Former president Robert Mugabe has as much political choice as any of us and people must remember that he is now just a voter and MDC Alliance President Nelaon Chamisa is a candidate writes Trevor Maisiri.

Below is the full text of his opinion piece:

I have now listened to both Chamisa and Mugabe pressers. Looks like there are so many respectable people out there whose hatred for Mugabe runs so deep that they wish to desperately ultra-dissociate with anything that identifies with Mugabe.

By Mugabe simply proffering Chamisa as the most viable candidate, these dissonant persons feel they need to pluck themselves from also supporting Chamisa.

Their vitriol is based on simply feeling that on issues of electoral choice, Mugabe cannot exist in the same choice box as they do. Fundamentally, such thinking simply fails to appreciate what democracy is all about despite claims to be fighting for it. Mugabe has much liberty to political choice as any of us.

If by design or coincidence, Mugabe’s candidate of choice falls to be the same as some of us, this must not disparage us to the extent of contemplating to switch candidate camps.

Instead it must lead us to drill deeper into reflections of the astuteness and uniqueness of an election candidate who is able to draw the diverse nature of political identities into the same camp.

The depth of a candidate who is able to attract the attention of former foes. A candidate who gives us the confidence that, should he be elected, even those who are currently in leadership of the post-coup ZANU-PF will one day have the opportunity that Mugabe has had, of turning from their political taints to then believe in his leadership.

Unfortunately democracy doesn’t bring us what we want, it brings us what we and society both want. The moment the needs of society are tangential to ours, we are still given opportunity to pursue the dictates of democracy by aligning our needs with that of society and finding that convergence that brings the optimal for both society and our individuality.

The Mugabe factor is a test case for democracy, and when the current post-coup ZANU-PF disparage Mugabe to the extent that he deserves no choice, we must not be tempted to be the same.

Then where Mugabe’s candidate choice coincides with ours, we must accept that he has now become an ordinary citizen who is now facing the brutality of subjectivism from a system he created, and only feels salvation from it lies not from those who co-created the system with him….but from the democracy-ladden, prosperity-propelling and society-unifying leadership ethos of *Nelson Chamisa*.

So we must separate issues. Mugabe is now part of the *VOTERS*  and Chamisa is a *CANDIDATE*. The *VOTER* choses the *CANDIDATE* and not _vice versa_. *Where we find ourselves as part of the VOTERS and in the same camp if candidate choice with those we dislike, we must realize that these are the hard realities of a democracy which has evaded Zimbabwe for 38 years!*