Maravi

(TALKZIMBABWE) MDC chain of command in tatters

MDC chain of command in tatters
Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:01:00 +0000

THE chain-of-command within the MDC-T party is in shambles. This is no longer a matter of opinion, but of fact. Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai simply does not hold that party together. The number of statements issued in his absence, which made a mockery of his trip, are simply astounding.

Yesterday I attended a London Monday MDC Forum, a weekly event by the MDC, where Ms Sekai Holland our Minister of National Healing and Reconciliation was in presence. I could not tell whether she was speaking as a Cabinet minister, an opposition activist or simply as Sekai Hove, Richard Hove's sister.

Having known her for at least 20 years I was not shocked by her abruptness and her failure to dissect issues strategically. She denied that she had made a statement to the BBC this month.

We all saw the video, but that is not the issue here. The issue is how could she issue such a statement to the BBC without a mandate from the party?

The statement made the Prime Minister's state visit very difficult as he had to defend that statement at every occassion during his trip, than answer important questions about the inclusive Government.

It is not surprising, therefore, that PM Tsvangirai did not focus solely on the mandate given by President Mugabe and Cabinet -- calling for the lifting of sanctions and re-engaging the EU and US. There was simply too much to deal with, most of it coming from the MDC-T party's utterances.

Various other decisions were made by his party in his absence which made his trip even more difficult: the decision to refer more matters to Sadc and the decision to boycott an important Cabinet meeting.

Several decisions have been made by the MDC-T party and ultimatums issued. I think the party now has a book of ultimatums, boycotts and threats that have amounted to nothing.

The problem is that the party needs a chain-of-command and that chain needs to be respected.

Zanu PF, PF Zapu and many other parties that came before the MDC had the benefit of having military wings which helped shape their chain-of-command. They also had an ideology that shaped their way of thinking.

Within the MDC party everyone is an authority and there's a mumbo-jumbo of ideas. Interestingly even the second-in-command, Thokozani Khupe made decisions yesterday that threatened to break her party more than it threatened the inclusive Government.

PM Tsvangirai, a few days earlier had been quoted saying that he will win or fail together with President Mugabe; yet Khupe said her party reserved the right not to be part of the inclusive Government.

The party's chain-of-command is simply in tatters. We await to see if Khupe and the rest of the gang are going to boycott future Cabinet meetings if they are not held on the traditional Tuesday.

Labels: MDC, NEOCOLONIALISM, SEKAI HOLLAND

posted by MrK @ 3:39 PM