By Elijah Chihota
Naturally in life when a person turns 19 he or she is considered an adult as he or she can exercise their right to vote, marry and be employed without violating any laws such as child labour. This is the same thing that was expected of the MDC, but alas the party has remained a toddler only yearning for kindergarten things such as the popular corn snack brand, Jiggies.
Last Saturday MDC Alliance leader, Nelson Chamisa led his supporters in celebrating their 19th anniversary in the capital. The event which was billed to be a star attraction was reduced to a 1980s “bioscope” show with Chamisa behaving like the comic Tickey of old.
There was nothing memorable that the MDC Alliance could talk about save to follow their steps of attacking and hurling insults at other people just because they hold different views from theirs.
For those not in the know: the MDC is the instigator of most of the trouble that have engulfed this country. They are the authors of the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (Zidera) which was penned in Nyanga by some misguided people who are still in or came back into the MDC fold. The sanctions which have reduced this country to a pale shadow of its former glory were called for by these opposition players in their quest to get into power. One would recall the late MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, calling on South Africa to cut all transport links with Zimbabwe and to switch off electricity to the country.
After losing the 2002 Presidential elections, Tsvangirai and his hounds including Chamisa mooted the infamous 2003 final push to force former President Robert Mugabe to step down. Their aim was to cause economic meltdown, but to their dismay, they failed when the ever-alert security forces ensured that peace and tranquillity prevailed. Chamisa is now copying the same script calling President Emmerson Mnangagwa to step down by year end. President Mnangagwa has the people’s mandate therefore he does not have to listen to those vanongovukurawo zvavo.
As the 2008 elections drew closer, the MDC went on a rampage bombing of police stations in 2007. This act of anarchy saw a number of police stations being burnt and some police officers receiving permanent scars. In March 2007, the MDC and its acolytes planned a political meeting at Zimbabwe Grounds under the guise of a prayer meeting yet they wanted to plan how to further ground the country’s economy to a halt.
The 2008 elections saw the MDC scaling up the level of violence after that party declared that it would carry out Kenyan style of post-election protest violence. This referred to the 2007 post poll violence which occurred when their Kenyan friend, Raila Odinga of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) lost the presidential race to Mwai Kibaki. Odinga unleashed an orgy of violence that left more than 1 100 people dead and forced about 600 000 to flee their homes. The MDC vowed that if they lost the 2008 plebiscite they follow the Kenyan style of settling electoral disputes. When Tsvangirai was drubbed in that election they ran amok attacking anyone in sight.
This brings to the fore, the fact that Chamisa and his party always borrow from the Kenyan opposition book, dumb initiatives such as Odinga’s illegal inauguration before joining Government. Chamisa wants to accept the post of leader of opposition which President Mnangagwa wants to create, but out of pride he wants to appear as if he is not interested. Very soon, like his mentor and role model, Odinga he will take up the post.
The party’s 19th anniversary celebrations were used to hurl insults at others opposed to Chamisa. Chamisa took a dig at MDC-T leader, Dr Thokozani Khupe whom he saw as a stumbling block to his presidency bid. He also turned his vitriol on President Mnangagwa crying for power which he childishly and euphemistically referred to as Jiggies, a clear indication that he is yet to grow up.
The platform was used to psych people to demonstrate against Government by marching to the State House. Chamisa during the celebrations charged that, “When we do this, we want to have a clear plan on what date we start and on what date we end. We will not go back until we achieve the intended plan. We will show (President) Mnangagwa the power that the people have”. This is a treasonous move by Chamisa as it amounts to removing a constitutionally elected Government. Fifteen (15) years down the line he is doing exactly what Tsvangirai tried and failed dismally.
The so called party of excellence is so full of contradictions. It has failed to institute leadership change at the top. First, it was Tsvangirai who refused to step down before he became State President and Chamisa has followed in his predecessor’s footsteps by declaring that his post will not be up for contest during the party’s elective congress next year.
The MDC has dismally failed on democratic values calling into question the existence of this tenet in its name. Chamisa took it upon himself to see who contests in which constituency something that should have been decided by local party structures in each respective constituency. This saw the party double fielding candidates in some constituencies such as Goromonzi West, Harare South and Bikita East, among others. The party leader went on to fire MDC Alliance Mayors for Chegutu and Victoria Falls, Henry Muchatibaya and Somvelo Dhlamini, respectively.
No matter how much they tried, the MDC will never got anywhere near the levers of power. In its nineteen years of existence the party has been good at churning political rhetoric, rocking the economic boat and mudslinging only. Maybe, it’s time for the MDC to do self-introspection.
