MDC Alliance orders candidates to fund own campaigns

THE MDC Alliance is allegedly broke and has ordered its council and parliamentary candidates to fund their campaigns ahead of the watershed elections set for the end of this month.

In an interview yesterday, MDC Alliance spokesperson Professor Welshman Ncube revealed the party has not been able to print posters for its presidential candidate Advocate Nelson Chamisa and is selling regalia.

He however denied the party was broke.

The alliance has sent begging bowls to sympathisers.

An MDC Alliance insider said the coalition only offered to design a template which candidates should use for their campaign material. "However, the printing and funding for the campaign is supposed to be funded by individual candidates. That's the reason why some of us have resorted to using cheap quality posters while others are still struggling to come up with the campaign material," said the party insider.

He said candidates were expecting funding from the alliance as some of the alliance partners received money under the Political Parties (Finance) Act from the Government.

Prof Ncube dismissed the claims that the Alliance was broke.

He said the Alliance ordered its candidates to fund campaigns as they have to prove that they are enterprising to push their development agenda.

"Each and every candidate from day one, we always indicated that the candidate's campaign should be self sustaining and self funding. If you want to lead people, you must have the ability to lead in all the senses of the word lead, including being able to raise resources at your level, at the constituency level, at the ward level.  If you can't basically mobilise resources, you can't fundraise, you can't get people to fund your campaign, what chance do you have to coordinate, find donors to fund your developmental programmes in your ward and in your constituency?" asked Prof Ncube.

He said the Alliance wants self reliant, enterprising leaders who are not spoon-fed.

Prof Ncube said seeking donations was an international practice as political parties depend on their membership and well wishers to run their campaigns.

"We are not awash with money. No one is awash with money. We, like the people who support us, live from hand to mouth. We've enough money to sustain our campaign and we are now only left with four weeks. Surely we can get to the finish line," he said.

Prof Ncube said the MDC Alliance has resorted to selling its regalia at rallies to supplement campaign's funds.

This is an unpopular stance in local politics as the electorate has been accustomed to being 'given' the regalia at rallies like what Zanu-PF is doing.

"We have not been 'donating', you will notice that if we come to a national rally, somewhere at the entrance of the rally, there will be a person who will be sitting there selling party regalia at nominal prices. So that from them (regalia) we raise little money," said Prof Ncube.

He said aspiring councillors and MPs have however printed some of their posters and distributed their regalia.