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(TALKZIMBABWE) No change in the ‘party of change’

No change in the ‘party of change’
By Our reporter at 2 May, at 02 : 50 AM Print
Comment by Tendai Midzi

THE MDC-T party was built on a change agenda but ended its third Congress yesterday with no change, real change.

The same old faces have remained at the helm of the party, despite claims that they are a progressive party and “party of excellence”. We will see the same faces in the media, preaching the same old rhetoric about change.

Morgan Tsvangirai has been leader of that party for 12 years, and will have led it for 17 years at their next Congress.

The party can no longer be viewed as a party of change; except for the little change that occurs each time anyone who challenges Tsvangirai or anyone in his camp, is chopped from an influential party or Government position.

Elias Mudzuri is one such person, who has been well-known to be a ‘silent critic’ of Tsvangirai. He’s gone.

The MDC-T Congress, in fact, retained much of the MDC-T deadwood: Theresa Makone as Women’s Assembly leader and Nelson Chamisa who has not brought any ‘fireworks’ in government that he promised back in 2008.

MDC-T deputy president Thokozani Khupe, secretary general Tendai Biti and national chairman Lovemore Moyo retained their positions. The performance of the first two in government is in the public domain.

The MDC-T even elected ‘unopposed’ an absentee, Roy Bennett, who has become a token ‘symbol of resistance’ for the party. He has been used as a sign that “Zanu-PF is a racist party” that does not even want to swear in a white man as minister. Of course that is hogwash.

Bennett is more like a token that MDC-T is an inclusive party, to appease the donors who are increasingly getting wearied and fatigued. Even the loudmouthed Eddie Cross is nowhere to be seen. All the white members of the MDC-T have either been sidelined or have simply eased out of the party, having lost confidence in it.

In fact, the MDC-T party does not really know what to do with Bennett, who has become a loose cannon; vehemently opposing the “regime of Robert Mugabe” which includes the MDC-T, while at the same time remaining a treasurer-general of that same MDC-T.

He is ‘far away’ in London and Johannesburg (where he is tasked with raising funds for the broke party) away from the glare of the perks enjoyed by his party members in Government, whose waistlines have grown quicker than his in the last few years.

Interesting happenings in Zimbabwe, in the MDC-T, the party of excellence.

Tsvangirai is going nowhere. He is there to stay and that party is dead without him. That is now public knowledge, but he’s not adding value anymore to the party. Like Bennett, he is now a token leader, who once in a while, opposes the same president he reports to in the inclusive Government.

His latest rhetoric that he will make Zimbabwe a $100 billion economy in 30 years, growing 10 percent per year, is a sign of a man losing his marbles.

Interesting twist to the MDC-T elections, which were marred by a lot of irregularities and violence, was that they were presided over by the National Constitutional Assembly chairperson Professor Lovemore Madhuku.

Madhuku, like Tsvangirai, is increasingly losing his lustre. He also altered the NCA Constitution to secure his position. Both Tsvangirai’s MDC-T and Madhuku’s NCA now don’t have limits to the terms of their leaders, who are now demi-gods in their organisations.

The boys are back in town and what was, still is. No change in the so-called change party, or party of excellence.

Zimbabwean ‘opposition’ politics is going to be as boring and uneventful as it has been since the inclusive Government.

Officially the MDC-T is now the “status quo party”.

* Tendai Midzi can be reached via t.midzi01@yahoo.com. His views do not reflect the editorial policy of the Zimbabwe Guardian.

Labels: LOVEMORE MADHUKU, MDC, ROY BENNETT, THERESA MAKONE

posted by MrK @ 11:15 AM