MDC-T turns 15 but there is little to celebrate

THE Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) - once a formidable force in the country's body politic - finds itself at its most vulnerable as it turns 15 years old this month. Its founding father, Morgan Tsvangirai, is still at the helm of the movement although he has been reduced to a pale shadow of his former self. Not only has Tsvangirai's brand been tainted by numerous sex trysts, but his three consecutive defeats at the ballot box to President Robert Mugabe of Zanu-PF have made him none the wiser.

After being in the political ring for 15 years against the veteran ruler, there are some in the MDC-T who can no longer wait to see Tsvangirai's back. Ironically, the "Mugabe must-go" mantra has turned into a "Tsvangirai must go", slogan especially among those in the MDC Renewal Team, who have been agitating for the removal of the former trade unionist.

Grace Kwinjeh, a founding member of the then united MDC, who is now based in Brussels, Belgium told the Financial Gazette that the politics of anger could become the MDC-T's undoing as it marks over a decade in existence. "You need to deal with issues and not protest. You can only be angry against an individual for so long; then you calm down and address the issues of the day. Zanu-PF is making inroads into the original MDC structures and we must give them credit for that. The MDC should now explain to people like us out here in the Diaspora for instance and excite us about their agenda…" said Kwinjeh.

Indeed, the "Mugabe must go" mantra may have enjoyed widespread appeal in the early 2000, but things have changed. Fifteen years later after stepping onto the political arena, many in the MDC-T now want the party to deal with bread and butter issues. That Tsvangirai is battling unending woes in his own party speaks volumes about his leadership.

Tsvangirai is currently facing a court challenge from disgruntled MDC-T workers who are pushing for the attachment of his Strathaven home and other properties that he owns, which include motor vehicles - an indication that his entire world seems to be crumbling around him. But as the movement turns 15, it is the exodus of Tsvangirai's former lieutenants who have left in protest over his indecisive leadership that begs the question whether the MDC-T is taking a gamble by retaining Tsvangirai as its leader at its congress next month?

Former lieutenants such as Samuel Sipepa-Nkomo, Tendai Biti, Elton Mangoma, Roy Bennett, Promise Mkhwananzi and Jacob Mafume among others have deserted him.  Political analyst, Zibusiso Dube, said there was nothing to celebrate for the MDC-T adding that the party needed to undertake a serious introspection. "Instead it should be a period for serious introspection among the party members. They should sit down and assess the situation in the party and come up with means to resuscitate it if it is to be a formidable opposition," said Dube.

The MDC-T is widely seen over the last decade and a half to have morphed into a replica of the ruling Zanu-PF.  The opposition spent the last five years in an uneasy power sharing government with Zanu-PF, which offered a mini-preview of the MDC-T's ability to handle high office.  While the MDC-T boasted that its entry into government had stabilised the economy and provided jobs for the population, critics pointed at the corruption allegations against some of its legislators and councillors as indicative of the party's intolerable record in governance .

Out of government for over a year and on the precipice of holding an elective congress, the MDC-T has started building fortresses around its leader. Just like Zanu-PF, the party looks set to chip off powers from the secretary-general and give these to the party president.

There is also an attempt to set up its own presidium, also taking a leaf from Zanu-PF.

A school of thought holds the view that this is the last straw for any hopes held out that the opposition party would not follow the way of Zanu-PF.  The ruling Zanu-PF has a presidium, which is composed of its top four executives that includes the President, the two Vice Presidents and national chairman.  The reason given for the constitutional changes by the MDC-T is that it is aligning its structures to match those of the new Constitution adopted in March last year.

However, insiders say Tsvangirai is on an offensive to purge dissenting voices and is bent on doing away with the powerful secretary-general position in the party.  While the implications of the constitutional changes are yet to be fully assessed, indications are that the MDC-T still has the opportunity to redeem itself to the voters, if it is prepared to reinvent itself.

Khanyile Mlotshwa, a political commentator, said Tsvangirai and his troops have reason to sit down, look back and reflect on what they have achieved in the past 15 years.  "Although they seem to be in a dark place right now, they have reason to celebrate; if at all they recognise the fact that change is not an event, but a process," said Mlotshwa.

"The economic situation may sadden them and make them feel that they have failed; but the truth is that they have achieved so much and if anything they have opened the eyes of Zimbabweans to possibilities; that there are alternatives to the one party hegemony of the Zanu-PF and ZAPU marriage of 1987".