Opinion / Columnist
It is easy to blame Tsvangirai
14 Aug 2013 at 06:28hrs | Views
After monumental fraud of the harmonised elections, there has been a barrage of attacks aimed at Morgan Tsvangirai in particular and the MDC-T in general. While some isolated criticisms might be food for thought, the rest is just hogwash coming primarily from ZANU PF's misguided sycophants.
Such uninformed supporters, sympathisers or beneficiaries of decades of misgovernance could not imagine life without corruption, impunity, violence, lawlessness and abuse of state institutions, hence this sustained diatribe against the MDC. Forever, these blind zealots shall remain grateful and indebted to ZEC, Mudede, Nikuv as well as those gullible or desperate Zimbabweans that become willing tools of manipulation whenever there is an election.
Given what transpired on 31 July as well as on 14th and 15th of the same month during the chaotic special vote, anybody who strongly believes that we had a free and fair election must have their heard examined by a very competent neurologist today, tomorrow might be too late. Absence of physical violence alone is not necessarily an epitome of freeness and fairness.
How can there be a free and fair election when more than two hundred thousand Zimbabweans are assisted to vote in a country where the president said we were a beacon of literacy in Africa and beyond just a few days before the election? How do you have a free and fair election where more than three hundred thousand voters are turned away from the polling stations for reasons only known to ZEC? How do you have a free and fair election when more than half a million names are duplicated on the voters' roll? How do you have a free and fair election where a serving soldier aged 135 years casts a vote? How do you have a free and fair election when contesting parties have to go to court to get a copy of the voters' roll just hours before polling? How do you have a free and fair election when a party gets three thousand votes in a ward with six hundred residents? We can't be that stupid!
Reading on various media, a person who is not privy to our political developments could be forgiven for thinking that there was only one presidential candidate in this election. Everybody is talking about Tsvangirai as if Dumiso Dabengwa was not there. Was Welshman Ncube a candidate? What about Kisinoti Mukwazhe? Don't ask me who he is but his name was there on presidential ballots!
Some "analysts" and tireless parrots have started taunting Tsvangirai's education as well as personal looks. One thing those people conveniently forget is that we have had a leader with seven degrees but one who has turned hope into despair over the last three decades. "You have inherited the jewel of Africa, please don't destroy it" – to paraphrase Julius Nyerere when he congratulated President Mugabe at independence. This prophetic advice sadly fell on deaf ears.
Now every Tom and Dick is screaming "it is sanctions" even those who have no clue as to what sanctions are or how they work. Is it sanctions that caused 13 November 1997 when the Zimbabwe dollar crushed to unprecedented levels? Is it sanctions that sent our troops to fight a useless, dangerous and expensive war in DRC in 1998? Is it sanctions that looted the VIP Housing Scheme? Is it sanctions that abused the War Victims Compensation Fund with one of the world's longest serving police chiefs claiming 100% disability? Sanctions, my foot! If it was a song, nobody would be singing back by now. The choir is just tired. Nobody will judge ZANU PF performance based on how much dirt is thrown at Tsvangirai and the MDC. Rather, delivery of election promises and economic development will be the benchmark.
Do we forget that Chiluba only attempted high school while in State House? Botswana, one of Southern Africa's most stable economies has had only one university graduate as leader since 1966. Not much is known about Samora Machel's education. Zuma learnt basic reading and writing at home. Michael Sata was a railway station cleaner. Vengesai Muzenda was a carpenter. Which university did Josiah Tongogara or Rex Nhongo graduate from? How did Enos Chikowore become a senior minister if politics was a beauty contest? Why do people stoop so low when it comes to displaying their personal hatred for Morgan Tsvangirai?
As for his political future, this is not a matter for ZANU PF or any of its subjects and objects. MDC leadership is elected at congress and the next one will be in 2016. If Tsvangirai decides to keep on leading until then, it is his constitutional right to do so. If he decides to step down, again, this is not ZANU PF business.
Why don't we hear equally loud cries of "Welshman Ncube or Dabengwa must resign"? How many seats and votes did they get between them? I won't waste your time talking about Arthur Mutambara who only "resurrected" at the national shrine after nearly two weeks of burial. Maybe this is one of the inventions of robotics! Why is there dead silence on Jonathan Moyo?
After Joshua Nkomo, it is only Tsvangirai who stood up against tyranny in a very effective way. He refused to be one of "Mugabe's wives" to borrow from Margaret Dongo. Whether he stays or moves on, the fact remains that history shall always remember him as a man who has fought a very good fight over the years. That victory was stolen from him on at least three occasions does not take away the sterling and heroic contribution he has made towards our political dispensation, shuttering the dreams of those who wanted to turn our beautiful country into a one-party socialist state.
One would imagine that the party that has known one leader since 1977 is the one that should be overly worried about who should be next. Instead of putting all the blame on Tsvangirai, we must do some serious introspection and ask ourselves what we have done or failed to do in the last decade or so. Blaming one person for all of our failures is not a solution to our problems and it will never be.
A nation that entrusts the calibre of Joseph Chinotimba with parliamentary duties ahead of Simba Makoni is one that is doomed to fail. Let Chinos get the Finance Ministry. He will get enough support from the league of buffoons who believe that diesel can ooze out of the rocks of Chinhoyi. Rotina Mavhunga will be on hand to assist if required. Indeed, our gods must be crazy!!!
Moses Chamboko writes in his personal capacity – chambokom@gmail.com
Source - Moses Chamboko
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