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(TALKZIMBABWE) MDC-T creating a 'monster' in Tsvangirai

MDC-T creating a 'monster' in Tsvangirai
By: Tendai Midzi
Posted: Friday, January 7, 2011 4:09 am

Choice is an important freedom, especially in the world of politics. In Zimbabwean politics, I will be the first to admit, we lack that choice and that freedom. The MDC-T is now part of the inclusive Government, so that choice evaporated with the inclusive Government.

However, put the inclusive Government aside for one moment. You discover that there was not that much choice to start with anyway; or should I say a credible alternative to Zanu-PF, both in terms of policy and ideology. It is a truism that many people who supported the MDC-T in Zimbabwe did so in protest against Zanu-PF.

In the Diaspora, especially in England, many "MDC-T supporters" found an opportunity to "create evidence" in support of their "asylum claims" by declaring that they were MDC-T supporters.

This is why Morgan Tsvangirai was heckled and booed when he came to the UK in 2008 and asked Zimbabweans to come home.

He has never been to the UK since. He got the shock of his life.

He failed to understand the rationale behind the "support" that the MDC-T was getting from diasporans.

It was predicated on the need to rationalise and extend their stay in the UK, on the pretext that as MDC-T supporters they faced "persecution from Mugabe" if they returned home.

Many successful "asylum seekers", who were subsequently granted British citizenship, are now returning home on holiday with their British passports.

They want to reconnect with their people, their ancestors and pay their respects to those who departed when they were in foreign lands. They connect with those that were born when they were away.

The MDC-T has lost this constituency of supporters. They were never MDC-T supporters in the first place and deep down they knew that. Those who really believed some of the fabrications by the MDC-T, returned home and saw a different picture.

They saw a mixture of things. They saw a battered country on the mend, but a vibrant people. They saw a Zimbabwe moving forward despite the trials and tribulations of the last decade.

Even the West that imposed sanctions wants a piece of the business action in Zimbabwe. Remember Enterprise Zimbabwe and various other so-called potential investors; despite Mugabe's alleged "intransigency".

By now these erstwhile supporters of the MDC-T and the world have learned about that party's duplicity and vacuousness.

After reading some of the concocted reports on Zimbabwe, many returnees have since become curious about which Zimbabwe the MDC has been talking about for close to a decade.

Some of those ZImbabweans who have been away too long now form various Diaspora organisations "to engage with Zimbabwe".

They think they have the solution, yet they fled when the going got tough in Zimbabwe.

Those that stayed kept the country together; yet they are seen as clueless by these returnees who want to reconstruct the country.

The sanctions, however, have enabled Zimbabweans to be more resourceful and entrepreneurial.

The West has lost an opportunity to benefit from the abundant resources of Zimbabwe: gold, platinum, diamonds, chrome, etc.

The best the West can do is to try and block Zimbabwe's sale of diamonds, extend sanctions, and concoct more stories about "human rights violations".

The period of lies and fabrications is, however, coming to an end as things normalise in Zimbabwe; especially after the end of the Blair-Brown project and the exit of George Bush.

These people had kept the anti-Zimbabwe campaign alive and well, to suit their own agendas.

The MDC has no solid allies anymore. They are even looking West, like their nemesis Zanu-PF.

The world has moved on even Violet Gonda cannot sit on the Hot Seat.

Even Roy Bennett's Paris speech on Zanu-PF and President Mugabe went almost unrecognised. Bennett has become angrier and louder, yet his impact has dwindled.

Tsvangirai is not the hot boy that he used to be internationally.

Those political analysts who had aligned themselves with the MDC-T are slowly withdrawing from the public arena and sneaking in and out of Zimbabwe to realign their priorities.

They write less opinion pieces and talk more about football, travel, society and other non-political issues.

The so-called "crisis in Zimbabwe" is no longer a profitable business or a source of work. People are finding real jobs now.

Former political analysts now talk about Diaspora re-engagement and have now remembered that they are technocrats or scholars afterall.

Even the brash John Makumbe is now practicing self-censorship by silencing himself.

Yet the internet has stored their previous contributions. Their predictions of Zanu-PF's demise fell by the wayside.

Those contributions are now fit for the museum, as they sound ridiculous if re-read in the current context.

Those who had "crossed the line" by alleging that certain individuals in Zanu-PF were murderers, without proof, are wary of returning home.

They fear that which they know not.

They fear the imaginary monster they created in the media.

They now spend time on Facebook admiring photographs of those who go in and out of Zimbabwe.

Their jealousy and envy becomes apparent when they come across pictures of those people who are buying properties and businesses in Zimbabwe.

Even erstwhile and exiled businessmen who had taken citizenship elsewhere now want a piece of the Zimbabwe action; even before Mugabe's departure.

The MDC-T is clutching onto its empty rhetoric during the day, and enjoying the benefits of being in government at night.

MDC-T ministers arrive at rallies in government vehicles and castigate that same government.

They go on foreign trips and castigate Zanu-PF ministers, who travel less because of sanctions, for spending too much on foreign trips.

No-one knows what Tsvangirai does on a daily basis or his two deputies.

Once in a while Tsvangirai comes out and says something negative about those he leads in the Council of Ministers.

Then reverts to his hole, only to resurface when Zanu-PF introduces another policy that he is against.

The MDC-T spends time plotting or writing the pieces for the PM's Newsletter.

They plot how to take power from Zanu-PF and how to extend their tenure in government, with or without Zanu-PF.

"We are not ready for elections" they say, exactly on the day that news reports say 70% of the electorate wants elections.

Who are they speaking on behalf of?

The MDC-T party has few commentators now. Even die-hard Tsvangirai supporters are now holing themselves up.

The MDC-T was built on that shaky ground (on various misfortunes of Zanu-PF), and has to shake the ground to exist.

But times have moved on. People have wised up and can see through the lies: the lies that the MDC-T will publish the assets of all their leaders, that they will increase civil servants' pay to a living wage.

Time does amazing things.

A week in politics is a long time. Ten years of the same old useless rhetoric from the MDC-T is debilitating, nauseating and monotonous.

There is simply no political choice in Zimbabwe, because many people do not know what the MDC-T is: a pressure group, an NGO, a political party or simply a hodge-podge of opposing interests.

People now don't really know what they will get by voting MDC-T.

The MDC-T is creating a monster in Tsvangirai by openly violating its own Constitution, extending his tenure and making him a demi-god.

That monster will 'bite' them one day.

The tell-tale signs are already there.

The highest position now in the MDC-T that one can strive for is Deputy President of the Party.

Tsvangirai will occupy the top post till pigs fly.

That is no choice for Zimbabweans; only for the MDC-T and its thinning support base.

That is why many of them are returning to the revolutionary party. Back to basics!

______________________
Tendai Midzi writes from the UK. He can be contacted via Tendai Midzi writes from the UK. He can be contacted via tendaimidzi1@yahoo.com

Labels: DIASPORA, MDC, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI

posted by MrK @ 11:06 AM