Chamisa's UK baptism of fire exposes lies, lack of depth

MDC-T and MDC Alliance leader, Nelson Chamisa, left for the United Kingdom last weekend amid ad nasueam announcements from his supporters who saw it as an endorsement or "stepping up the ladder of their leader." One public lecture and BBC Hardtalk interview later, the UK trip turned out to be one Chamisa will be in a hurry to forget as, instead of announcing him majestically on the international political scene, it exposed him as a compulsive liar who has no clear policies nor direction as to where he wants to take the country if he were to be elected to power.

At Chatham House, Chamisa's fist diplomatic gaffe was to attack his hosts for "aligning themselves with one political party in Zimbabwe" , read ZANU PF. "We have seen that there has been a bit of a shift on the part of the British government in terms of focusing more on political stability and trade and commerce at the expense of democracy. But that is a false narrative; you can never have stability without democracy. We expect Britain and the EU to speak for free and fair elections. There's a very disturbing trend in the context of the British government in Zimbabwe. We're seeing the inclination to align with one political party against another. That is disturbing, particularly in terms of the issue of just setting the basic standard for free and fair elections," Chamisa obliviously rambled on.

Instead of focusing on presenting his party's alternatives, Chamisa concentrated on blasting ZANU PF and President Emmerson Mnangagwa, which has always been the opposition's campaign card. He forgot that he was addressing a neutral audience which had no reason to get excited over ZANU PF's bashing and was interested in hearing a sound policy pitch. Summarising Chamisa's presentation at Chatham, Professor of African History with special interest in Zimbabwe, Diana Jeater said "the MDC Alliance is undergoing generational renewal. I had heard great things about Chamisa as an orator. So I arrived expecting to be impressed and encouraged. Alas, I left unimpressed and discouraged. Overall, Chamisa came across as out of his depth, over-excited about the idea of winning an election but failing to recognise the seriousness of what happens after the counting is finished."

Chamisa's next attempt at international grandeur was his appearance on BBC's Hardtalk programme where he surely learnt that while hyperboles and populist statements might get crowds excited at rallies, it's a different ball game altogether when in sober critical company. The interview, which must have been excruciating to watch for his supporters, ended up being a lie-swallowing affair for Chamisa as he was forced to admit to his lies and set the record straight on a number of tales he has been spinning back home, notably that he met United States President, Donald Trump and the latter promised him US$ 15 billion.  

He was also forced to retract his earlier statements that he would chase away Chinese investors from the country if he got into power, after BBC anchor, Steven Sucker, pointed out the folly of chasing away one of the country's biggest investor. Regarding Chamisa's promise to solve the liquidity crisis, Sucker had no kind words for Chamisa, stating that "you said you would change Zimbabwe's liquidity crisis in 2 weeks... that's nonsense. ...that is beyond nonsense...That's just complete Alice in Wonderland."

As Chamisa heads back home today, amid reports that his supporters are gathering at the Robert Mugabe International Airport to comfort him, one hopes that the young man has learnt a thing or two from his UK escapade and will going forward, spew common sense.