By Claver Nyuki
Nelson Chamisa’s ascendancy to the MDC Alliance leadership was controversial, questionable and undemocratic at best and led to the formation of a splinter group led by the former Deputy President, Thokozani Khupe, who argued that she instead of Chamisa, was the rightful person to succeed the late MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai.
Chamisa’s followers though, are adamant that their leader’s rise to the helm of the party’s leadership was above board and democratic as the decision to appoint him President was taken by that party’s supreme decision making body, the National Council.
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A simple definition of democracy states that, it is the control of an organization or group, in this case, the MDC, by the majority of its members through an electoral process, whereas a dictator means a ruler with total power, typically one who has obtained control by force. Tsvangirai’s death left a vacuum in the MDC leadership considering that his death came at a time there was no clear succession plan in place therefore opening a tug of war among the three vice presidents of the party. Of the three Vice Presidents, only Thokozani Khupe had been elected to that position with the other deputies having been mere appointees, Chamisa included. The Chamisa scheme to grab power started by him alleging that he had met Tsvangirai on his death bed where he endorsed him to succeed him, a lie that was later exposed by Tsvangirai’s family, declaring that Chamisa never met with Tsvangirai. The second step was to make sure that even before Tsvangirai’s body was expatriated back to the country, Chamisa was busy rallying his sympathisers and holding clandestine meetings at that party’s headquarters in Harare seeking endorsement as the party and the Alliance Presidency. After having successfully elbowed Elias Mudzuri and Thokozani Khupe in the party’s presidency, Chamisa blocked the party from holding an emergency elective congress which would have put to rest the conundrum involving the vacant presidency, arguing that the party should focus on the harmonised elections. Now that elections have come and gone, the scheming Chamisa is at it again. Reports of Chamisa and his proxies clandestinely working on a move to block all other members aspiring to challenge for the party’s presidency are circulating. Chamisa intends to go through the party’s elective congress uncontested, an unlikely scenario given that the likes of Elias Mudzuri and Douglas Mwonzora have already expressed keen interest to contest for the party leadership position. Other cases of dictatorial tendencies by Chamisa includes the imposition of Joana Mamombe as the legislative candidate for Harare West at the expense of senior party member, Jessie J Majome and now Chamisa has ordered the MDC Alliance Victoria Falls mayor, Councillor Somvelo Dlamini, to step down for his choice, Margaret Valley. It’s the same hullabaloo in Bulawayo; Chamisa insisting his choice was not respected and has ordered the winning Mayor to step down for his preferred candidate. Chamisa has in more ways than one exposed himself as a dictator despite preaching about democracy and misleading the nation that the MDC Alliance stands to champion democracy in the country. Chamisa was never voted in power and his brief stint as party president has brought out a ruthless leader who will descend on any dissenting voices. |
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