Maravi

(TALKZIMBABWE) Welcome to the season of MDC-engineered disturbances

Welcome to the season of MDC-engineered disturbances
By: Sihle Dube
Posted: Wednesday, February 9, 2011 12:54 am

IT has now become commonplace that whenever elections are around the corner, there is violence in Zimbabwe.

While Zanu-PF has been blamed for pushing for early elections, it does not make sense, to the reasonable person, that the same party should be pursuing a violent campaign prior to those same elections.

The interesting bit is that the MDC-T, while fighting against elections this year, is blaming Zanu-PF for targetting it, prior to the elections.

A reasonable person would see this as problemmatic, but I guess reasonableness is now very rare in Zimbabwe.

What is also interesting is the self-fulfilling prophecy by Tendai Biti that there will be a bloodbath in Zimbabwe just before elections. This is becoming true by the day.

This was a statement that dropped from heaven, made at a time when Zimbabwe was as peaceful as ever; and just after it became clear that President Mugabe was determined to have the elections this year.

Last year, it was Nelson Chamisa who made the prediction. I guess we have soothsayers and fortune-tellers within the MDC-T. Unfortunately, they cannot predict when the people of Zimbabwe are going to be economically independent.

Word on the street in Harare, Mkokoba, Gwanda, Tsholotsho and Bulawayo, where I visited the past month, is that the MDCs would lose elections to Zanu-PF if they were soon.

They simply do not have an election manifesto or agenda or message to carry to the people.

The MDCs have opposed everything that seeks to improve the material wellbeing of the Zimbabwean: land reform, indigenisation, etc.


Unfortunately, the electorate has wised up and they have also witnessed the corruptibility of the MDC-T and its over-concentration on party positions and not policy issues in the inclusive Government.

Morgan Tsvangirai has become the 'black Pimpernel' who is only rarely seen in public. I guess this happens when one has no credible message.

Civil servants have been treated like animals by Finance Minister Tendai Biti. He has rudely remarked: "Do you expect me to squeeze money from a rock?” and "Show me where the money is and I can go and collect it”. Such arrogance might get him past one meeting, but will not win him votes at the next election.

Minister responsible for the public service, Eliphas Mukonoweshuro has called civil servants "cry babies" for demanding salary incremements, yet if those people did not exist, he would have no ministry to run.

These issues have exposed the MDC-T.

The MDC-T wants violence so that they can have something to talk about. Their policies have always been predicated on violence. That's all they talk about at election time.

Their list of subjects to talk about has been narrowed down as media organisations have been registered (others not publishing still), economy on the mend and power is being shared.

They cannot talk about the civil service and salaries as they control those ministries. They cannot talk about local governance as their corrupt officials have been exposed.

They can only hope for more violence. Their talk, on any international platform, is about violence. They have no brains to talk about anything else. All other subjects are beyond their comprehension.

Meanwhile, Professor Welshman Ncube is dogged by insurmountable problems in his MDC-N party with Mutambara breathing behind his neck, holding onto DPM power.

Police Commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena has pointed out that the MDC is involved in acts of violence. This call has remained largely unreported in anti-Government media, and the MDC-T has dismissed the claims.

While the MDC can get international leverage over such stories, the people at home know the truth. That is why all calls for civil disobedience and violent protests by the MDC-T have hit a brickwall.

The voters cannot be fooled anymore.

While MDC-T can dismiss WikiLeaks revelations as "wikilies" they are being churned out at an alarming rate and sooner or later they will start resonating with the public.

Groups that have purported to represent the people now seem wearied. In Gwanda, where I spent sometime this last month, the MDCs are non-existent and the people wonder what happened to all the promises.

Tsholotsho is blooming. Professor Jonathan Moyo, in spite of lack of adequate resources, is working and bringing change in that place. This is bearing fruit there.

To his credit, Education Minister David Coltart, has brought development to his constituency and he is loved there.

This is what representatives of the people do, not plot their suffering to remove one political party.

*Sihle Dube writes from the United Kingdom where she is a lawyer and banker. She can be contacted via: sihledube *** hotmail.co.uk

Labels: 2011 ELECTIONS, MDC, MDC VIOLENCE

posted by MrK @ 7:28 PM