By Dr Masimba Mavaza | Newly-elected MDC-T leader Douglas Mwonzora has shown serious political maturity as he reached out to MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa and to ZANU PF leader cde ED Mnangagwa.
Speaking at his first press briefing as president of the MDC-T at Morgan Richard Tsvangirai House, Mwonzora said President Mnangagwa and Chamisa were not an enemy.
“The National Council will sit in January as extension to the just-ended congress to discuss further issues and national dialogue. Chamisa, Biti, Welshman or Mnangagwa are not my enemies, the real enemies are poverty and ignorance,” he said. His statement made the rumour mill to go round with some saying that he is working with Zanu-PF to decimate the opposition. Still, he said he was willing to work with the ruling party for the good of the nation.
“I don’t need to be on the payroll of Zanu-PF at all. This is what opponents who are trying to discredit you do. I do not become a member of Zanu-PF just because I have disagreed with you.”
Announcing the MDC-T as “the government in waiting,” Mwonzora said he will “work professionally with Zanu-PF” in proffering robust solutions to the myriad of problems facing Zimbabwe.
The international economic crisis has hit the world especially its ‘periphery’, remarkably hard, and has had deep consequences at the economic and political levels. Since its onset, parties in parliament (especially those in opposition) have found themselves faced with a dilemma: choosing between the need to cooperate with the government in order to overcome the crisis and the opportunity provided by a weakened government to stress their adversarial position, so as to be more easily re-elected and possibly get into power.
We need to understand that the
Official Opposition is viewed as the caucus tasked with keeping the government in check. It is also generally viewed as the alternative government or “government in waiting”. It has a duty to serve the nation not to advance the selfish political ends of a political party.
The ruling party or governing party or political party in a democratic parliamentary system is the political party or coalition holding a majority of elected positions in a parliament, that administers the affairs of state.
In many democratic republic countries, the ruling party is the party of the elected president that is in charge of the executive branch of government. Within such parliamentary systems, the majority in the legislature also controls the executive branch of government, thus leaving no possibility of opposing parties concurrently occupying the executive and legislative branches of government. In other systems, such as in an American style presidential system, the party of the president does not necessarily also have a legislative majority. Zimbabwe had not have a majority opposition members in parliament always the ruling party controls the majority until 2008 where a government of national unity had to settle the issue.
Opposition parties are all the other parties who have the work to question, criticize and blame the ruling party for their wrongdoings, so that the ruling party can improve. There is one fundamental difference between the two, the ruling party tries its best to carry on apparently development activities so in next elections they do not have to face Anti incumbency,and opposition tries hard to create obstacles in the name of public demand.
Many schemes and programs criticized by the opposition become essential and find favour when they come to to power basically it is power play among various players.
No Government can run effectively unless there is an effective opposition. Thus it becomes imperative for a democracy to embrace an opposition party. Our Democratic functions all these years in the same way. Ruling party may implement so many decisions in the interest of Nation,however it is for the opposition party to question where ever there is a lacuna.Any Bill passed by the Central Government after taking into the views of the oppositions parties.That is a healthy democracy.
A proper government encourages opposition to be present in order for the work of the government to be examined checked and balanced. Zimbabwe is a parliamentary democracy with various political parties. So it is in the interest of ZANU PF to be in a race with another oiled party. There is no joy in competing alone.
In a parliamentary democracy, citizens elect their representatives. Citizens vote for the party of their choice and, in this way, influence government policy.
A political party brings together people with the same political ideas. By taking part in an election, parties hope to get as many of their members as possible into a representative body, like parliament or a municipal council. At the same time they try to hold as many posts as possible in the government, or in the municipal or provincial executive.
Political parties have various functions. One is promoting the interests of their voters. They also draw up party programmes. Citizens can join political parties, enabling them to help shape the party programme. So Zimbabwe has no interest in destroying opposition parties.
While ZANU PF expects to have a strong opposition to oppose it, it does not have to strengthen it or to weaken it. ZANU PF has no interest in a weak opposition. But it does not pray for a stronger one.
So the congratulatory messages by ZANU PF to Mwonzora simply means we are welcoming you the race. Even opposing teams shake hands. After a football match they even exchange shirts. A player who exchanges his shirt at the end of a match can not be accused of selling out. So it is irresponsible and cheap politics to accuse ZANU PF of compromising the MDC in its colours.
The problems of the MDC were caused by MDC itself. It was not ZANU PF which took MDC to court. MDC took itself to court. When the supreme court gave a decision it was not a political decision but a legal one.
When Senetor Mwonzora won the elections it was just civil and humane for ZANU PF to congratulate him. They would have done the same to Khupe Chamisa or Komichi.
ZANU PF is alive to the fact that democracy does not survive in a lonely space.
However if the opposition decides to destroy itself ZANU PF will not interfere but will only hope they do not.
It is bemusing to hear Chamisa and Biti accuse ZANU PF of baking Mwonzora or Khupe.
Always the loser hopes to find one to blame and indeed the blame this time is laughable.
It is not in the place of ZANU PF to encourage MDC to unite or to be strong. If they chose to disunite ZANU PF will rub its hands in a colourful glee.
For 2021 ZANU PF is aiming at serving the people of Zimbabwe. It has no time to engage in the kids play engineered by the MDC. The MDC is letting its constituencies down. They spending their time in infighting splitting up and blaming ZANU PF. This has never been in their manifesto. The only achievement achieved by MDC is to split and split again.
For the sake of the nation MDC must work together with the government. The kudira jecha mantra must be abandoned. Zimbabwe needs people who work together for the good of the nation.
We hope to have a fresh political mind in the year 2021.