Jasper Hloka
As the MDC’s elective congress draws closer by the day, that party’s leader, Nelson Chamisa is equally going through a horrendous time as he stumbles across the path of democracy. The opportunity for the loud mouthed opposition leader to showcase credibility and his worthy continues to slip through the fingers as heightened jostling amongst that party’s bigwigs has led to more manifestations of factions.
The task that lies ahead of the opposition leader is somewhat a toll order and will certainly expose his shortcomings or prove him a real democrat of which the prospects of the former are already on the high. Chamisa is already being accused of manipulating that party’s structures as he manoeuvres towards power retention by making it difficult for his challengers to come out and openly campaign ahead of the congress.
In essence Chamisa needed to lead by example and exhibit the fulcrum of a free, fair and credible elections right from party level, but he is doing exactly the opposite.
The Matabeleland region is also pressuring the vocal opposition leader ahead of the congress as the old guard in that region feels it is high time they are recognised. The declaration by MDC Bulawayo Spokesperson, Felix Magalela Sibanda, that he is also eyeing the vice presidency drew battle lines between the old guard and the new generation in that party. The Sibanda declaration is two faced as he is fighting from both a tribal and generational front.
Early this week Sibanda posited that “I have been in the struggle for a long time now…This, therefore, guides me to inform and seek your blessings and guidance as I seek to be nominated for national vice president post at the forthcoming MDC congress.”
Sibanda’s nomination appeal came barely a day after MDC Vice President, Professor Welshman Ncube, frowned upon him saying it is the structures that should instead nominate him. Prof Ncube is deliberately pulling the rag from under Sibanda so that he safeguards his so-called ‘uncontested’ post ahead of the congress as part of the Chamisa ploy to balance the Matabeleland politics.
So heavy has been the firepower against Sibanda as MDC activist, Patson Dzamara, had no kind words for Sibanda when he took to Twitter and posted that “the 'I deserve this post because I've been in the struggle longer than you' mantra is not only insipid, its retrogressive. As the people's party congress processes start, let's choose leaders based on capacity & integrity. Capacity & integrity are not measured chronologically.”
Dzamara is one of Chamisa’s arsenals dispatched to block all undesirable elements from contesting Chamisa’s preferred choices at the congress. The parroting by Dzamara on social media clearly shows the direction Chamisa is taking towards the congress and democracy is not part of that journey.
The protracted attacks on the likes of Sibanda and MDC Secretary General, Douglas Mwonzora, which is punctuated by them being tagged as ZANU PF defeats the course of democracy which Chamisa has been half-heartedly propagating.
After all is said and done, for Chamisa to go it clean and democratically is a non-starter because of the back door he used to grab power. The paradox of the matter is interestingly that, legitimacy issues are at the centre of Chamisa’s crises.
