners as and when the dividend is declared.
So, the pensioners lost their life savings and investments and now they are to get a misery US$ 100 per year!
What is more, this Minister has done nothing to stop the US$1.2 billion per year lost to gold smugglers alone!
“You have sat too long here for any good you have been doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!” said Oliver Cromwell to the 1640 to 1653 Long Parliament.
Sadly, Zimbabwe is not a healthy democracy and so the nation cannot give these Zanu PF thugs their marching orders even after 42 years of rigged elections.