Opinion / Columnist
Use Right To Demonstrate Productively and Focus on the Dictatorship
24 Jul 2014 at 17:32hrs | Views
The UK-based Renewals planning to demonstrate at Tsvangirai's rally are attention seekers and misguided people trying to find some relevance after their project to derail Tsvangirai failed.
It is also unprofessional for NewZimbabwe to publish their article today without referring it to the MDC for comment. New Zimbabwe also did not say who it was interviewing, referring only to Renewals, yet they were making such salacious allegations.
Journalistic ethics requires that you name that person so that his credibility can also be scrutinised. What are they afraid of, and why does Newzimbabwe entertain anonymous people who are rabblerousing. The Renewals also claim their right to demonstrate under British law, but they should be reminded that they did not as they claim inform the Midlands Police, otherwise they would have been told about the MDC report, in particular about the previous violent of some of their members. Their request for a demonstration would have been refused on that basis.
But on the meat of the matter what do they want to demonstrate about? Against Tsvangirai? They have already lost the battle against Tsvangirai and have announced the formation of their party with the colour Orange - and not much else.
We have not seen these people demonstrating against Mugabe, but they want to embarrass the man who stands for the Zimbabwean struggle for democracy and who is now getting the international attention that he has worked for, despite their attempts to pull him down.
Their reference in the New Zimbabwe article to wanting to send a message about corruption in the MDC-T because of the alleged 2005 misappropriation of party funds, exposes their lack of seriousness. The chairman of their own party, Sam Sipepa-Nkomo led the Tendai Biti-inspired mission to the UK - at great expense with two delegates from Harare accommodated and fed - to come to the UK to tarnish the Chawora executive.
It failed to come up with anything tangible; the report was never released because it would have shown that Elton Mangoma was receiving the money that was said to be missing, but the damage to the executive had been done and the UK and US structures were downgraded.
The Zanu (PF) agents within Biti's blind-ambition project must have been very pleased that that the MDC in the diaspora was crippled for the next few years. They should demand the report from Sipepa-Nkomo, as suggested by some of their own members in their Mickey-Mouse chat-room.
Now that the diaspora structure is rising again, the same elements are trying to pull it down and their motives can only be questionable. It is certainly not about democracy or removing Robert Mugabe from power. Besides why demonstrate at our function? If they are MDC members, have they exhausted the internal processes to address their grievances? We have a rally; it is indoors and we have the right to deny anyone access. Those attending the rally are MDC-T supporters. If they are not MDC supporters what do they want there?
We should cherish the democratic right to demonstrate that we have in the UK and use it productively to focus attention on the dictatorship that is ruining our country, not to fight misguided causes.
Source - Makusha Mugabe
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