The launch of Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF) led by former Vice-President Joice Mujuru has brought with it renewed hope for the formation of a grand coalition among opposition parties.
By Sibusiso Ndlamini,Our Reader
Marriages of convenience have more demerits and less merits.
If the truth be told, each member of the coalition suffers from a sense of insecurity. Zapu, which is led by Dumiso Dabengwa, has noted that it is open to a coalition with Mujuru’s ZimPF.
Zapu regional spokesperson Iphithule Maphosa believes that ZimPF and Zapu share the same background of the liberation struggle, hence they should coalesce.
Though they share similar political backgrounds, uniting the two parties is just a pie in the sky.
The downside of forming an alliance of political parties is that all the leaders of different parties would be craving for power.
In the event that the union does take place, things like a slight digression from the common agenda or misjudging a partner’s sentiment can cause great damage to the union.
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If a single party withdraws its support and walks out of the alliance, the entire unit faces the threat of becoming irrelevant.
In grand coalitions, every party has certain constraints, which often force them to ignore their partners’ anti-democratic activities. They deliberately try not to criticise their partners because if they do so, the alliance would become null and void.
Since its launch, ZimPF has been saying it is ready to work with every political party which is willing.
However, alliances between political parties are often affected by the differences in ideology among the leaders of those parties. Ideologies of disgruntled politicians usually affect the output. Too many cooks spoil the soup.
Growth of factionalism on the basis of different parties is a by-product of coalition politics. This creates fissures within the alliance and also damages the fabric of communal harmony.
