By Patrick Guramatunhu- “I am aware that there have been expressions of opposing views, trading of nasty words, accusations and counter accusations, anger and frustrations, but I think we need to sober up, sit down together and face the reality of the judgement and its far-reaching implications to the well-being of the party,” said Elias Mudzuri. He was commenting of the recent Court judgement declaring Chamisa’s 2018 succession illegal.
“The starting point is to accept that we erred in the manner in which we
handled the succession and transformation matrixes of the party.”
As one of the three VPs hoping to succeed Tsvangirai, there is no denying
that Mudzuri was disappointed with Chamisa’s palace coup that left him and Thokozani Khupe out in the cold. Whilst Khupe commanded so following and broke away, Mudzuri had no such following and swallowed his pride and accept the subordinate role in the Chamisa led faction.
Of course, Mudzuri welcomed the Court judgement. Whilst Douglas
Mwonzora and Morgen Komichi, who too had grudgingly acquiesced to
Chamisa’s leadership, had openly supported the Court challenge; Mudzuri
had not even commented until now.
Elias Mudzuri is one of those characters with a knack to disappear before the first shot is fired, let the others do the fighting, only to reappear when he is absolutely certain it is safe to do so and join the victory parade! Now he wants to be seen and heard and would not miss it for all the tea in China!
“It creates the best opportunity for the leadership of the MDC to pause and
avert a possible bruising split that will not benefit anyone except our
opponents,” continued the now rejuvenated Elias Mudzuri.
“We must get into the 2023 harmonised elections as a united family with one objective of taking over power from Zanu-PF so as to change the fortunes of Zimbabwe.
“We must not betray the people of Zimbabwe who in the more than two
decades have invested so much into this project of change for a better
Zimbabwe.”
What a truckload of bull! What democratic changes have you and your fellow MDC leaders brought in the two decades? Not even one!
The people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders into
power on the promise the party will bring about the democratic changes, as
the party’s own name implied, the nation has been dying for.
The best opportunity to implement the democratic reforms was during the
2008 to 2013 GNU, SADC leaders had forced Robert Mugabe to agree to the
2008 implementation of the raft of democratic reforms following the signing of the Global Political Agreement. The task of implementing the reforms fell to MDC and the party failed to get even one reform implemented in five years!
SADC leaders tried to salvage the situation by asking the 2013 election to be
postpone until the reforms are implemented. “If you go into elections next
month, you are going to lose; the elections are done!” SADC leaders warned
Tsvangirai et al at the SADC Maputo Summit in June 2013. But once again
MDC leaders paid no heed.
MDC leaders KNEW Zanu PF was rigging the 2013 elections and, worst of all, they also KNEW that by participating they would give credibility to the
elections and thus legitimacy to the results; as David Coltart readily
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 (2013) elections,”
wrote Senator Coltart in his book The Struggle Continues 50 years of
Tyranny in Zimbabwe.
“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 MDC factions did form a coalition before the 2018 elections and still they contested the elections for the same reason as in 2013 – greed.
Nothing has been done to get the reforms implemented since the rigged
2018 elections.
MDC leaders wasted the golden opportunity to implement the reforms during the 2008 GNU because they sold-out, they were busy enjoying the trappings of high office they forgot about the reforms. By participating in these flawed and illegal elections MDC leaders are giving Zanu PF legitimacy but they do not care as long as they get the few bait seats on offer.
“We must not betray the people of Zimbabwe!” You betrayed them by failing to implement even one reform and continue to betray them by participating and legitimising a flawed and illegal election process! Mudzuri and company are in power, they have forgotten about the need for democratic changes and reforms as the pre-requisite free, fair and credible elections!
The people of Zimbabwe must now wake-up to the political reality that, for
the last 20 years, the country has made no progress in the fight for free, just
and democratic Zimbabwe. Not because there have been no opportunities to achieve that goal but rather because MDC leaders, entrusted to implement the reforms, are corrupt, incompetent and have sold-out in the past and are selling-out even now!
If Zimbabwe is to ever have free, fair and credible elections then we must
appoint competent and incorruptible men and women to implement the
reforms. Chamisa, Khupe, Mudzuri and their fellow MDC leaders have proven these last 20 years, beyond all reason doubt, that they are not up to the task! Dismantling the Zanu PF dictatorship is a challenging task that can only be done with the right tool – MDC leaders are not that tool!
The very fact that there are still Zimbabweans out there continue to
sheepishly following opportunists like Mudzuri, regardless of their track
record as sell-outs, goes to show the country is not yet ready for democracy
and good governance.