Is Zimbabwe opposition disabled without the letters, 'MDC'?

Just looking at the proliferation of any opposition political force in Zimbabwe, the letters MDC ring bells. A stranger may easily be forgiven for thinking that MDC is the only ticket with which to start an opposition front. It seems like every other opposition outfit feels mandated to carry the MDC prefix from which the political party must predicate. In the same width, it would sound like without the MDC prefix, any opposition is bound to fail. In other words without the MDC letters, many feel weak and have no credibility before the masses, so they believe. So far we now have MDC Mutambara, MDC- Tsvangirai, MDC-99, MDC-Renewal, MDC-Ncube then there is another upcoming MDC-Moto and more MDCs will come. MDC Musau, MDC Muuyu etc.

One wonders what the magic is in the name or the letters MDC. Does that mean no opposition political party can do it or make it without the letters MDC? Or is it fear to try the unknown ground? Or is it still lack of confidence to create and use any other name? Or shall we call it lack of creativity or lack of direction? Is that a coincidence too that even the MDC-Renewal had to use orange, an immediate cousin of red? And these parties are led by intellectuals? Are they this bankrupt of ideas or what?

The lack of ideas is really amazing and interesting. This is the very reason that even many of these opposition forces have been trying to imitate the very first opposition stance. The nomenclature, the regalia, the manifestos, the themes and the venues all speak of a common foot print and habit. There is no originality except to attack Mugabe and his ZANU PF day in and day out. While I hate ZANU PF with a passion for issues like corruption, myopia, violence and stealing public resources while enriching the top 100 men and women in Zimbabwe and externalizing our wealth, I still remain disturbed by the opposition. Their lack of originality sends me in a corner crying. The alphabet is big. There should be more to it than the MDC letters.

In any case we still expect more solid promises and undertakings that must actually distinguish the opposition from the prevailing order. In most of the cases, these politicians are in this game for self-enrichment. Many do not even consider serving the public. There is so much to talk about as regards where some of these MDCs will take the nation to. There are so many questionable trends and at the end of the day one wonders why the opposition is so weak to enunciate distinct policies that could turn around the economy. Then they have this obnoxious internal power hunger that has continually weakened them by each day.

Most are greedy and selfish just like ZANU PF Ministers. They would be dreaming of Mercedes Benz, a house in Borrowdale once the ticket to Ministerial office opens, a good hard body 4by 4 and various other trinkets. There is really no other serious agenda as to how that MDC will be distinguished from the much hated ZANU PF. This is why you see even red carpets, sofas making mini living room luxuries under colorful tents in the middle of nowhere aon a sunny and dusty day as the so called MDC addresses hungry and thirsty citizens at a rally. One keeps wondering where that idea for "mini living rooms at rallies" was stolen from. Chinotoshaikwa ipapo idzangaradzimu badzi (TV and Radio).  

It started with ZANU PF and now Tsvangirai and many others follow suit. They use expensive sofa, carpets and chairs to address rallies. They bring all forms of luxuries there at the rally including small coolers for beers, wines and drinks. They want colorful tabernacle tents and enjoy to treat themselves to the best foods after rallies. Scrumptious food is always great but isn't that the same trend we hate in ZANU PF? Can't those luxuries just wait for just those few hours out there among grassroots folks?

Unless MDCs emerge with distinct policies, they are all bound to plummet in the confusion of duplicitousness and lack of ideas. They have not demonstrated any originality from their trends, practices, promises, ethics and everything since they all follow the original MDC-T trend and they seem to have wasted more energy attacking Tsvangirai than to invent their own cause on the ground. In so doing they have even forgotten that Tsvangirai is also opposition facing ZANU PF.

In this MDC hysteria, many are obsessed with taking Tsvangirai for an enemy yet he has a similar cause to them. He is looking for justice despite his insatiable appetite for women. He still needs a better Zimbabwe besides his flip-flop agenda.

As for ZANU PF, nothing has materialized. It has been problem after problem from ESAP, Indigenization, you name it. Now we are in a ditch.

With that more confusion emerges in the MDC splits as they cry for the same predicate and lose focus on the way to deal with the current bad policy like on corruption and multiple farm ownership.
And then we have the problem of opposition parties that have leaders hungry to be hero-worshipped for nothing and they don't want to share the resources with fellow cadres. That is why many followers keep changing goal posts. Such confusion has just buoyed ZANU PF in that smokescreen of corruption and poor economy management.

Chris writes in a personal capacity.