(NEWZIMBABWE) MDC-T contraditions hurting Zimbabwe

MDC-T contraditions hurting Zimbabwe
by Jambezi Ncube
01/02/2010 00:00:00

ZIMBABWE'S headline chasing Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party aligned to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has plunged into confusion with officials making conflicting public statements.

The level of desperation and confusion has reached unprecedented heights and now threatens party unity and with it, the hopes of many Zimbabweans for democracy and freedom.

Worried supporters are beginning to question MDC’s wisdom in pursuing unending “pending issue” negotiations, rising corruption in the party, and a lack of real power in the GNU. Civil servants are already threatening strikes and civil society is losing patience over delays in writing a new constitution.

The question is not whether or not the MDC are sincere. They say they are committed. What appears to be happening is what former South African President Nelson Mandela, two years ago, called “a failure of leadership in Zimbabwe.”

MDC are rushing to press with half cooked ideas, making unrealistic promises and signing deals they appear to have little understanding of.

When things fall apart, they quickly blame the notorious ZANU PF party of tyrant Robert Mugabe. Blunders and poor political judgements seem to be happening all the time with no lessons learnt.

A few weeks ago, PM Tsvangirai, implied there were no elections in 2011. This was in response to South African President Jacob Zuma who had appealed to Zimbabwean parties to the GPA to shelve some disagreement and work on constitution to allow for early elections. A number of MDC supporters praised Tsvangirai for his stand. But those that know Tsvangirai no longer trust what he says. He will say one thing in front of Zimbabweans, and another elsewhere. This issue of elections is no exception.

A few days ago, Finance Minister and MDC Secretary General Tendai Biti warned that: "if there is a fear that there is arrested development on the things that gave rise to (the government) such as democratization, writing of a new constitution and economic reforms, it (inclusive government) will collapse.”

But as soon as Tsvangirai landed in Davos, Switzerland, two days later on the 28th January, he told a group of journalists that he expected that the referendum on the new constitution of Zimbabwe would be in October leading to new elections in 2011.

More interestingly Tsvangirai invited foreign investors to Zimbabwe reassuring them that "the inclusive government process is a process which is irreversible.”

Assuring investors and donors that the country was not sliding back into chaos, PM Tsvangirai added that: "Certainly the country is moving forward and this is a time to look at the country in a more positive light."

In another part of the world and almost at the same time, Tsvangirai’s party spokesman Nelson Chamisa was giving radio interviews, one to Radio VOP in which he noted that there was no progress and the GNU and GPA were on stretcher beds.

Chamisa said of the crisis following ZANU PF’s announcement that no further concessions were feasible: “One way forward to resolve this is for our guarantors to come ascertain the status of this marriage certificate which is now in tatters. We appeal to our guarantors to intervene and help us agree to disagree and find and locate exit points to this political logjam.”

So you have three senior figures in the party giving conflicting statements about the same situation. Who should Zimbabweans believe? Who should foreign investors believe?

Then there is the case of white Bulawayo legislator Eddie Cross. Unconfirmed reports said he had been suspended after writing and saying things in public that did not reflect party policy. Predictably, the clash, if true, will be on what MDC’s policy is on land and farm invasion.

Cross is believed to be on the side of white farmers who have lost their farms because of Mugabe regime’s land grab.

The official MDC position is found in the agreement they signed with ZANU PF, the Global political Agreement (GPA) of 15th September 2008. Article 5.1 of the said agreement, praised as the best for Zimbabwe by PM Tsvangirai, describes white ownership of land in Zimbabwe as “... colonial racist ... not only unsustainable, but against national interest, equity and justice.”

The hammer blow for Cross and other white Zimbabweans is the emphasis by the MDC and their partners in the circus GNU that compulsory land acquisition done violently by Mugabe and his cronies since 2000 is irreversible. Nothing is going to be done about it. This explains why MDC leaders have not been able to conduct themselves in a manner that demonstrates a commitment to stop farm invasions since joining hands with Mugabe.

This is contrary to what the MDC has preached for years.
There is no doubt that MDC got the support of the West and white Zimbabweans on the promise that the party would deliver on issues of land and address their distress over property rights. Eddie Cross and Roy Bennett have been at the fore-front, ensuring that these commitments are not reneged on. They have worked their socks-off for the party.

Now that Tsvangirai is in Government, he is going back on the promise to address the issues for this important constituency.

Still, this is not new about PM Tsvangirai.
Between 2000 and 2005, when the bulk of MDC leadership were from Matabeleland and the Midlands, Tsvangirai promised to deal with Gukurahundi and address developmental imbalances relative to Matebeleland regions.

But, in October 2005, in what others have called a moment of democratic madness, Tsvangirai split the party after refusing to accept the outcome of a constitutional and democratic vote he had called.

From that moment on, Tsvangirai rubbed Matabeleland issues off his agenda. He no longer speaks about Gukurahundi. He no longer talks about Mugabe, Perence Shiri and others facing justice for genocide; rather defending them and erroneously claiming that Zimbabwe cannot progress to democracy without them.

If there was any doubt by those who were thinking twice about rejoining ZAPU, Tsvangirai showed his attitude to Matabeleland by ignoring MPs from the region when the gravy train and jobs for the boys in the GNU came by.

There comes a time in a human being’s life when patience wanes, tolerance becomes compromised and trust evaporates.

When MDC signed the GPA, it was obvious to all that they had been out-manoeuvred by Mugabe. The deal was necessary, yes, but not its form.

When MDC brought the signed GPA document to their masters in the West, they were told to renegotiate. This to their credit, they did that immediately leading to the SADC additions in January 2009. But because they are playing catch up all the time, they are still renegotiating the deal, 18 months after signing. They call this process, outstanding issues.

If there was anything the MDC leadership will be legends for, it is their lack of capacity to understand politics and diplomacy. This has nothing to do with Tsvangirai’s well known lack of education. He should have advisors and teams of experts that wear political binoculars to see beyond Harvest House. Instead, MDC recklessly talk themselves into trouble and confusion all the time. This is usually in search of headline stories as well as to score political points.

Before, this involved lying about their involvement with those on the wrong end of the boulevard. They did that by dissociating themselves from that Kariba draft that they co-authored and signed on the 30th September 2007. The Kariba draft today still remains a deliberate appendix to the GPA document. If they have nothing to do with it, why is it not an outstanding issue to unclip the Kariba draft from the GPA?

This has been followed by MDC’s confusing position on the issue of sanctions. At times they deny there are any sanctions at all.

Depending on who they are addressing, they acknowledge sanctions are there but are not their responsibility. Now the British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth David Miliband appears to “helpfully” clarify the issue by saying: “In respect of sanctions, (on Zimbabwe) we have made it clear ... We have to calibrate our response to the progress on the ground, and, above all, to be guided by what the MDC says to us about the conditions under which it is working and leading the country.”

So first, the Rt Honourable Secretary of State acknowledges that there are sanctions. Secondly he tells us that the MDC provides guidance to the British, and it is this guidance that will have a bearing on whether the sanctions are lifted or not.

I have not said here, whether or not the sanctions should be lifted. All I am doing is expose the circus and confusion, dishonesty within MDC ranks. ZANU PF, for their role in the Zimbabwean crisis deserves to be condemned, but MDC are beginning to breed and feed problems that will hatch into their downfall.

MDC accepted in Article 4 of the GPA that Zimbabwe was under sanctions. They also claimed that in 4.5 “... the consequent contribution of this isolation to the further decline of the economy.”

Most Zimbabweans would be more comfortable disagreeing with the MDC and ZANU PF view. Zimbabwe is in the crisis it is now because it has been poorly governed. Dictatorship, discrimination, economic incompetency, farm invasions and abuse of human rights has brought Zimbabwe to this point.

How about a referendum on whether sanctions on Mugabe and his cronies should stay? That would give MDC an opportunity to campaign publicly for a yes or no vote. After the process, no one will be left confused by this flip flop.

The MDC led by PM Tsvangirai does not appear to know what they are doing. They are repeatedly plunging themselves and Zimbabwe into political sewage. When people tell them it was a mistake, they then seek to spin their way out of the mess, by abusing young Chamisa’s eloquence, and ability to create phrases never heard before. Yes beautiful words put together but in the end meaningless.

Politics needs strategic thinkers, risk assessors who can see beyond the hills. MDC need to revise their blind sticks or their guide dogs. Time is running out for MDC with ZAPU gaining ground all the time. Otherwise, like others, Tsvangirai will go down in history as one of those who came so near to the State House but only thus, near.

The Zimbabwe crisis cannot continue to be prolonged because of failure of leadership. This is hurting the ordinary people. It has been more than ten years and many deaths, since the MDC promised to “get rid of Mugabe.”

In Africa, if a man fails to impregnate his lovely wife, village elders organise capable men to do it instead. ZAPU has already delivered liberation for Zimbabwe through ZIPRA and the leadership of the late Lookout Masuku, Dr Dumiso Dabengwa and Dr Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo.

I understand that of all Zimbabwean political parties, ZAPU is the only one that has always had a workable and equitable land policy. Maybe it is time that people begin to talk to them about bold strategies they might have to deliver Zimbabwe from this mess.

Chief Jambezi Ncube can be contacted at Jambezi7 *** gmail.com