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Charlene Shumba Correspondent
WHEN then MDC Alliance leader, Nelson Chamisa, announced on 23 January 2022, that a new party, the CCC had been born, there was euphoria in opposition circles, but many with intuitive discernment, could tell this was a monumental political ruse.
Chamisa in his inaugural speech as interim CCC leader declared, “We want a new game in town. A new great Zimbabwe is being born. We are here; we are having a new entity and new organizations. We have left the past. We represent new hope, joy, freedom. We represent ideas, solutions.”
He even tweeted that, “Let’s join, support and grow the new! Yes, new values, new standards, new ideas . . . everything new!”
In the same inaugural speech, Chamisa categorically stated that “we have left everything,” that was the MDC Alliance.
While some fickle folks saw this as the birth of a new dawn, many sensed this was the birth of yet another autocratic organisation led by a despot.
The CCC is a child sired out of the trampling of democracy.
A little history would suffice.
The MDC prided itself in being a vanguard of democracy. It touted itself as the messiah which would bring democracy.
Never mind the fact that its actions and words were at cross purposes, at least there was a pretence at democracy.
The MDC of Morgan Tsvangirai would hold congresses, had a constitution and also conducted primary elections.
Tsvangirai dies. Enter Chamisa, not democratically, but through the window, literally.
Fearing an elective congress, which history had taught him could lead to defeat, Chamisa trashed the MDC constitution, usurped power, elbowed the legitimate heir to the throne – even attempted to burn down Thokozani Khupe at Tsvangirai’s burial in Buhera; xenophobia-style.
This was the beginning of the birth of the CCC.
Constitutionalism, which Chamisa abhors, prevailed as constitutionalists led by Douglas Mwonzora successfully used the MDC constitution to rein in Chamisa, took the party name, party headquarters and other properties.
Down and defeated by the party’s constitution, Chamisa was forced to bail out and form CCC.
Dear reader, Chamisa learnt hard lessons from his annihilation at the hands of his party’s constitution.
Firstly, he learnt that a constitution is a hindrance to his effective control of the party.
Secondly, that internal elections could result in loss of power.
Remember, Chamisa was walloped by Mwonzora for the secretary general’s post during the MDC elective congress in 2014.
This is precisely why Chamisa usurped power after Tsvangirai’s death. He feared another shellacking.
The declaration that, “We have left everything,” was an ominous warning of the style of leadership to come in the “new” baby, CCC.
Chamisa has literally thrown away all pretence that was in the MDC.
He has thrown the democracy play book into the trash can.
The constitution, dispensed with.
Internal primary elections, dispensed with. Internal elections to form structures, dispensed with. Elective congress, dispensed with.
It is literally Chamisa chete chete. He is the law. He is the appointer. He is the congress. He is everything. Zero accountability. Zero transparency.
His minions such as CCC activist, Hopewell Chin’ono even declared that they had no obligation to follow democratic processes in the CCC, ludicrously claiming that they were in a struggle.
On February 6, 2022, Chin’ono shamelessly declared that, “a political party has ONE leader at a time, and what he says is FINAL! We are in a struggle, not democracy! Once you allow one person to disrespect you, you open floodgates.”
The crass hypocrisy of the so-called democracy defenders is astounding.
Commenting on an article in a local daily, which usually supports the CCC, criticising the CCC’s failure to hold an elective congress, Chin’ono derisively and dismissively tweeted that, “nonsense on steroids!
“They will write acres and acres of analysis, but there will be no congress before 2023, and there will be no such thing called congress.
“Congress is Zanu PF and MDC-T terminology! No such thing before 2023 elections! Full Stop!”
What is instructive is that, they want to railroad their “democratic” party into the 2023 harmonised general elections, minus key democratic requirements such as a party constitution, congress and internal primaries.
The question is thus, where would Chamisa derive the mandate to represent the CCC? Where would that party’s candidates derive their mandate without party primaries?
How will that party account for funds for the elections without proper structures? What criteria would be used to select candidates without a constitution?
What would be the terms of reference for that party’s candidates?
Chalton Hwende, the interim secretary general, appointed by Chamisa has sought, in vain, to justify the non-holding of a congress on the cost factor.
Feeling the heat on the necessity of holding an elective congress, Hwende ludicrously tweeted that, “the two biggest cost centres in a political party are 1. Congress 2. General Elections.
There is no same party that holds both events in the same year because to have a congress for CCC you need US$2 million and an election a minimum of USD$150m.
Politics is a very expensive game
However, what is lost on Hwende is that ZANU held a congress in the then Gwelo in 1964, where Ndabaningi Sithole was elected president, at a time colonialism had obliterated democratic space and without any budget to talk of.
So, what is Hwende talking about in post-independent Zimbabwe, where it’s an open secret that the CCC is well-funded by foreign embassies and can also crowd source funding, a route the party has taken in the past.
The expensive part is just an excuse to justify the undemocratic fascist root that the party has taken.
The irony in all this is that, the party wrongly being accused of being undemocratic, held primaries, did an elective restructuring exercise, held Youth League elections and is on the path to hold elections in the Women’s League, and will certainly hold party primaries ahead of the 2023 harmonised elections.
Zanu PF is proving its democratic credentials in deed, not the cheap talk by the CCC, which has degenerated into a one-man band, where Chamisa is the law.
One shudders to think where Chamisa would take this country to if he were to assume State power.
He would dispense with the Constitution, and Zimbabwe would be lucky to hold national elections ever again, breaking a history of steadfastly holding same since 1980.
The zealous “young man” (who is actually in his 40s), luckily, will never assume State power as his aversion to democracy would be his downfall.
Online Reporter