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(TALKZIMBABWE) Mutambara-Ncube wrangle – is it not a matter of commonsense?

Mutambara-Ncube wrangle – is it not a matter of commonsense?
By: Nancy Nyamhunga
Posted: Tuesday, February 15, 2011 8:46 am

MOST of Zimbabwe’s learned elite lack sound judgement outside areas of their acquired specialism – common sense.

It is not clear whether this is due to the fact that these learned citizens spend much of their early years, teenage years and early adulthood reading books to achieve academic success, and perhaps as they progress in their adult lives, they always hold the view that the world should only function through given formulae.

In early years learning there is model that encourages children to learn through play. It is designed to equip children with problem-solving skills independently in any given situation and as they progress into adulthood, they will be fully aware that any problem that arise, will have to be resolved on its own merit, rather than using a uniform template, because factors never remain constant.

The hullabaloo engulfing the MDC –M leadership wrangle is a good example of how not to use templates in resolving problems.

Professor Ncube is correct that democratically he must now represent his party as Deputy Prime Minister. For argument's sake, we will ignore the grievances of those party members who are challenging his election to his party’s highest leadership post. Using the “western democratic” model, Professor Ncube must be allowed to occupy the DPM post in the GNU because he is now the leader in MDC-M.

But in the national context, there is a problem. MDC-M, as represented by Mutambara has been providing the crucial mediatory role between President Mugabe and Prime Minister Tsvangirai, the two main political opponents in Zimbabwean politics, and that enabled the inclusive Government to run smoothly.

Mutambara has been able to provide this role because both President Mugabe and PM Tsvangirai trusted him, or at least, gave him the benefit of doubt, and as such his role has stabilised the GNU for this long.

Prof Ncube cannot provide this crucial role given his background.

He was rightly or wrongly fingered for the MDC -2005 split and MDC-T will never trust him.

Zanu PF also do not seem to trust Ncube, given that his was accused of being one of the legal brains behind the sanctions document, the so-called Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic RecoverY Act (ZDERA) before the split of the original MDC.

If you add this background to his current views on the indigenisation of the economy, it is hard to predict his future intentions.

Given that both Zanu PF and MDC-T do not trust Professor Ncube, it will be impossible for the inclusive Government to function if he assumes the DPM's post. Is it not a matter of common sense?

*Nancy Nyamhunga writes from Leicester, England. She can be reached via nancydmu@yahoo.co.uk

Labels: ARTHUR MUTAMBARA, MDC-M, NANCY NYAMHUNGA, WELSHMAN NCUBE

posted by MrK @ 6:07 PM