Political reporter
The newly coined MDC Alliance slogans have divided that party’s youth assembly with the majority of the youths saying the slogans promote cultism, The Harare Post can reveal.
A heated debate over the slogans erupted when the youth assembly leader, Cecilia Chimbiri announced the newly adopted slogans at a youth assembly management committee meeting last Saturday.
“There were some slogans which some youth thought promote a personality cult culture instead of the party. The movement is not about Chamisa because there will be life after him. What does it mean to say ‘Chamisa Chete Chete.’ I don’t think it is a proper slogan. It was only coined by hero worshippers and bootlicking and will not take us anywhere,” said the source who is a member of the management committee.
Apart from Chamisa Chete Chete, other slogans that raised objection were Ngaaapinde hake mukomana, 2023 tose dzamu kunaChamisa, and 2023 six (6) million votes kuna Chamisa. Other adopted slogans are Shanduko MuZimbabwe,simuka Zimbabwe simuka, Shanduko muZimbabwe vaka Zimbabwe vaka, and Shanduko muZimbabwe vhota Zimbabwe vhota.
“There was also concern that everything to do with our founding father (Morgan Tsvangirai) is being changed or gotten rid of. Right now, the name that president Tsvangirai left us with is going to be changed soon. The slogans that he craftily coined are being thrown into the dust bin. Is this still the party that Tsvangirai left behind? It appears the Mwonzora led party now identifies more with Tsvangirai than us yet we claim to be the party that Tsvangirai left,
“The problem is that our party is now teeming with the Johnny-come lately who do not value the legacy left by president Tsvangirai. They are the same people who are pushing for the change of party name. It is because they do not know the history of the movement and do not have any sentimental attachment to the name.” said the source.
The source said the youths who voiced objections to the slogans had already been put on the firing line by Chamisa. The MDC Alliance leader reportedly believes the youths were pushed to protest against the slogans by Chamisa’s rival faction, the Maruva cabal fronted by Tendai Biti.
