(TALKZIMBABWE) Chamisa, please take a breather!

Chamisa, please take a breather!
Philip Murombedzi
Sat, 04 Oct 2008 10:03:00 +0000

I WONDER whether I am the only one concerned about the utterances of Nelson Chamisa, the MDC-T mouthpiece who has become a constant mourner and whiner and who has become almost predictable in manner of speech and use of memorised phrases and words.

Chamisa reminds me of High School days when we had to memorise Shakespeare to impress our teachers and fellow pupils or University Days when we used “big words” we had just learned. His language has become increasingly monotonous and nauseating. He is argumentative and lacks depth and often refers to the bad spirits of those his superiors signed a deal with. “Zanu PF is trying to swallows us as they did PF Zapu!” What is that Chamisa? The PF was born way before 1987. What history books are you reading? Have you been weaned yet?

He loves the media and his soundbites are characteristically childish and monotonous. He has almost become a joke in the Diaspora by his constant whining and childish responses to otherwise very serious questions requiring depth in response. When does this spokesman have time to reflect on issues or consult or simply take a breather? He refers to the March 29 elections as having been won by the MDC, yet criticizes Zanu PF for not respecting the rule of law. Take a pick, Nelson! Law or no law!

He exudes political youthfulness that misguides his judgment and his responses to serious questions are often knee-jerks that expose his inability to analyse issues in depth and find solutions to problems presented. He blames Zanu PF for spitting venom at the MDC, yet allows Lovemore Moyo to spit the same venom. Yes Moyo, who is now expected to be the impartial one after his plucking from MP to Speaker under very cloudy circumstances – which his ‘surname-sake’ Jonathan is challenging now, and rightly so!

Chamisa should realise that the process of change is like the growth of a baby from conception – it is a process that has to take its natural trajectory. It cannot be forced and no amount of verbiage will replace the natural progression of things. In politics you have to exercise caution and allow events to take their natural progression. The MDC is getting the PM, Deputy PM positions out of political expediency, not legalities of the electoral process and Nelson having received, and note received, a book prize from the UZ should be in a position to know this. Or should he?

He has said a lot of misguided statements that cannot be repeated here for their divisiveness – statements proving the MDC spokesman’s often hormonal response to issues of legal significance only serve to undermine the significance of those statements. For instance, he says the Zanu PF party is divided, yet in the same breath fails to explain the postponement of the Executive Committee meeting of the MDC that was supposed to chart the way forward after their imagined impasse! He fails to acknowledge the inconsistencies from the MDC camp spokesmen and leadership.

How can there be an impasse after you have appended a signature to more than one document? What did your principals think they were signing Chamisa? What is still there to be facilitated? Why did you append your signature before your current fresh demands? Isn’t this the political immaturity we are talking about?

It is interesting that Chamisa was sidelined in the aftermath of the harmonised elections of March 29 and MDC-T Secretary General, Tendai Biti took centre-stage and become the spokesman declaring myopically that, “Morgan Richard Tsvangirai is the new President of the Republic of Zimbabwe”.

We also saw another spokesman emerge by the name of George Sibotshiwe. He was dubbed “Tsvangirai’s Spokesman” but seemed to duplicate the work that Chamisa was doing. Now that the crucial period has passed (the election period) Chamisa again takes centre-stage with his usual knee-jerk statements.

I just hope that these so-called spokesmen could learn how to express themselves without the usual anti-Mugabe or anti-Zanu PF ranting. The National Question is bigger than Mugabe, than Zanu PF, FP Zapu or MDC and MDC has never identified itself with the “national”. If Zanu PF is guilty of such, then the MDC should not imitate that which it purports to criticize. The MDC should not sign a Memorandum of Understanding with that which it despises. It defies logic, any logic.

Some of us hope Nelson, like his European historical namesake Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, (famous for his Napoleonic conquests) will raise the Zimbabwean flag high. His namesake was a British flag officer, so he is becoming one also?

Well unlike our Nelson, the British Nelson was noted for his ability to inspire and bring out the best in his men, to the point that it gained a name: "The Nelson Touch". His actions during these wars and his heroic image as a one-armed, one-eyed patriot, ensured that before and after his death he was revered. I’m not sure if I can say the same about this one!

philipmurombedzi@yahoo.com