Opposition alliance: reflections on failed politics

It is indeed interesting times when calls for unity among Zimbabwe's opposition political parties turns out to be the cause of disunity and acrimony. In normal political discourse, calls for unity should just be such: calls to unite the leadership and general membership of the concerned parties in pursuit of common goals. In Zimbabwe's case, the voices of ordinary opposition parties' membership have been drowned or are not given any considerations. What is amplified are the voices and interests of the "principals" of these parties, despite that some of them do not command membership to constitute a netball team.

The current differences affecting the opposition movement in Zimbabwe can be situated in the egos and thirst for power by opposition leaders, coupled with a classical disconnection with the aspirations of the ordinary person in the street/village. The current challenges can partially be traced back to 2005 when MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai overruled a collective MDC-T decision to participate in Senate elections held that year.

Tsvangirai felt he was the brains and soul of the party that his wish could not be overruled by the majority interests to participate in the elections. Tsvangirai got away with that travesty of democratic collective decision making, hence the current disputes affecting the MDC-T centering on disregard of divergent views viz-a-viz the anti-ZANU PF coalition.
 
Despite unambiguous evidence that MDC-T had been performing well in Matabeleland region as shown by the 2008 and 2013 elections, Tsvangirai, in his wisdom or lack of it, decided to disregard the sound advice by his deputy, Thokozani Khupe that the region does not need a coalition with failures such as Welshman Ncube. Tsvangirai proceeded to unilaterally align MDC-T with Ncube.

On his party, Ncube saw a chance to resurrect his dead political career by uniting with his old foe. Expectedly, Khupe, together with Lovemore Moyo and Abednico Bhebhe, are resisting this political chicanery, resulting in their literal physical whipping into line by Tsvangirai's goons. It remains to be seen whether Tsvangirai still has the stamina, political and otherwise, to take the vivacious Khupe head-on.
Similarly, Biti, who deserted Tsvangirai in 2014 by forming the MDC Renewal which has morphed into the People's Democratic Party, saw a chance a join the opposition gravy train by unilaterally railroading the rag-tag PDP into the MDC Alliance. As the case with Khupe, Moyo and Bhebhe, Biti's lieutenants fronted by PDP Secretary General, Gorden Moyo are resisting this unilateral exercise of power by Biti and resisting the MDC Alliance. It must be very embarrassing for the learned Biti to be disowned by his own party while projecting himself as a "principal".

The GNU era cultivated a bad political precedent when the likes of former Deputy Prime Minister, Author Mutambara suddenly found himself as a Government "principal" when he had no significant political following. This could be motivating the likes of Biti and Ncube to stampede the coalition arena, in anticipation of becoming "principals".

Could there be a tribal or regional dimension to these machinations by the Bulawayo based opposition activists? Is it coincidental that Khupe, Lovemore Moyo, Bhebhe and Gorden Moyo can all unite to resist the machinations by Tsvangirai and Biti? Has Biti suddenly forgotten the unilateral decision-making by Tsvangirai in 2005 that led to the split of the original MDC? Biti could be sensing a change of personal political fortunes that he has thrown away his principled stance on collective decision making to align with Tsvangirai. Talk of lust for power at the expense of principle.

The sudden political love between Tsvangirai, Ncube and Biti is demonstrative of the failure of collective decision making in these opposition parties. Nothing has changed in the unilateral way Tsvangirai exercises power. It therefore can be concluded that Ncube and Biti are motivated more by prospects of holding some senior Government posts in the unlikely event that their coalition wins the 2018 elections.

Again, the re-admission of Ncube and Biti into the MDC Alliance family will only serve to consolidate political indiscipline. They both hurled all sorts of insults at Tsvangirai when they left the MDC-T in 2005 and 2014, respectively. They have now been "forgiven" because Tsvangirai is sensing victory. On the other side, Khupe, Lovemore Moyo and Bhebhe who remained loyal to Tsvangirai throughout these insults are starring at the inevitable loss of their positions and influence in the Matabeleland region, all because Tsvangirai is sensing victory.

This political indiscipline is also evident in PDP where Gorden Moyo has marshaled some sympathizers to kick out Biti for the very same reasons Biti pulled out of MDC-T in 2014. The lesson here is that these "opposition leaders" are so motivated by prospects of State power that they have no regard for principles. What kind of leaders will they become if they succeed to hold State power?

As is expected, political ambition, indiscipline and outright political naivety have resulted in the emergence of various platforms all claiming to be legitimate in organizing the anti-ZANU PF coalition. The Coalition of Democrats (CODE) popularised by Biti, MDC Alliance fronted by Tsvangirai, the National Convergence Platform (NCP) led by the peripheral retired Anglican Bishop Sebastian Bakare and ZINERA have emerged. Biti once attempted to amplify calls for a National Transitional Authority, which dismally failed.

Surprisingly, ZANU PF and CIO are blamed for the scattered opposition political ground. No one is honest enough to admit that personal egos and unbridled ambitions are behind these dirty political shenanigans.

On her part, Joyce Mujuru is not sure whether she will join any of the coalitions or she will stage a solo presidential bid. Biti ruffled Mujuru's feathers when she accused her of being ZANU PF to the core. These are interesting times indeed.
 
What is cause for real concern, though, is that, for all the noise and acrimony over the anti-President Mugabe coalition, the ordinary man in the street/village has no-one to speak for them. It is time and season for opposition leaders to strategically position themselves in anticipation of the windfall of power and gullible Western governments' funding. They need, in the meantime to get lessons from #Tajamuka's Promise Mkwananzi on how to squander donor funds.

The seemingly smart Fadzai Mahere and the likes of Linda Masarira have seen through this political deceit and have announced bids to stand as independents for the 2018 elections. The prospects of these independent candidates spoiling the opposition vote is so real that ZANU PF can only harvest from the ashes of the opposition parties.  

In all this political positioning and stratagem, the political ground has become so confused and scattered that by the time the alliances remember the electorate, the little that remain of their political credibility would not afford them even local government seats. Not even a single opposition politician has articulated the interests of the common man, such as farming inputs for the forthcoming summer season, strategies for water harvesting, resuscitation of industry, viable alternative policies to rehabilitate the road and rail network, among other pressing national challenges.

On its part, ZANU PF, despite its internal contradictions expected of a mass party of its magnitude, has remained connected with its grassroots membership and continues to articulate people-centered policies.