Opinion / Columnist
Of Tsvangirai and the politics of entitlement
12 Jul 2017 at 06:47hrs | Views
RECENT attacks on Dr Nkosana Moyo by MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai and his members for launching his presidential bid is useful in confirming the egotistical politics of the latter and their feeling of entitlement to the opposition tag.
Dr Moyo's crime, in Mr Tsvangirai's eyes, is entering a race that the MDC-T leader believes is his domain to contest and for no one else to tamper with.
The former Industry and International Trade Minister revealed weeks ago that he would soon launch a political party, the Alliance for People's Agenda (APA), to contest the 2018 elections.
More painfully for Mr Tsvangirai and his supporters, Dr Moyo has shown no interest in being part of the proposed coalition of opposition parties indicating that he would rather go it alone and in the process failing to acknowledge the self-anointed godfather of opposition politics.
Responding to the news of the impending formation of a political party and the trashing of attempts at forming an opposition coalition by Dr Moyo, Mr Tsvangirai came out guns blazing declaring himself the only legitimate face of opposition in the country.
This is the leader of the same organisation purportedly moving for "democratic" change by the way and when Dr Moyo exercises his democratic right, Mr Tsvangirai proclaims himself the veteran fighter against the ruling Zanu-PF whose status is so big that no other Zimbabwean should dare enter the race.
The embattled Mr Tsvangirai was quoted by one of the private newspapers saying he had the most support and Dr Moyo was virtually wasting his time.
"In this case, there is just one question you have to ask my colleague Nkosana, do you know where Mbire is? Well Mbire maybe in the rural areas, but do you know where Tafara is?
"If he can answer that question, then I think we are on the same wavelength," Mr Tsvangirai was quoted as saying.
MDC-T deputy treasurer Mr Charlton Hwende's attacks were more stinging when he posted his angry reaction to Dr Moyo's move on his Facebook wall.
"A lot of the people now claiming to have solutions to bring change in Zimbabwe disappeared when the 'dictator's brutality' was at its peak. They went out of the country to make money whilst … Tsvangirai remained fighting for a better life for all.
"Now because of Mugabe's advanced age and the improved political environment in the country, they are now back armed with properties in and outside the country and cash to hoodwink Zimbabweans to ditch Tsvangirai," Mr Hwende was quoted as saying.
"Some even wish death to Tsvangirai but they must know that it is the toiling masses that put Tsvangirai at the helm of the democratic struggle and they will make sure he wins in 2018. That position is non-negotiable; it's born out of a covenant with the masses".
The response is not unique to Dr Moyo but the MDC-T has been consistent with their attacks on anyone they deem a threat to their interests.
The same Mr Hwende laid into #ThisFlag Pastor Evans Mawarire after the MDC-T momentarily believed the illusion that the Pastor was about to shake the country's political landscape.
In their delusion, the MDC-T believes that whoever dares to contest in national politics and does not enter their so called "big tent" is there to split the vote that would hand Zanu-PF an easy victory in 2018.
This is not to say Dr Moyo, the runaway minister, will make any impact in the country's politics that has been dominated by the ruling Zanu-PF but if Mr Tsvangirai is a quarter of a democratic advocate he claims to be, he of all people must know that the former minister is well within his rights to launch his political party and aspire for political office.
Besides, Mr Tsvangirai knows too well that it is the voter at the end of the day that separates the real deal from dreamers.
He has participated in many an election and by now should not be confused about his status in as far as the Zimbabwe national politics is concerned.
Therefore, Mr Tsvangirai should not block Dr Moyo's path to that discovery.
He should let Dr Moyo discover what President Mugabe really meant when he spoke about the need for "amadoda sibili."
More significantly however, the stance by the MDC-T explains the chaos rocking initiatives by opposition parties to form a coalition against Zanu-PF.
It is clear that the coalition of opposition parties will never see the light of day because of the egotistic politics of the opposition with Mr Tsvangirai declaring himself supreme leader.
Not that they are capable of dislodging the ruling Zanu-PF should they form that coalition as President Mugabe aptly described them as a coalition of zeroes.
With or without the coalition, President Mugabe remains the most preferred politician in Zimbabwe and the recent Afrobarometer report even confirms that.
The ruling Zanu-PF has proved beyond doubt that it is a legitimate brand with bonafide supporters and does not need any coalition with anyone to win the majority vote in the country.
For any doubters, the Presidential Youth Interface rallies stand as testament to the amount of support that both President Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party enjoy in the country.
No party either as a single entity or a coalition can match the numbers recorded in Mashonaland East, Manicaland and Masvingo where the youth interface meetings have been held so far.
Just like they were dared by Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi last week, all that the MDC-T needs to prove their popularity is by holding similar meetings and matching the numbers that Zanu-PF has recorded.
Dr Moyo's crime, in Mr Tsvangirai's eyes, is entering a race that the MDC-T leader believes is his domain to contest and for no one else to tamper with.
The former Industry and International Trade Minister revealed weeks ago that he would soon launch a political party, the Alliance for People's Agenda (APA), to contest the 2018 elections.
More painfully for Mr Tsvangirai and his supporters, Dr Moyo has shown no interest in being part of the proposed coalition of opposition parties indicating that he would rather go it alone and in the process failing to acknowledge the self-anointed godfather of opposition politics.
Responding to the news of the impending formation of a political party and the trashing of attempts at forming an opposition coalition by Dr Moyo, Mr Tsvangirai came out guns blazing declaring himself the only legitimate face of opposition in the country.
This is the leader of the same organisation purportedly moving for "democratic" change by the way and when Dr Moyo exercises his democratic right, Mr Tsvangirai proclaims himself the veteran fighter against the ruling Zanu-PF whose status is so big that no other Zimbabwean should dare enter the race.
The embattled Mr Tsvangirai was quoted by one of the private newspapers saying he had the most support and Dr Moyo was virtually wasting his time.
"In this case, there is just one question you have to ask my colleague Nkosana, do you know where Mbire is? Well Mbire maybe in the rural areas, but do you know where Tafara is?
"If he can answer that question, then I think we are on the same wavelength," Mr Tsvangirai was quoted as saying.
MDC-T deputy treasurer Mr Charlton Hwende's attacks were more stinging when he posted his angry reaction to Dr Moyo's move on his Facebook wall.
"A lot of the people now claiming to have solutions to bring change in Zimbabwe disappeared when the 'dictator's brutality' was at its peak. They went out of the country to make money whilst … Tsvangirai remained fighting for a better life for all.
"Now because of Mugabe's advanced age and the improved political environment in the country, they are now back armed with properties in and outside the country and cash to hoodwink Zimbabweans to ditch Tsvangirai," Mr Hwende was quoted as saying.
"Some even wish death to Tsvangirai but they must know that it is the toiling masses that put Tsvangirai at the helm of the democratic struggle and they will make sure he wins in 2018. That position is non-negotiable; it's born out of a covenant with the masses".
The response is not unique to Dr Moyo but the MDC-T has been consistent with their attacks on anyone they deem a threat to their interests.
In their delusion, the MDC-T believes that whoever dares to contest in national politics and does not enter their so called "big tent" is there to split the vote that would hand Zanu-PF an easy victory in 2018.
This is not to say Dr Moyo, the runaway minister, will make any impact in the country's politics that has been dominated by the ruling Zanu-PF but if Mr Tsvangirai is a quarter of a democratic advocate he claims to be, he of all people must know that the former minister is well within his rights to launch his political party and aspire for political office.
Besides, Mr Tsvangirai knows too well that it is the voter at the end of the day that separates the real deal from dreamers.
He has participated in many an election and by now should not be confused about his status in as far as the Zimbabwe national politics is concerned.
Therefore, Mr Tsvangirai should not block Dr Moyo's path to that discovery.
He should let Dr Moyo discover what President Mugabe really meant when he spoke about the need for "amadoda sibili."
More significantly however, the stance by the MDC-T explains the chaos rocking initiatives by opposition parties to form a coalition against Zanu-PF.
It is clear that the coalition of opposition parties will never see the light of day because of the egotistic politics of the opposition with Mr Tsvangirai declaring himself supreme leader.
Not that they are capable of dislodging the ruling Zanu-PF should they form that coalition as President Mugabe aptly described them as a coalition of zeroes.
With or without the coalition, President Mugabe remains the most preferred politician in Zimbabwe and the recent Afrobarometer report even confirms that.
The ruling Zanu-PF has proved beyond doubt that it is a legitimate brand with bonafide supporters and does not need any coalition with anyone to win the majority vote in the country.
For any doubters, the Presidential Youth Interface rallies stand as testament to the amount of support that both President Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party enjoy in the country.
No party either as a single entity or a coalition can match the numbers recorded in Mashonaland East, Manicaland and Masvingo where the youth interface meetings have been held so far.
Just like they were dared by Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi last week, all that the MDC-T needs to prove their popularity is by holding similar meetings and matching the numbers that Zanu-PF has recorded.
Source - chronicle
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