Maravi

(TALKZIMBABWE) Wither the crumbling MDC?

Wither the crumbling MDC?
By: Comment by Peter Chimutsa
Posted: Wednesday, October 6, 2010 3:55 am

THE Movement for Democratic Change has become isolated, tired, and is fast losing relevance and credibility in Zimbabwean politics. Events are threatening to make the MDC-T led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai a target for caricature against its claim of being a "party of excellence". Mr Tsvangirai's caricature is one of a politician too small for the job of president.

A recent statement by maverick veteran politician Edgar Tekere advising the two MDC formations to join hands "to topple" President Mugabe cannot even resuscitate the fledgeling fortunes of the two formations.

The formations are devoid of clear ideology and a clear agenda for Zimbabwe; and we know if they join hands sooner or later they will be juggling with colliding messages.

In any case, no one believes Welshman Ncube will sit at the dinner table with Mr Tsvangirai. These two are two bitters in a dish and don't trust each other.

Welshman will be discarded as quickly as he will be embraced; and Mr Tsvangirai will be taken to task on various dubious policy positions.

The MDC-T has failed to take advantage of being in power to learn basic skills of statecraft and diplomacy.

The collateral damage from this is severe. They will never be able to govern on their own if they cannot learn fast.

All MDC structures are fast crumbling and Mr Tsvangirai's weariness is now very evident. He is now just full of soundbites that shock even his staunchest supporters.

At a recent meeting with businessmen where he denied the existence of sanctions, Mr Tsvangirai looked sheepish, low spirited and dejected.

MDC politicians, if they are not involved in some form of firefighting in their structures, are mainly sulking over issues of administration: the appointments of Dr Gideon Gono, Attorney General Johannes Tomana and Roy Bennett.

They have nothing concrete to offer and now just wait in wings to criticise Zanu-PF whenever it comes up with a new policy.

Finance Minister Tendai Biti is also showing signs of weariness.

He has become a shadow of his former self, less vocal and less brush. The finance ministry has wearied him -- hence his confusion on figures; and economic strategy.

The MDC policy chief, Eddie Cross, has completely resigned from frontline politics prefering to nudge Mr Tsvangirai from the "backbench".

The party's treasurer Roy Bennett has crawled back to oblivion (somewhere outside Zimbabwe), hoping to mount yet another useless verbiage against the legal system that acquitted him.

He has abandoned the portfolio that he never had.

Other MDC-T politicians seem to have gone into "hiding" or simply retreated as they have absolutely nothing to offer Zimbabweans -- or are simply overshadowed by Tsvangirai's ineptitude and flip flops. Whenever they speak, they sound dubious and needy.

The West is also showing less interest in the MDC. Mr Tsvangirai has proved an unreliable and difficult proxy to deal with, and is now a liability rather than an asset.

Mr Tsvangirai's globetrotting has ground to a halt. Not one Western country believes anything he says anymore; neither do they believe he has the capacity to outsmart, outwit and therefore replace President Mugabe.

The regional Southern African Development Community group is showing less patience with a party that does not know why it exists in the first place. Even Kenya's Raila Odinga has now "defected" from the MDC-T.

MDC structures outside the country (especially England and Wales) have completely crumbled and Harvest House is a "ghost town". In the diaspora it's now embarassing to mention that you are an MDC loyalist; any MDC. Non-political groups seem to have taken over the former role of the MDC-T.

Mutambara's MDC is now just a department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with its unelected leadership always out of the country somewhere.

There is a bigger danger lurking for the MDC-T and its starting with an angry backlash from supporters.

Online media is full of MDC-T criticism, and Mr Tsvangirai and his cabal will find it hard to shake off the caricature characters that are being created of them in cyberspace.

The contours of Zimbabwean politics have shifted to a degree unthinkable only a year ago. The MDCs have not woken up to this.

They are complacent, tired, intellectually challenged and bereft of clear ideas on how to lift Zimbabweans out of their problems.

Apart from boycotting funerals, wanting a go at naming heroes, making noise on pirate radio stations and flip flopping on constitutional issues, the MDCs have no clear strategy for winning power.

Unfortunately donors have poured their money down the drain by betting on a limping horse.

It's unlikely they will do that again.

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Peter Chimutsa can be reached via peterchimutsa *** yahoo.com

Labels: EDGAR TEKERE, MDC

posted by MrK @ 12:15 PM