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Dear Editor.

Management writer Gillyher describes an ethical dilemma as a situation where there is no obvious right or wrong decision but there is a right or right answer.

An ethical dilemma a conflict between choices, whereby either choice results in a compromise of an ethical principle, but is meant for the general good of the community. 

Confronted by poor health, the MDC-T must have known he would not be fit enough to campaign in the next election, so in 2016 he decided to expand the leadership team by adding two Deputy Vice-Presidents. His then Secretary-General Douglas Mwonzora appeared on video justifying the decision saying it had been regularised by the National Council, which is the decision is making body in between congresses. Those involved would argue that is was for the general good of the struggle to dislodge Zanu PF dictatorship.

When Tsvangirai finally died, the MDC-T was confronted by yet another ethical dilemma -whether to go to an Extra Ordinary Congress while at the same time preparing for elections. The MDC-T Council, chaired then by Deputy Chairman Morgen Komichi in the absence of Lovemore Moyo, made the decision to elevate Nelson Chamisa to the Presidency who many thought, and still think is the best foot forward to dislodge Zanu PF, including those who do not like him.  I too was of the of the opinion that an Extra Ordinary Congress was the best thing to do in line with the constitution, but when the explanation about the time that was left to prepare for elections and there was not enough time to prepare for an Extra-Ordinary Congress, I thought it was appropriate for the National Council to make the decision, which is also in line with the constitution. When such decisions are made, they should be binding to those involved. It is expected that people of personal integrity will go by the decisions.

Unfortunately in the MDC-T case, these decisions may have been made without fully consulting the members, leaving some people like Elias Mashavire disgruntled, prompting him to approach the courts.

But before Mashavire took the matter to court in September 2018, the marriage between two factions of the MDC had broken down to the extent that, confronted with the ethical dilemma of whether to resolve their differences and remain together as one, the members of the factions had taken the decision to go separate ways, and two parties had been formed out of the MDC-T, one maintaining the name MDC-T lead by Thokozani Khupe and the MDC Alliance lead by Nelson Chamisa, which started off as a election pact according to Douglas Mwonzora, who clearly explains on camera that election pacts end with the election.

I have argued before that the ruling by the Supreme Court is a suggestion for reconciliation. Politics is politics, there are people who just cannot work together. Not just politics, but even in work places, people leave organisations because they cannot work with certain personalities and cannot enslave themselves but continued working. Why would any politicians want to work with a bunch of politicians they are not comfortable working with?

The big questions for those trying to force a marriage of convenience through an Extra Ordinary Congress are: 

1.      Have the people you don’t see eye to eye with all of a sudden become such good people you will want to hang around with because of a Supreme Court suggestion?

2.      What effort has been made to resolve the differences that lead us to where we are today?

3.      Are we doing all what we are doing because we are in politics to make money as said by Thokozani Khupe?

4.      Will a political marriage of convenience survive the storm?

These are the questions that all persons involved in this should address. As far as I am aware, none of the four questions has been addressed, and I want all those who are pushing for the Extra-Ordinary Congress should ask themselves, what does it matter to hold an Extra-Ordinary Congress that does not solve the Zimbabwe’s problems?

Obviously, Government and Zanu PF are more comfortable with a main opposition that is always fighting within its ranks, which is the product that we can get from a marriage of convenience through the proposed Congress. Is that what you want Douglas Mwonzora? Is that what you want Morgan Komichi?

While a complete MDC re-union is the desire for all people who want dictator Mnangagwa to go, it has to be done out of love. Our love for each other and our union of minds should be the only thing that should bring us back together. Let us be true to ourselves in order to bring to an end the suffering people of Zimbabwe. Let us not be in politics to make money as said by Thokozani Khupe, but let us be in politics to free the people of Zimbabwe from tyranny. If we are in politics to make money, let us not be sad or angry when people label us as Judas Iscariot.

Money earned by parties through participation in elections belongs to those who worked to achieve the seats in parliament that they achieved. You cannot be in politics to make money out of other people’s participation in an electoral process. What moral ground do Douglas Mwonzora, Thokozani Khupe and Morgan Komichi stand on to want a party that was not in existence during the time of elections to benefit from money earned while that party was dead? If the Supreme Court said decisions made after Morgan Tsvangirai died are not binding, why should there be any income that goes to a party that was dead time the Party was dead and incapable of making decisions. The parties that participated in the elections are the MDC Alliance and the Thokozani Khupe lead MDC, and those parties should receive what they earned from the election, and the Provisional High Court Order granted by the High Court should have been granted after weighing the facts presented. It is interesting how this will be finalised.

The ethical dilemma remains: should we weaken the opposition through a marriage of convenience and allow Zanu PF to continue to rule? 

By Kennedy Kaitano