Opinion / Columnist
Opposition abusing democratic process
26 Aug 2016 at 06:30hrs | Views
MDC-T and fringe opposition political parties are abusing the democratic process, and it is incumbent on Government and State institutions to protect the public from the political confusionists. The main opposition MDC-T, after nearly 17 years of existence that included a four-year stint in a coalition government with Zanu-PF, daily proves that it has failed to transform from a protest movement into a viable alternative to the governing Zanu-PF.This is because there is no single day, during the past 16 years 11 months, that the MDC-T has shown that it understands the role of the official opposition in a parliamentary democracy.
Parliamentary democracy is predicated on the right to choose, right up to the selection of the Executive. The voters' choice manifests in the Legislature which, as one of the three arms of Government, provides a platform for alternative views where lawfully elected representatives proffer and debate alternative policy options to those of the governing party even if, as opposition, they do not have the governing mandate to implement the policy options.
Tabling alternative policies and debating them does not only give voters an opportunity to assess the opposition as an alternative government-in-waiting but also helps the opposition keep the governing party on its toes.
The opposition is thus duty-bound to ensure continuous refinement of its policies and to keep these in the public domain to serenade the electorate. Opposing the governing party, however, does not translate to destructive engagement, transgressing the Constitution or being disloyal to the nation as we have seen the MDC-T do. In mature democracies, credible opposition parties are even given the moniker "loyal opposition" for identifying with the nation's founding values.
This cannot be said of the MDC-T which has failed to cut the umbilical cord linking it to Western capitals. This is why the MDC-T ignores Parliament in favour of the streets and in so doing reduces itself to the level of fringe opposition parties that fail to make it to Parliament.
What the MDC-T should instead be doing, as a parliamentary party, is use the Legislature to press for any envisaged electoral reforms because Parliament, not the streets, is where laws are enacted.
That is, of course, assuming the MDC-T has genuine grievances. It doesn't, and we explain why.
History will show that the MDC-T was part of a governing coalition with Zanu-PF for four years ahead of election 2013. That coalition or inclusive Government, was formed principally to foster an environment of socio-economic and political stability in readiness for new elections in the wake of the highly contested election 2008.
The MDC-T, thus, participated in the most comprehensive electoral reforms since independence in 1980 manifest in the writing and adoption of a new Constitution, amendments to the Electoral Act and selection of Zimbabwe Electoral Commission commissioners.
Election 2013 was held with the three parties in Government then happy with the electoral environment. Voters overwhelmingly endorsed Zanu-PF and President Mugabe, giving them over two-thirds majority in Parliament with President Mugabe outpolling MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai by 61,09 percent of the votes cast to 34 percent.
After that heavy drubbing, and true to the dictum, a poor carpenter blames his tools, the MDC-T attributed its loss to the electoral environment which it had been party to fostering and blessing.
Suddenly, the MDC-T's political woes were made every one's problem. They were nationalised as issues to annoy people on a daily basis to the extent of taking over public spaces like streets and parks as sites of permanent protest yet as the main opposition party in Parliament, the MDC-T has a platform to legislate the reforms it envisages.
It is lost on the MDC-T leadership that elections are not zero-sum games as they give three possible outcomes -a win, a stalemate or a loss to contestants.
The MDC-T must play the card it was given till the deck is dealt again in 2018. As a parliamentary opposition, if the MDC-T has genuine issues it wants addressed, Parliament is there for that discourse. Anything else smacks of mischief and abuse of the democratic process and we call on the courts and the institutions of Government to protect the people, and help them reclaim their public spaces.
They need to walk the streets in peace.
Source - the herald
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