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MDC must not put all their eggs in the GNU basket
Promise Mkwananzi
February 05, 2010

Introduction

Recent manoeuvres by ZANU PF point to bigger surprises in coming times. The purported reduction of the powers of the Prime Minister is a gross violation of the Global Political Agreement (GPA). This coupled with the recent pronouncement by the ZANU PF politburo that they will not be keeping their end of the bargain in implementing the GPA [until sanctions are removed], is a wakeup call for the MDC to act. In response, the MDC must begin to adjust and rethink their strategy to counter these unfortunate reversals of the crucial reforms, which might have seen Zimbabwe move towards democracy and prosperity. The perpetuation of violence aimed at stalling the constitution making process underpin and highlight a glaring need for the MDC to strengthen their stop-gap measures in the face of a shaky, if not collapsing transitional framework.

Party Building as a Fall Back Mechanism

There are a number of points which the MDC must focus their energies on in order for them to carry the people`s mandate forward. The MDC needs to work towards strengthening and building the capacity of the party as the sole political vehicle which has accorded the MDC the mandate and legitimacy to lead Zimbabwe. Remember when Morgan Tsvangirai announced the partial disengagement, he did so from the party offices and worked from there for the duration of the disengagement. While this might seem ordinary, it highlights the crucial position of the party in the whole equation. It is only through the party that Morgan Tsvangirai and his team will be able to rally the people in the event of serious fallout of the GNU. By party, I am not referring to that building called Harvest House-whose importance I have no illusions about but which alone might not be sufficient as to constitute a political party. By party, I mean the harvest house, the party leadership, party membership, party discourse, and party education of the masses, party regalia, party visibility, party structures, institutions and its entire vanguard and machinery. This is what I mean by party and this is what a political party is.

The party must have the capacity to engage other parties in the region, parties in Africa will never engage civil society organizations-never. They do not uphold the crucial role of civil society as key democratizing elements. It is only the MDC, the party -through its international relations department that can open avenues to other regional political parties. Only after such openings can some key technical institutions come along and work together with the party in terms of information packaging and policy articulation. The political parties are crucial vehicles through which the MDC can ultimately influence positions at government level. Consider South Africa for example, you cannot influence the government of South Africa unless you penetrate the ANC and other formations which constitute it i.e. COSATU SACP etc. Morgan Tsvangirai is the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe [in addition to having won the elections in March] by virtue of being the President of the MDC not the other way round or any other way. Same applies to most of his Ministers and top government officials seconded by the MDC. Unfortunately, the party seems to have been abandoned, as evidenced by the departure of all senior party officials to focus on government work-which justifies the call for the MDC not to bet all their eggs in the GNU basket. I do not think that I should dwell on general knowledge, but suffice to say that the party still and not more than ever needs the other democratic movements such as civil society organizations without who the MDC is at its weakest ebb. It is my contention that our democratic endeavours have not yielded enough fruits as to demand the civil society to play its customary role. NO! The situation is not yet ripe-ZANU PF is still on a war path, on a rampage establishing bogus NGOs and violating every clause they ought to uphold. This is not to say that civil society must not critic corruption in the MDC and any other vices that might ensue nor that civil society must pretend that the MDC is not seeking political power. Criticising the MDC is different from divorcing it, the broader goal of democratization is shared and I do not see why these democratic forces should not join hands to attain this noble goal. In South Africa, the labour movement is part and parcel of the ANC but we all know what they are capable of doing if the worker`s rights or privileges have been undermined. Imagine if the ANC and COSATU had been at parallels in the transitional period in South Africa. Perhaps the rainbow nation with which South Africans pride themselves would not have been born. In short, there is need for all to work towards strengthening and supporting the MDC to get rid of the bigger enemy (of democracy) -which is ZANU PF.

Take the People Along, They Remain Crucial

Secondly, the MDC must take the people of Zimbabwe along in their strategy and tactics-report back to and inform/consult the people on the broader strategy and moves. They remain the cornerstone of the MDC`s existence and claim to legitimacy. The people of Zimbabwe have been steadfast in authoring their future away from ZANU PF. Since 1999, they have courageously and consistently voted for change. They have spoken loud enough to be heard over the hullabaloos of ZANU PF violence and intimidation. It is now on public record, the ordinary people of Zimbabwe envisage a changed political situation. It is the duty and mandate of the MDC to continue to uphold these treasured aspirations of Zimbabweans by being seen by the people to be working for and towards change, by being seen to uphold the founding values, traditions and objectives for which the party was formed and which have made the MDC a force to reckon with that it is. The MDC must continue to show the people their critical-ness. The MDC must ensure that a ZANU PF agenda does not win. ZANU PF would like the people to shy away from politics and concentrate on bread and butter. It is the duty of the MDC to mobilize, educate, inspire, motivate and instil confidence in the people that there is still hope in confronting ZANU PF head on and that the MDC is still committed to achieve genuine democratic change. This can only be achieved by the MDC being completely truthful and honest towards not just its supporters but every Zimbabwean of all walks of life. The MDC must continue to reach out to the people, to report to them truthfully, the opportunities and constraints which they see in this creature called the GNU. The MDC must be on the ground, protecting and supporting all the activists who fall victim to ZANU PF violence and intimidation. The MDC can also reach the people through the civil society which -as l mentioned above- remains crucial. Briefing the civil society and working with them to interface and continue to psyche the people and prepare them for the final democratic fight-which might come under imperfect conditions for free and fair elections. Is it not clear that ZANU PF is aiming for elections before reforms-and the MDC must have a strategy of how to deal with this in an effective manner-apart from a boycott which is itself an effective delegitimization strategy but inadequate to dislodge ZANU PF in line with what the people of Zimbabwe demand.

Engage, Inform and Lobby SA, SADC, AU, International Community

Thirdly, the MDC must intensify its efforts and continue to engage, lobby, inform and exchange ideas with primarily the region (SADC), the continent (AU) and the broader international community. But foremost, it is crucial for the MDC to understand that South Africa is and will remain the gateway to their international strategy. Fortunate enough, there are indications that the South Africans have taken a positional shift in as far as Zimbabwe concerned, namely that, it appears to me that they have abandoned a reformed ZANU PF agenda and are now seriously looking into the MDC as the best alternative for the people of Zimbabwe. This however entails that the MDC must work even harder to prove themselves and take advantage of this opportunity. This stance is also informed by the South Africans` desire to host a successful world cup. If the MDC does not take advantage of this critical timeframe, the situation might be different after the world cup. The MDC must take the South Africans and the region along in their political processes. This means that, although the MDC does not report to them they should keep them informed on the political proceedings in Zimbabwe on a regular basis-as a way of maintaining and exerting diplomatic pressure. The South Africans, SADC, AU you name them have an interest in Zimbabwe but not to the extent of following every event that happens in Zimbabwe. It is up to the MDC to provide them with information say on a forth nightly basis about what will be happening particularly alerting them of the violations of ZANU PF. This should be done in order to prove to President Zuma and others that the MDC has already been flexible enough so as not to deserve the misplaced comments by President Zuma that they ought to be flexible. It is in the light of such comments that the MDC must cease to be cry-babies and take the responsibility and opportunity to show Zuma and his team in a formal manner how flexible they have been in this arrangement. They must show and prove to the region and the international community that ZANU PF has not dismantled militia bases since the 27th of June, 2008, the evidence is there in abundance. It just needs to be documented and exposed. They must show that it is Mugabe who does not want sanctions removed. They must show that it is ZANU PF which is applying the law in a partisan manner, by denying swearing in a deputy minister designate on the basis of serious charges while swearing in other ministers who face equally serious charges and bastardizing the long standing cardinal presumption of innocence until guilt is established beyond doubt by a competent court of law. A week before the EU reviews its position on sanctions is the time which Mugabe chooses to direct ministers to report to the Vice Presidents-clearly violating the GPA, is the time when he chooses to set militias to coerce people to adopt the Kariba Draft as a principal text of the constitution making process. There is further evidence to show this.

Conclusion

By articulating the above issues, l have no illusions as to the fantastic work which the MDC has been doing under very difficult circumstances. I have no illusions that the MDC leadership is not aware of the issues which I am speaking to here. On the contrary, I was immensely impressed and surprised how they have worked out and navigated in this volatile terrain. How they have cleverly used the GNU to institute or at least to kick-start crucial institutional reforms which will be key to the democratic dispensation in this country. I have done this like many other patriotic countrymen and women for emphasis sake. There is need to keep talking, supporting and urging our colleagues in the MDC to keep their eyes on the ball and to fight astutely to the final whistle. If you are watching a race-to draw an analogy with athletics-you cheer your candidate to the end even when he is safely leading the race. It is a golden rule! We need to support and continue to urge the democratic actors in Zimbabwe not just to continue but to ensure that they continue to do and to stand for what is right.

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