Opinion / Columnist
When desperate, tactless opposition fakes victimhood
18 Oct 2021 at 01:26hrs | Views
Last Monday the MDC Alliance (MDC-A) faction was at it again. It was involved in skirmishes with the people of Masvingo in an incident which involved the discharge of a firearm.
This was all schemed up to create an impression of human rights abuse on the part of Government.
The desperate-for-power faction dusted off this usual and overused trick when it heard that United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, Alena Douhan would visit to Zimbabwe from today (October 18) to 28, 2021.
Realising that the MDC founding leader, the late Morgan Tsvangirai was recorded on video by the Associated Press (AP) expressing frustration over the European Union (EU)'s cold feet in imposing sanctions against Zimbabweans as the US had done in 2001, the MDC-A faction leader, Nelson Chamisa travelled to Masvingo to provoke the sanctions-wearied people of that region.
In the same way that Chamisa and members of his faction have the right to travel freely in Zimbabwe, the people of Masvingo also have the right to disassociate themselves with people who caused their 20-year plight.
The people of Masvingo did not wish to be addressed by Chamisa and had to assert their right by peacefully barring the source of their suffering from entering their area.
At the end of September, the UN called on all Zimbabwean stakeholders to submit papers on human rights violations and the effects of the sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the US and the EU on various aspects of Zimbabweans' lives.
According to the UN, the Special Rapporteur and her team would collect information and hold meetings with Government, civil society organisations, the private sector and the opposition.
She is then expected to compile a report that will be presented at the UN Human Rights Council during its 51st session in September 2022.
It is against this background that Chamisa and his faction travelled to Masvingo.
Given the way most of the suffering Zimbabweans revile his faction, some on his travel party carried firearms with them in obvious anticipation of resistance from the people of Masvingo.
Knowing that they were going on a mission to provoke people who are tired of sanctions, they also removed registration plates from their motor vehicles to avoid being identified when things go wrong.
Driving around in unregistered motor vehicles was a wilful breach of the law by the faction that routinely talks about the sanctity of the principle of the rule of law.
Chamisa and company made the mistake of undertaking their trip during the sanctions month.
The people of Masvingo were not only prepared to repel him. They were also ready to show him that they know that he and his political outfit are responsible for their two-decade ordeal.
They brought with them placards to protest against the illegal, evil and debilitating sanctions.
The MDC-A has been telling anyone, who cares to listen, the lie that they were attacked by Zanu-PF members. The people did not attack them.
If anything, it is the MDC-A lot that attempted to force their way leading to the people resisting and one of the opposition members discharging a firearm.
The people, however, did not budge leading to Chamisa and company being vanquished. It should be noted that, contrary to the MDC-A's claims, the people did not repel Chamisa as Zanu-PF.
They barred him as members of the community from different walks of life.
This explains why, despite the ubiquity of Zanu-PF regalia throughout Zimbabwe, none was seen among the villagers.
The opposition faction paraded images of their damaged motor vehicles to corroborate their claims of a Zanu-PF assault but insiders indicated that the damaged cars were a ruse meant to appeal to donors to provide more motor vehicles to the cash-strapped opposition outfit ahead of the 2023 harmonised elections.
The images would also come in handy in go-fund-me campaigns targeted at Zimbabweans in the diaspora to contribute towards the same cause.
As if Monday's drama was not enough, at 1746 hours the following day, the MDC-A faction tweeted claiming that "the president (Chamisa) has been encircled by hooligans at a place he's temporarily taken refuge".
The provincial leadership is currently mobilising youths to rescue him."
This gave the impression of a kidnap but it was all false and meant to sustain the faction's victimhood narrative, which it had started.
Self-abduction and false abductions are all the faction's stock in trade that it uses to give the impression that it is perpetually under siege from Zanu-PF and Government.
Who would forget Cecilia Chimbiri, Joanna Mamombe and Netsai Marowa's May 2020 self-abduction stint in Harare and Chamisa's claims of attempted abduction by alleged State agents in Mabvuku in November 2018 on his way from Marondera?
If anyone is under perpetual siege and should complain about it loudly, it is the innocent Zimbabweans whose lives have been weighed down by the sanctions millstone for the past 20 years.
Following the recent acquittal of former Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Obadiah Moyo on charges of abusing his office in the tendering process for Covid-19 consumables, one Driven Chapman initiated a petition to have the former Minister's case re-opened.
One of the people, who supported the initiative is journalist and anti-Government activist, Hopewell Chin'ono, who sought to use the petition to push a corruption agenda and smuggle Dr Moyo's case to Douhan.
He tweeted in frustration October 9 2021 over the poor support for the petition by Zimbabweans especially the opposition.
"How do you expect your hospitals to have medication when you can't even sign a petition to give to the UN about hospitals?" he twitted despondently.
His target was 30 000 signatures by midnight on October 9, 2021, but by midday on October 13 the petition still had a measly 7 484 signatures.
Zimbabweans refused to be used by Western lapdogs. It should be noted that while Chin'ono appeared to be driving a public health care issue, he was, in fact, pushing the US' sanction month narrative that Zimbabweans are not suffering because of sanctions but allegedly due to corruption.
He sought to amplify the West's sanctions propaganda by getting it into the UN Special Rapporteur's report.
Like the MDC-A faction, he sought to provide negative entries into the report with the ultimate aim of embarrassing the country's leadership as a way of getting back at President Mnangagwa for defeating Chamisa in 2018.
The West's running dogs have used stunts such as those employed by the MDC-A for a long time.
Many will remember how one former acting Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association (ZHDA) President, Dr Peter Magombeyi abducted himself on September 14 2019 ahead of that year's United Nations General Assembly, which was just days away.
The opposition and other detractors blamed State agents for the stunt. A few days later he "found" himself at Nyabira, 33 kilometres west of Harare.
He claimed to have been tortured and poisoned, but the September 25 2020 edition of the Zimbabwe Independent reported that a series of toxicology tests that the young doctor had undergone showed no traces of poisoning.
For his efforts, courtesy of his handlers, Dr Magombeyi has since left Zimbabwe with the assistance of his masters.
Despite its numerous so-called blueprints, the MDC-A remains tactless and continues to depend on false claims of unfair treatment by Government and Zanu-PF to earn the West's moral, financial and political sympathy.
As many people flock to voter registration centres, Zimbabweans should know that what separates serious political players from minnows is not sympathy.
Serious political outfits win elections because of their leadership, ideology, pro-people programmes and impeccable delivery records.
As 2023 beckons, Zimbabweans should remember that childish political drama and alleged victimhood from puny political players will not turn Zimbabwe's economic fortunes around and afford them better quality of life.
Although the polls are still two years away, now is the time to start the continuing process of assessing political parties in order to vote wisely on the election day.
This was all schemed up to create an impression of human rights abuse on the part of Government.
The desperate-for-power faction dusted off this usual and overused trick when it heard that United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, Alena Douhan would visit to Zimbabwe from today (October 18) to 28, 2021.
Realising that the MDC founding leader, the late Morgan Tsvangirai was recorded on video by the Associated Press (AP) expressing frustration over the European Union (EU)'s cold feet in imposing sanctions against Zimbabweans as the US had done in 2001, the MDC-A faction leader, Nelson Chamisa travelled to Masvingo to provoke the sanctions-wearied people of that region.
In the same way that Chamisa and members of his faction have the right to travel freely in Zimbabwe, the people of Masvingo also have the right to disassociate themselves with people who caused their 20-year plight.
The people of Masvingo did not wish to be addressed by Chamisa and had to assert their right by peacefully barring the source of their suffering from entering their area.
At the end of September, the UN called on all Zimbabwean stakeholders to submit papers on human rights violations and the effects of the sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the US and the EU on various aspects of Zimbabweans' lives.
According to the UN, the Special Rapporteur and her team would collect information and hold meetings with Government, civil society organisations, the private sector and the opposition.
She is then expected to compile a report that will be presented at the UN Human Rights Council during its 51st session in September 2022.
It is against this background that Chamisa and his faction travelled to Masvingo.
Given the way most of the suffering Zimbabweans revile his faction, some on his travel party carried firearms with them in obvious anticipation of resistance from the people of Masvingo.
Knowing that they were going on a mission to provoke people who are tired of sanctions, they also removed registration plates from their motor vehicles to avoid being identified when things go wrong.
Driving around in unregistered motor vehicles was a wilful breach of the law by the faction that routinely talks about the sanctity of the principle of the rule of law.
Chamisa and company made the mistake of undertaking their trip during the sanctions month.
The people of Masvingo were not only prepared to repel him. They were also ready to show him that they know that he and his political outfit are responsible for their two-decade ordeal.
They brought with them placards to protest against the illegal, evil and debilitating sanctions.
The MDC-A has been telling anyone, who cares to listen, the lie that they were attacked by Zanu-PF members. The people did not attack them.
If anything, it is the MDC-A lot that attempted to force their way leading to the people resisting and one of the opposition members discharging a firearm.
The people, however, did not budge leading to Chamisa and company being vanquished. It should be noted that, contrary to the MDC-A's claims, the people did not repel Chamisa as Zanu-PF.
They barred him as members of the community from different walks of life.
This explains why, despite the ubiquity of Zanu-PF regalia throughout Zimbabwe, none was seen among the villagers.
The opposition faction paraded images of their damaged motor vehicles to corroborate their claims of a Zanu-PF assault but insiders indicated that the damaged cars were a ruse meant to appeal to donors to provide more motor vehicles to the cash-strapped opposition outfit ahead of the 2023 harmonised elections.
The images would also come in handy in go-fund-me campaigns targeted at Zimbabweans in the diaspora to contribute towards the same cause.
As if Monday's drama was not enough, at 1746 hours the following day, the MDC-A faction tweeted claiming that "the president (Chamisa) has been encircled by hooligans at a place he's temporarily taken refuge".
The provincial leadership is currently mobilising youths to rescue him."
This gave the impression of a kidnap but it was all false and meant to sustain the faction's victimhood narrative, which it had started.
Self-abduction and false abductions are all the faction's stock in trade that it uses to give the impression that it is perpetually under siege from Zanu-PF and Government.
Who would forget Cecilia Chimbiri, Joanna Mamombe and Netsai Marowa's May 2020 self-abduction stint in Harare and Chamisa's claims of attempted abduction by alleged State agents in Mabvuku in November 2018 on his way from Marondera?
If anyone is under perpetual siege and should complain about it loudly, it is the innocent Zimbabweans whose lives have been weighed down by the sanctions millstone for the past 20 years.
Following the recent acquittal of former Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Obadiah Moyo on charges of abusing his office in the tendering process for Covid-19 consumables, one Driven Chapman initiated a petition to have the former Minister's case re-opened.
One of the people, who supported the initiative is journalist and anti-Government activist, Hopewell Chin'ono, who sought to use the petition to push a corruption agenda and smuggle Dr Moyo's case to Douhan.
He tweeted in frustration October 9 2021 over the poor support for the petition by Zimbabweans especially the opposition.
"How do you expect your hospitals to have medication when you can't even sign a petition to give to the UN about hospitals?" he twitted despondently.
His target was 30 000 signatures by midnight on October 9, 2021, but by midday on October 13 the petition still had a measly 7 484 signatures.
Zimbabweans refused to be used by Western lapdogs. It should be noted that while Chin'ono appeared to be driving a public health care issue, he was, in fact, pushing the US' sanction month narrative that Zimbabweans are not suffering because of sanctions but allegedly due to corruption.
He sought to amplify the West's sanctions propaganda by getting it into the UN Special Rapporteur's report.
Like the MDC-A faction, he sought to provide negative entries into the report with the ultimate aim of embarrassing the country's leadership as a way of getting back at President Mnangagwa for defeating Chamisa in 2018.
The West's running dogs have used stunts such as those employed by the MDC-A for a long time.
Many will remember how one former acting Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association (ZHDA) President, Dr Peter Magombeyi abducted himself on September 14 2019 ahead of that year's United Nations General Assembly, which was just days away.
The opposition and other detractors blamed State agents for the stunt. A few days later he "found" himself at Nyabira, 33 kilometres west of Harare.
He claimed to have been tortured and poisoned, but the September 25 2020 edition of the Zimbabwe Independent reported that a series of toxicology tests that the young doctor had undergone showed no traces of poisoning.
For his efforts, courtesy of his handlers, Dr Magombeyi has since left Zimbabwe with the assistance of his masters.
Despite its numerous so-called blueprints, the MDC-A remains tactless and continues to depend on false claims of unfair treatment by Government and Zanu-PF to earn the West's moral, financial and political sympathy.
As many people flock to voter registration centres, Zimbabweans should know that what separates serious political players from minnows is not sympathy.
Serious political outfits win elections because of their leadership, ideology, pro-people programmes and impeccable delivery records.
As 2023 beckons, Zimbabweans should remember that childish political drama and alleged victimhood from puny political players will not turn Zimbabwe's economic fortunes around and afford them better quality of life.
Although the polls are still two years away, now is the time to start the continuing process of assessing political parties in order to vote wisely on the election day.
Source - The Herald
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