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(TALKZIMBABWE) Lessons learnt from MDC-T disengagement

Lessons learnt from MDC-T disengagement
Bhekizulu Sibanda - Opinion
Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:19:00 +0000

DURING the past three weeks the MDC-T has managed to put the country on the spotlight with their presumptuous disengagement, giving those prophets of doom the satisfaction that the GPA would not last.

The SADC Troika managed to break the impasse which saw the Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai together with his lieutenants attend cabinet after three weeks of self imposed ban.

I am sure that the MDC must have learnt some hard lessons from their disengagement, which was widely opposed across the board. The disengagement did not have any consequential effects on Zanu PF as a party.

In fact, it remained business as usual and had the impasse continued, the President had a mandate to appoint acting Ministers who were prepared to attend cabinet in order to deliberate issues for progress.

It would have been catastrophic for the president to watch the nation go without a National Budget because the Finance Minister has deliberately failed to bring it before a Cabinet committee as is constitutionally required because of the disengagement.

In the Finance Minister’s own words, the disengagement created a constitutional crisis, which damped the moods of investors resulting in the fall of prices on the stock exchange.

Biti has, on several occasions, pointed out that for one to be a good Finance Minister one has to be honest, hardworking and be able to make good choices.

I will not comment on his hard working aspect, but I doubt his ability to make good choices. The decision to disengage was the worst thought out form of protest ever.

MDC-T are partners in the inclusive Government and if they have genuine causes to address, they should learn to face their counterparts in government head-on and call for their issues to be resolved, instead of hastily convening press conferences and announcing their decisions through the media.

Government does not function through the press. Tsvangirai has unlimited access to the Head of State and he should use that forum.

They should know that the responsibility bestowed on the MDC-T by the GPA was to govern as partners with Zanu PF and not consign them back to the status of an opposition party benT on engaging in boycotts and all sorts of disruptive behavior.

MDC should realise that disengagement from Cabinet was immature because Cabinet is not Zanu PF. The role of Cabinet is to collectively decide the government’s policy and tactical direction, especially with regards to legislation passed by Parliament.

Cabinet members are collectively responsible for all government policies.

MDC-T should be able to separate party politicking and national governance if they are to remain credible and relevant.

To have the Finance Minister say he almost failed to present the National Budget because he was bound by the Principles of the party first which did not allow him to take the budget to the cabinet committees is unfortunate.

The MDC-T party should know that Biti is a Finance Minister for Zimbabwe first and cannot hold a whole nation at ransom simply because of some ill-conceived Cabinet boycott over the arrest of one Roy Bennet.

Their role in government is beyond politics and I am sure they will continue to be some areas of divergence during the life span of the GPA, but the MDC-T should not compromise the proper functioning of government in order to have their issues resolved.

Let it be known today that the Cabinet withdrawal was ill advised; the outcome from the Sadc Troika could have been achieved without any hullabaloo, because the communiqué continues to promote positive engagement through dialogue.

As a face saver, the MDC-T should devote their energy to more demanding affairs of state, such as availing food for the poor, job creation for the millions of unemployed and work towards achieving better delivery of education and health services as they purport to represent.

Since their inception in government, their attention has remained transfixed on "jobs for the boys" instead of dealing with issues that fundamentally affect the welfare of the majority of the long-suffering people that voted them into office.

Until such time the MDC sees itself as partners in the GPA, they will never be able to address sticking points in the agreement with maturity.

Until such time is reached, we will continue seeing them running to Sadc, and addressing issues through press conferences each time there is a crisis.

Unfortunately these are not the leaders Zimbabweans deserve, people expect leaders who believe in themselves and can fight for what they believe in, not those who are always talking of quitting or boycotts that is so archaic.

Labels: MDC, SADC

posted by MrK @ 4:28 PM