Tsvangirai should take his head out of the sand

As things continue to crumble in MDC-T, I find its leader; Morgan Tsvangirai's hear-no-evil, see-no-evil approach highly self-destructive.

An Irish poet, W.B Yeats, wrote:
 Turning and turning, in the widening gyre, the falcon cannot hear the falconer. Things fall apart, the centre cannot hold, mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.

This aptly describes the situation currently obtaining in the MDC-T with suspensions and counter-suspensions, disciplinary hearings with no respondents, violent tussles over party assets and mass defections.

Instead of tackling these problems head-on, as a true leader should, Morgan Tsvangirai is busy burying his head in the sand, sticking his ample derriere in the air and wishing the problems will miraculously disappear.

Much like an ostrich which, when trouble beckons, chooses to bury its head in the sand, Tsvangirai has been consistent in his dismissal of significant events and it is apparent he is living in a perpetual state of denial.

Party spokesperson, Douglas Mwonzora is not helping matters either as he encourages his master's delusion.

The anarchy in the MDC-T was precipitated by calls for leadership renewal led by Elton Mangoma, who has since been joined by other prominent figures in the party like secretary general Tendai Biti, former women's league chair, Lucia Matibenga, Roy Bennet, Gorden Moyo and Elias Mudzuri, just to mention but a few.

When Mangoma wrote the letter that proved to be the spark, Tsvangirai should have had the hindsight to nip the problem in the bud. Objectively looking at the contents of the letter, it is clear that there were some genuine concerns raised therein.

Instead, Tsvangirai chose to latch onto the part that called for him to step down only and Mangoma was summarily dismissed. What he did is equivalent to merely treating the symptoms not the underlying cause of the problem and, predictably, it only proved to be the genesis of even greater woes.

Tendai Biti, Jacob Mafume and some MP's, not to mention those still afraid to openly declare their allegiance to the renewal cause, subsequently joined Mangoma.

Had Tsvangirai recognized the problem and its seriousness earlier instead of dismissing it as petty, he would have been able to avoid the member hemorrhaging that has hit the party.

The renewal team, Douglas Mwonzora described as nonsensical.

Agreed, Mangoma could have been a pesky nuisance but what of Tendai Biti, Lucia Matibenga, Gorden Moyo, Elias Mudzuri and the entire Manicaland youth executive?

Are all these people and their departure insignificant too?

If so, then the MDC-T is nothing but a gathering of inconsequential idiots.
Consistent wishful thinking is not wisdom.

What will it take for Tsvangirai and Mwonzora to admit that something is seriously wrong in the party? When they are the only two left?

The resignation of Gorden Moyo as provincial chairperson should have served as a wake-up call if ever they needed one, given his significant influence over the civic society that the MDC-T relies so heavily on.

Predictably however, barely 72 hours after the former MDC-T Bulawayo provincial chairperson announced his resignation from the post citing "violence, hate language, mudslinging matches, and the pursuit of parochial and personal interests" in the party, Mwonzora, speaking on behalf of MDC-T, was quick to dismiss it as a non-event.

Mwonzora described Gorden Moyo as a "Johnny-come-lately who had failed to exhibit good leadership qualities."

I have no brief for Gorden Moyo, but even a blind man can see he is one of the most influential politicians in the country whether Tsvangirai likes it or not, which is exactly why he previously appointed him as Minister of State in the Prime Ministers office and then Minister of State Enterprises and Parastatals.

I was also shocked to hear Mwonzora claim the MDC-T is wrongly accused of violence, basing his proclamations on the acquittal of some party youths accused of clobbering Elton Mangoma.

"It's tragic that Moyo purported to speak for the country and then accused MDC of violence yet as demonstrated in the courts last week, the party is wrongfully accused of violence," said Mwonzora.

Their acquittal only means that the wrong people were arrested or there wasn't enough evidence to convict them, unless of course Mwonzora and Tsvangirai are saying Mangoma was beaten up by tokoloshi's.

 This is just another example of how Mwonzora chooses to ignore facts and misleads Tsvangirai to do the same. Violence, as all the members who are defecting to the Biti camp are pointing out, is a very pervasive and big problem in the party.

I don't know if Mwonzora believes his own lies that the MDC-T does not need all these members who are siding with the renewal team or he has a sinister agenda for continuing to mislead his leader instead of telling him the truth.

That truth is that the defections are a cause for grave apprehension and the defectors have genuine and valid concerns that should be addressed if the party is to maintain some semblance of relevance.

As for Tsvangirai, it's time he takes his head out of the sand and addresses concerns raised by his cronies before all members desert him, including the sneaky Douglas Mwonzora himself.

You can only fool people for so long!