'MDC-T's call for national dialogue is an 'opt-in' strategy for political relevance'

MDC-T'S call in February for national dialogue is an 'opt-in' strategy for political relevance, British think tank, Chatham House has said.

In its report titled Zimbabwe International Re-engagement: The long haul to recovery, Chatham highlighted that the MDC-T is now structurally weak and is to blame for its heavy loss during the July 2013 elections.

The report also predicts Morgan Tsvangirai's ouster as MDC-T president by 2018.

"Between now and the 2018 elections, there will be some change in the MDC-T leadership – partly through natural attrition and partly imposed. But whether there will be a thorough or cosmetic overhaul of the leadership and strategies remains unclear. Following the MDC-T National Executive meeting in January, Elton Mangoma, a founding member of the party, was formally reprimanded by the party over a letter calling for Tsvangirai to step down and is now suspended," reads part of the report.

Tsvangirai has been crying foul ever since his party's heavy thumping in the 2013 polls alleging vote rigging and other unsubstantiated electoral fraud claims.
The report, which deals a major blow to Tsvangirai's political career and standing in the eyes of his western handlers ,lays bare MDC-T's contribution to its own political demise.

In part, the report reads:

"The post-GNU political landscape has changed, and Zimbabwe's opposition and civil society will have to undergo a period of reform and renewal to remain effective influences…the election results were a massive shock for the opposition parties. The two MDCs were trounced in local, parliamentary and presidential polls.

 "Although the credibility question will continue to be a major part of the MDC-T's narrative, it has also admitted to making a number of costly strategic errors while in the GNU that were reflected in the polls. Zimbabwe's opposition now has to operate in a political space that is dominated nationally, regionally and across the continent by ZANU-PF. Since it has been out of government, there has been a hollowing out of the opposition.

"While challenging the credibility of the general elections, the MDC-T has faced questions about the fairness of its own primary elections in June. A number of high-ranking officials have left, or have been 'disciplined', suspended or expelled for voting against the party, and also for publicly advocating that Tsvangirai should step down as leader. The MDC-T also faces its own succession "struggles…others insist that the MDC-T, having lost consecutive elections, needs renewal, starting with its leader.

"It has been reported that President Ian Khama of Botswana has also advised Tsvangirai to step down.

"The party has not been destroyed by the election results but it has been severely weakened. To regain lost ground it will have to transform itself and find a post-neoliberal narrative. Given its move from a mass-struggle position in 2003 into an elite-pact position from 2009, it is difficult to see where it will go from here. The MDC has been described as structurally weak, following the disarray and disappointment of 2013.

"There are signs, however, that the MDC-T is realizing that its political 'opt-out' approach guarantees irrelevance. Hence the party's call in February for a national dialogue as an 'opt-in' strategy for political relevance."

In a desperate bid to save face following the publication of the report , MDC-T spokesperson, Douglas Mwonzora latched on to the report's recommendation that all political parties should join hands and work together for a common cause.

Mwonzora went all out to brandish it as an indication of MDC-T political relevance and chose to ignore the shortcomings of his own party and dwindling fortunes mentioned in the same report.

A thorough and sane perusal of the report shows that ZANU-PF has managed to put in place measures and policies that are capable of reversing the country's economic decline with or without the MDC-T's dubious help.

As pointed out in the report, the land reform programme, coupled with the indigenization policy and mining potential, if managed properly, are more than adequate tools for the country's economic advancement.

One wonders where MDC-T wants to fit in given the fact that they have always been loudly opposed and skeptical of all three. This is a case of a tick latching onto the back of a healthy cow for its survival, a mere parasite.

This new-found willingness by the MDC-T to partner with ZANU-PF after 15 years of severely denouncing it is a clear indication that they have been forced to read the writing on the wall.

As stated in the report, ZANU-PF remains the most dominant force in Zimbabwean politics and will remain so for some time to come.