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NewsDay

AMH is an independent media house free from political ties or outside influence. We have four newspapers: The Zimbabwe Independent, a business weekly published every Friday, The Standard, a weekly published every Sunday, and Southern and NewsDay, our daily newspapers. Each has an online edition.

AMHVoices: Let Tsvangirai finish off struggle

AMH Voices
Not one of the multitudes of opposition parties has acknowledged that MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai has the popular support and is our best chance of replacing Mugabe.

We are all clamouring for President Robert Mugabe to go now. But his best chance of winning the next election is to call for it tomorrow, as the opposition is not organised at all for a snap election.

By A Mbire,Our Reader

Not one of the multitudes of opposition parties has acknowledged that MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai has the popular support and is our best chance of replacing Mugabe.

It would seem that all of them are holding out to be elected to take the top post of presidential candidate. They appear to be holding out for an election among all the 26 or so parties in the event that one of them might get the presidential vote. This is reminiscent of the vote over standing for the Senate elections that resulted in Welshman Ncube, et al, breaking away from the MDC.

This was a rigged vote with party members bussed in from Bulawayo. An election for an aspiring presidential candidate with parties, irrespective of how much popular support they have, having one vote would quite obviously lead to the selection of a leader other than Tsvangirai as most of those parties have issues with him. If they had the interests of the country at heart, they would be rallying behind the candidate with the best chance of winning – undoubtedly Tsvangirai. However, they appear to be trying to diminish the MDC-T leader’s support base at every turn by running to the media with petty grievances, which is playing directly in Zanu PF’s favour. It is also confusing the electorate no end.

In 2008, Ncube’s party threw their weight behind a technocrat by the way of Simba Makoni. Where did that get us? 10 more years of misery. The same will happen if any candidate bar Tsvangirai is to try to outdo Mugabe. If Tsvangirai is such a despicable leader, we could have had another President in 2013 under free and fair elections.

The MDC seems to be saying “hey folks, smell the roses, the people support Tsvangirai and putting up someone else will not work”. They are right! Just look at the crowds he draws at rallies. Please give credit where it is due. The MDC-T has been at the forefront of the struggle. Let them carry it through to its conclusion. They are not being dogmatic in their stance, but realistic.

Joice Mujuru, who seems to have the next best support base, should without delay lead the way and declare her support for Tsvangirai. The sooner we can have consensus between the opposition parties that is in line with the popular thinking, the better.

The next step is to decide which candidates to put up for the constituency elections. If it is left too late we will have a host of candidates in each constituency allowing Zanu PF to win all parliamentary and senatorial seats and have vetoing power to oust our elected President.

Once the presidential candidature is sorted out, the parties should come together in each ward and decide on their preferred candidate for that constituency. The time for taking one’s chances on an egotistical basis is not now.

Please let us all work for the good of the country and the better future of all Zimbabweans.