Jonathan Moyo exposes delinquent 'secret society'

EXILED former information minister Professor Jonathan Moyo has again hit out at the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) over its lack of structures, describing the party as delinquent and operating like a secret society.

Efforts to get a response from party leader Nelson Chamisa and national spokesperson Fadzai Mahere were not successful as their phones went unanswered.

Charged Moyo on Twitter this Thursday; "Since #CCC is ‘structureless' and constitution-less its leaders, who ironically are a structure, are using silence as a strategy to get its members to support unilateral and illegal Western sanctions, demonise land reform and revere Ian Smith and, by extension, Cecil Rhodes!

"The consequence of #CCC‘s refusal to be transparent about its structures is that the party has become deviant; effectively operating as a secret society, and employing political delinquency, such as the glorification of Ian Smith by its supporters, as a political strategy!"

Chamisa – the country's most popular opposition politician going by the last presidential election results – announced the formation of CCC in January this year, abandoning the bitterly contested MDC brand after rival Douglas Mwonzora claimed leadership of the formation.

Former information minister Prof Jonathan Moyo

However, CCC has yet to hold an elective congress and still operates with what Chamisa describes as an interim leadership. The party is also yet to come up a constitution and policy blueprints.

Supporters have dismissed questions a Constitution and substantive structures saying it would address these issues in its own time and not at the convenience of outsiders with curious interests in its internal affairs.

They also argue that structures have previously been used by the ruling Zanu-PF party to infiltrate and destabilise the opposition.

But Moyo, who has led criticism over the absence of structures said; "The refusal by #CCC to be transparent about its structures has been compounded not only by the fact that the party does not have a constitution; but also by the strange reason for the refusal, that the party wants to protect itself from infiltration by Zanu-PF or the state!"

He said registration of political parties was long overdue.

"No secret society should masquerade as a political party or contest any election; no political party should be registered if its leaders or members denigrate the liberation struggle or violate s3 of the Constitution!

"It is common cause that the absolute and inescapable need for Zimbabwe to align itself with the globally well established democratic and constitutional practice of registering political parties, has been occasioned by #CCC‘s refusal to be transparent about its structures!"

He added; "… it is not surprising that, to check against political destabilisation by secret societies, registration of political parties is the norm in countries like the US, UK, Germany & across Africa!

"A country, especially in the developing world, in which secret societies, such as the Triple K (Ku Klux Klan) or the Freemasons, can mushroom unchecked as political parties, is prone to predictable destabilisation & disorder. That is why political parties must be registered!"