Tsvangirai blame "young voters who think selling airtime is normal" for electoral defeat - how insulting. W Mukori

"One, this is a bilateral issue and not a multilateral issue. Secondly, we are discussing this coalition issue with institutions and not individuals. Number three, there is no such thing as equality,” Tsvangirai told Mr Jacob Ngarivhume of Transform Zimbabwe (TZ).

"Yes, we can discuss and we are equal when we are discussing the question of coalition, but when it comes to formulating a negotiated position, equity becomes the yardstick because we are not all equal."

TZ is the third opposition party to sign MOU with Tsvangirai’s MDC-T to open up negotiations to form the coalition. Joice Mujuru and her NPP, was the first to sign a similar MOU closely followed by Welshman Ncube and his MDC.  

Do not bother trying – there is absolutely no difference between the “coalition” and “negotiated position”. In other word Tsvangirai want all those joining him in the coalition to do so on his terms, period.

Top on Tsvangirai’s demands is that he must be the undisputed leader of the coalition. Parties like TZ and MDC will have no problem conceding to this demand since their chances of winning the presidential race are so low betting companies are offering punters astronomical odds on a Welshman Ncube victory and still there has not been no takes. Even Ncube himself would not bet on that one, it would be bad enough losing his deposit for the second time.

Joice Mujuru wants to be President, after having been in cabinet for 34 years and the last 10 years as Vice President makes her, “the best qualified candidate”, she argues. The very fact that the country is in an economic mess and political chaos because of the decades of Zanu PF mismanagement, corruption and tyrannical oppression disqualifies her for holding any public office much less the highest office in the land.

Still both Tsvangirai and Mujuru wants to be the coalition candidate for the presidential race. It is clear, Mai Mujuru has not been fazed by whatever subtleties Tsvangirai is trying to insinuate in “coalition”, “negotiated position” and “equity”.

The big price TZ, MDC and any other opposition parties joining the proposed coalition would be demanding is an agreement that their party candidate alone should contest the parliamentary or senatorial seat. Those seats in opposition strongholds will be hotly contested and if Tsvangirai thinks he can bamboozle Jacob Ngarivhume and his TZ friends into accepting a seat declared “a no go area” for the opposition he is day dreaming!

MDC-T leaders like Thokozani Khupe havs already made it clear they have no intention giving up a safe opposition seat to Ncube’s MDC members. This was the stabling block to signing any unity accord between the two parties and so it will be again.

"All coalition discussions should end by end of this month and after that the party should now engage in organisational work, which is preparing for elections, building networks," said Tsvangirai.

"We want to capture the 60 percent, what I would call the truant: those who see the crisis affecting them, but doing nothing to contribute to that change. We are saying we need to work with that particular demographic that includes the young voters who are normalising the abnormal; young voters who think selling airtime is normal."

It has taken Tsvangirai four years to get anyone to agree to start talks about his “big tent” coalition and he thinks the coalition agreement can be finalised in four weeks!

Tsvangirai lost the 2013 elections and many other in the past because Zanu PF rigs the vote. “Mugabe stole the elections!” he has said so himself a thousand times!  SADC leaders warned MDC leaders countless times not to contest the elections without implementing the reforms designed to stop Zanu PF rigging the vote. But, of course, Tsvangirai & co. ignore the warning.

By contesting these flawed elections MDC is allowing Zanu PF back into power and, worse still, forfeiting the chance to force through the implementation of the democratic reforms, as David Coltart rightly admitted.

“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 David 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.”

The ordinary people of Zimbabwe gain absolutely nothing in Tsvangirai and company’s disregard of SADC’s warning not to contested flawed July 2013. Nothing that is, other than another five years of the corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF rule.

Tsvangirai has failed to get even one reform implemented since the rigged July 2013 elections. And yet he is determined to contest the elections, regardless. It is madness!

Tsvangirai lost the July 2013 elections because, with no democratic reforms in place, Zanu PF blatantly rigged the vote. If we choose to ignore SADC’s the advice to implement the reforms before holding elections we must, per se, accept the consequence of that decision – rigged elections.

For Tsvangirai to drag the nation into these meaningless elections and then blame the victims of his folly for his electoral defeat is insulting the very people to whom he owes an apology. “Young voters who think selling airtime is normal!” How arrogant and stupid is that!!!!!!!