Things are really coming to a head. It’s far from quiet on the political front as parties scramble for votes.
Report by Conway Tutani
But the Institute for Democracy in Southern Africa (Idasa) sounded a cautionary note this week. The South Africa-based think-tank said Zimbabwe was not yet ready to hold free and fair elections, accusing the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) of failing to fulfil its mandate to stop the Zanu PF dominance. “The situation is exacerbated by lack of enforcement of the GPA (Global Political Agreement) reforms by the Sadc mediators.” True, Sadc has not lived up to its role.
It has not used its political influence and muscle as a regional power bloc.
Suddenly, there are signs of a tragic replay of the horrific violence of 2008, with intimidation having escalated and the reported killing last Saturday of a 12-year-old boy in a suspected petrol bomb attack reportedly targeting his father, an MDC-T parliamentary aspirant.
This, if proved there was a political motive, ominously validates Idasa’s damning conclusion: “Those who committed the crimes are often still in power, which leads to them blocking any actions aimed at addressing the violations. For this reason, there is a grave potential . . . for renewed electoral violence.”
The last two opinion polls show Zanu PF neck and neck with the MDC-T at 32% and 31% respectively, with the Welshman Ncube-led MDC trailing at 1% and other parties strongly advised to try their luck elsewhere. Factor in a significant chunk of the interviewees that were reluctant to express their leanings, then at the end of the day the poll findings could be meaningless. With the terror reportedly being unleashed countrywide, there could well be twists and turns.
But the MDCs themselves have been an accessory to this through political ineptitude.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Observed Idasa: “It is also considered a shortcoming of the MDC formations that, despite holding a majority in Parliament, they have not pursued possibilities for legislative reform vigorously.” This strategic ineptitude and the Zanu PF dominance condoned by Sadc have almost in equal measure mired the country on the brink of another political deadlock with serious socio-economic repercussions.
Some in both MDCs suffer from a loss aversion psychosis; that is, the tendency for individuals to prefer avoiding losses than accruing gains; to keep what they have rather than go out on uncharted territory, scared to ruffle feathers within and outside their parties. They prefer to play it safe and load up on all the freebies.
They have had a good 13 years to make a strong impact, but have have failed to seize the moment, nay, the many moments that have come their way.
They did not put to good use their strength in numbers except on a few one-off occasions. There has been nothing focused and sustained about it. A parallel response can be more effective than a direct one depending on the circumstances. While Zanu PF was making public shows of issues such as land reform and indigenisation, the MDCs should have gone for detailed policymaking. They should have laid the legislative foundation for that. Politics is as much a tactical game as well as a principled one. Doing one to the exclusion of the other is a recipe for failure. In real-life situations, it’s almost impossible to come up with perfect decisions.
What has been widely publicised coming from the MDCs are not burning issues, but those which have made them appear rather silly. Matobo Senator Sithembile Mlotshwa (MDC-T) last year proposed that Zimbabwean men be administered a drug that reduces their libido, so as to limit them to one sexual encounter per month.
Was this based on authoritative medical opinion or she was just dreaming? This week, MDC secretary-general Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga urged women from her party to withhold sex if their partners boycott the referendum or vote against the draft constitution next month. For how long will they boycott? One day after the announcement of the results? Is that enough “punishment”? Until the next referendum? How practicable is this? Isn’t it their democratic right to vote or not to vote and to vote either way? She ought to be reminded that opposition MDC candidates won at some polling stations within military and police camps — all because of the secrecy of the ballot, a fundamental precept of democracy. Both the above views are insulting to countless women — and men — of all persuasions.
Fortunately for the MDCs, some of their MPs — like Settlement Chikwinya (MDC-T) and David Coltart (MDC) — along with Zanu PF’s Edward Chindori-Chininga — have shown legislative flair, policy grasp and the ability to see the bigger picture. They have proved to be smooth, smart operators, unflappable under gross provocation.
The MDCs cannot forever blame everything on Zanu PF – they need to look themselves in the mirror.
