By Vincent Tsvangirai
My Position
Let me get straight to the point before going into the details of why I am writing this EOC countdown opinion piece.
I support Douglas T. Mwonzora for President of the MDC-T because I believe in his vision for the party and the country.
Why I support Senator Douglas Mwonzora
Whilst Douglas Mwonzora has shared relations with my late father Morgan Tsvangirai from 1991, I first got to know about him after the 2011 congress were he won the election of the Spokesperson for MDC-T. I found it rather fascinating that a man who had been released from prison (for political reasons) four days before the congress could go on to convince 4,500 people in one day to make him the mouth piece of the party and Morgan Tsvangirai. He would go on to be an amazing Spokesperson and would comically be known as the Studio 7 Spokesperson as the message of the party would reach every corner of Zimbabwe with the still popular Studio 7.
In 2014 he did what everyone including my late father thought was impossible. After defeating Nelson Chamisa with 800 votes at what will always be the famous 2014 Congress, with only 1 nomination to his campaign, he would dub his campaign as the 1 nomination 1000 votes in 1 day campaign 1-1000-1. Long story short, that was the congress were Chamisa was defeated and Mwonzora became the Secretary General of the MDC-T. Tsvangirai always had a way to aptly describe Mwonzora. He would say “zvinhu zvaDougie zvinoita semanga-manga but before you know it, he has you in a checkmate.” Consequently, l interpreted this as a great sign of Tsvangirai’s respect for Secretary General Mwonzora.
Mwonzora is a politician who reminds me a lot of some of my late father’s attributes;
• He is Strategic in his planning
• He is not selfish
• He is seen as as both a brotherly and fatherly figure by supporters (famously known as Mukoma Dougie)
• He is kind but firm
• He is principled
• He is not corrupt
Why I don’t support other candidates
Khupe Thokozani
Now, while she may have her good qualities here and there, her reputation in the last 6-7 years has undoubtedly become unbecoming of someone who wants to become the president of a democratic party. She rebelled against Tsvangirai and showed no sign of respect to her president, going as far as to point her finger in his face and shouting at him using his first name. The lie that she peddles saying she shared a nice relationship with Tsvangirai even to his death always leaves a bitter taste in my mouth and reminds me why politicians are always viewed in bad light.
• She dose not listen to people
• She makes bad decisions
• Can not motivate support even in her own region
• Quickly moving away from MDC-T opposition principles
Morgan Komichi
The Senator has a number of good attributes but struggles to motivate the base to support him.
• Suffers from a bad reputation of 2018 candidates selection that has left many disgruntled.
Ellias Mudzuri
Like Chamisa, Mudzuri peddels the lie that Tsvangirai left him the MDC-T. he forgets that MDC is a democratic party were leadership position is not left to a particular person but is democratically elected. He likes to call himself a unifier but exposes himself as a hypocrite when he and his people conduct smear campaigns against other candidates and those who support them.
• Sleeps at meetings yet wants to energize the base for 2023
• Can not motivate the base
• Always found missing in action when needed
• Quick to point out the mistakes of others in the most unconstructive manner.
Your vote is your secret and so is your right to choose who you want. As for me, I believe in Mwonzora and everything he stands for and I know your vote will not be wasted on him. He will get the party back on course to defeat Zanu PF and he will bring democracy back in the MDC. All these malicious allegations against Mwonzora are signs of people getting butterflies before the main fight. If candidates cannot build support at the base, if they cannot handle the heat they must stay out of the kitchen.
#DougieDougieTeseTese
#TeseTeseDougieDougie
D4D. FSF.
Togarasei.
Hon V. Tsvangirai