Continuing problems within the main opposition MDC-T party and NCA, the newest political party may indicate the beginning of a new political cycle in Zimbabwe, that of complete Zanu PF dominance and a politically disinterested populace leading to voter apathy and back to the 1990s.
RASHWEAT MUKUNDU
This scenario is being thrust on society not so much by Zanu PF actions, but by those of the opposition parties which seem to have a problem identifying who their opponents are and who its allies are.
Despite the challenges of the past decade, the MDC-T has somewhat managed to push Zanu PF right to the edge, withstood severe blows that cost lives and property and in the end forced Zanu PF to change and go into a unity government.
For the first time since 1980 Zanu PF appears to realise the centrality of pushing a people’s agenda no matter how unrealistic, unplanned and failing that agenda might be.
Politically, Zanu PF appears to have gained and learned from the opposition that it faced over the past decade. Zanu PF has adapted and has come up with new tricks and messages to survive.
Instead of re-strategising and maintaining the pressure, the MDC-T bus is speeding towards the cliff, with as many cheering and oblivious to the real danger of a self-inflicted mortal wound.
I maintain my position that the nature of our politics is such that any opposition has to do far more to beat Zanu PF, for what the opposition faces is not only Zanu PF, but the whole State machinery.
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The MDC had its head-in government during the Government of National Unity (GNU), and by admission of some of its members, the party did not utilise this window of opportunity as expected or as much as to be of concern to Zanu PF.
The MDC-T had the arriviste mentality and yet the journey should have begun not ended with the GNU. Now that MDC-T is so much focused on internal fights and not challenging Zanu PF and the NCA appears unravelling even before its structures are in place, Zimbabwe faces a real danger of complete dominance by Zanu PF and this, for a long time to come.
Without any threat to its hold on power Zanu PF will revert to its usual self and the democracy reform agenda will slip backwards. The hope is that whoever takes over Zanu PF after the current leadership will be human enough to see the necessity of developing Zimbabwe rather than maintain ing the current primitive looting and unbridled selfishness.
Zimbabwe faces a post-opposition politics that will see many not bothering to vote and the contestations over elections will become a thing of the past. Results will be known beforehand because the outcomes will be so obvious. Politics, so central to Zimbabwe’s national psyche for the past 13 years will slowly be eroded away.
I maintain that the MDC-T and other fledgling parties are to blame for this unfortunate political scenario; for they take their supporters for granted, more pathetically they take the mission for granted.
Opposition political parties must be organised to win power otherwise over time they lose their relevance and direction. Even in our difficult circumstances, it is not enough to be beaten, jailed, killed, tortured and face all sorts of harassment. These challenges, unwelcome as they are, are vicissitudes to be confronted in the course of winning power.
The suffering the MDC-T and other opposition parties has faced will be remembered only in history books if the mission is unfulfilled, and victimhood is never synonymous with winning political power, far more is needed in organising, boldness and strategy.
Now we hear from Lindiwe Zulu, South Africa President Jacob Zuma’s International adviser that the MDCs were not organised in the SADC-facilitated dialogue. Not only that, the MDCs were not organised in keeping their grassroots support base intact in the course of the GNU.
The MDC-T did not do enough to protect the political interests of its support base, hence many failed to vote. As I write, MDC-T is collapsing under the weight of internal fights. The party is failing to live by the ideal of its motto, the party of excellence.
Violence, threats, social media attacks and name-calling are flying all over and one can only pity those who hope that by some miracle they will find themselves in power, simply because they oppose Zanu PF. The MDC-T risks becoming truly, ‘MDC-Morgan Tsvangirai’ moreso with the kind of threats and calls by party leaders like Lovemore Moyo and Charlton Hwende that those asking MT to step aside must instead be the ones to leave or form their own party.
Morgan Tsvangirai will likely keep his band of loyalists, but these will continue singing “Morgan Tsvangirai ndizvo, achasunungira Zimbabwe” till the donkeys grow horns. The party is in short supply of magnanimous leaders who see beyond individuals and are driven by a sense of mission.
The same is happening in the NCA where some members have resigned over strategy issues. And of course one hopes that when the party was formed strategy was discussed and agreed upon, hence should not be a cause for divisions at this moment.
As things stand citizens of Zimbabwe are fast losing hope in the capacity of the opposition to be organised and focused enough to dislodge Zanu PF. One questions whether there is enough seriousness within the so called opposition groups to craft coherent policy propositions and strategies to counter Zanu PF.
And indeed strategies to deal with and disentangle the tight network that Zanu PF has created within the security sector, which is the real power behind Zanu PF’s hold on power. As things stand it is up to Zanu PF to make such grave mistakes, momentous errors indeed, to lose power. Outside of that no threat exists, but pretenders and clowns.
