By Charles Motsi
It is now a year since the nation voted in the 2018 harmonised elections and the whole country seems to be progressing serve for the main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), which remains in denial on the reality that they lost the election and refusing to move on with the rest of the world.
The issue of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s legitimacy is a foregone conclusion to the whole world as confirmed by how he has been accepted by all political players both regionally and internationally. However, the MDC remains adamant that they will not accept him as the President claiming that their president, Nelson Chamisa won the election. A claim that is held by that party alone.
Just yesterday MDC MPs walked out on President Mnangagwa as the Minister of Finance, Dr Mthuli Ncube, presented the mid-term supplementary budget. This exposed the MDC for its inconsistencies as they have had officials attend functions officiated by President Mnangagwa as the President of Zimbabwe. When the President officiated during the clean-up programs in Glen Norah and Chitungwiza both mayors, who are members of the MDC attended and gave their grievances to the President. This in itself shows that they acknowledged that President Mnangagwa is the Head of State.
Therefore, it was shocking to hear that they now say they still do not recognise President Mnangagwa. These childish antics have defiantly alienated the MDC from the electorate which expects progress and away from the election mode that does not support positive growth and the nation’s recovery process. The nation expects progress and not to be drown into political games that do not put food on the table. The electorate has demonstrated that it is fed up with MDC antics by refusing to buy into the opposition’s continued calls for further protests and demonstrations as evidenced by the failed Tajamuka stay-away in June 2019.
President Mnangagwa has time and time again reiterated that he is a listening President and this he proved by inviting opposition party leaders to dialogue with him and map a way forward for the nation. This resulted in the setting up of the Political Actors Dialogue (POLAD) which has already begun to work on solutions to problems bedevilling the nation. Unfortunately, due to ill advice on the MDC’s part they have refused to accept the hand of friendship extended to them by the Head of State. So, while the whole nation moves forward the MDC decided to stay locked in their own ignorance, a decision they surely regret.
The MDC is always mouthing off that they are a party of the people but election results have proved countless times that their claim is baseless. Even the regional partners that they claim to have are none existent and the support they used to enjoy from the West seems to have dried up as well.
When they held their Congress in May this year they almost failed to hold the event due to lack of funds and the absence of any regional solidarity speakers spoke volumes on their failure to attract any meaningful support regionally. SADC and the African Union (AU) have continued to ignore the MDC’s calls to involve them in Zimbabwe’s domestic affairs. This probably caused by the MDC’s refusal to accept democratic processed as highlighted by Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader, Julius Malema.
The MDC really should observe Malema’s sound advice when he said “Zimbabwean elections were smooth, peaceful and democratic. The opposition made victory pronouncements before and after, in turn inciting violence by only accepting a result which favoured them. You cannot anticipate results. It is unacceptable. Let us learn to accept democratic outcomes. Violence in Africa can never be a solution.”
The MDC’s secessionist policies have also aided in alienating them from the rest of the democratically elected governments in Africa. When African states fought off colonialism they acted as a single unit which was the strength that led to the liberation of the continent. Therefore, secessionist policies have no place in today’s Africa as it is a weakness that can be exploited by the former colonial masters.
As long as the MDC continues to fail to read the mood in the room they will remain perpetual losers and will never have the support they dream of having locally or anywhere else for that matter.
