Maravi

(TALKZIMBABWE) MDC and the long bumpy ride

MDC and the long bumpy ride
Dr. Lovemore Magore — Opinion
Thu, 29 Jan 2009 22:17:00 +0000

DEAR EDITOR — There have been many D-Days in the Zimbabwean power-sharing negotiations; but I consider today the “Mother of All D-Days” because the MDC-T party has to decide on whether to join the all-inclusive Government or not.

There are very few options left for the opposition party after the long months of globe-trotting and diplomacy have led the party to the same position they started: in Zimbabwe.

There were calls earlier on in the negotiation process for the opposition to keep the debate at home; but they opted for ratcheting up pressure from elsewhere, and remaining mum on the disastrous sanctions. They opted for a ‘diplomatic offensive’ that only proved ineffectual at the end.

I hope that those who advise the MDC-T party will ensure that when they join, if they join, the all-inclusive Government, they will put ‘National Interest’ at the forefront of all their party and individual aspirations and considerations.

I am sure many people will agree with me that, regardless of how they view this transitional arrangement, the MDC-T party will never be the same again as they enter into Government. New alliances and allegiances will be formed and new power centres will emerge.

The business of running a country is very different from opposition politics and unilateral decision-making, and knee-jerk statements by the leadership will naturally come to an end. The decisions made by Government will be collective and the responsibility will also be collective. The unscheduled foreign trips and individual statements will be a thing of the past; as the business of governing the country will be conducted by the collective.

The leadership within the MDC-T party will soon come to realise that power resides in many places and not necessarily where they thought it would reside.

In two or three years time (or however long the transitional period will last), the fabric of the MDC-T party and the nature of its demands will have been fundamentally altered.

The individuals that are critical of Government policy at this juncture will be targets of criticism themselves. They will find out how difficult it is to distribute limited resources to the satisfaction of the masses. They will find out how difficult it is to root out corruption and alter people's values.

The party now has to brace itself for a long and bumpy political ride; but we all nevertheless applaud them for the efforts made thus far to join the all-inclusive Government. That was the only way to extricate our people from the disastrous effects of the sanctions imposed on our country.

Dr. Lovemore Magore
Chicago, IL

Labels: MDC

posted by MrK @ 4:20 AM