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Benny Tsododo Correspondent
When you find an ensemble of opposition groups singing the same tired hymn on political issues, it becomes clear that they lack free enterprise and ideological depth.
To find opposition politicians regularly repeating the same protest clichés in a country with people highly regarded for their intellectual prowess, is not only instructive but worrying.
Since their launch, the MDC formations have proffered nothing except the Mugabe-must-go mantra in the hope of inciting people to rise up against the Government.
Other opposition groups coming after the MDCs, such as Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn, and the NCA, came with nothing new but borrowed the hollow Mugabe-must-go mantra and tried to package it into manifestos presented to the electorate.
For those political groups targeting the southern regions of the country, it has all been about propagating regional politics by claiming marginalisation of the areas, with other parties even going overboard calling for the breakaway of the region from the rest of the country.
Whether it is ZAPU, Mthwakazi, ZAPU 2000 or the MDC, the ploy remained that of seeking political mileage by fanning regional resentment without proffering inclusive and progressive developmental policies that can rival well-thought-out ZANU-PF policies. True to their form of cheaply latching on to issues trending, the opposition groups are currently engrossed in matters relating to the evasive grand coalition, the ill-informed 10 June by-election boycott and the shedding of crocodile tears over the Dzamara matter.
Almost all opposition groups are parroting and pursuing possibilities of forging the so-called grand coalition or pitching the big tent, according to Tsvangirai.
To make matters worse, even new political entrants chanting People First noises have also demonstrated that they have nothing original to offer the electorate.
The disjointed and headless People First project is already talking about possibly merging with other political groups to form a political movement that could challenge ZANU-PF for power in 2018 elections.
It is now harping on the alleged disappearance of Dzamara with its senior member, Didymus Mutasa, recently issuing a Press statement which partly read: “I am still worried about the continued silence on the whereabouts of Itai Dzamara. It is indeed very sad that the political leadership in ZANU-PF have become intolerant and paranoid to this level.”
Mutasa also came out in support of the stance taken by the MDC formations to boycott by-elections.
The same illness has blighted the seemingly garrulous former Supreme Court judge Benjamin Paradza, who is introducing his shadowy ZUNDE party, without coming up with its own political standpoint.
Paradza reportedly told the News Day on June 1 2015 that his party was open to coalitions with other opposition groups.
He reportedly said, “ZUNDE was formed with the clear desire of starting conversations with everyone and every political party in Zimbabwe . . .”
What was revealing about Paradza’s submission was his tacit acknowledgement that his party had no original ideas of itself. He refused to divulge his party policies, saying, “How we are going to do that is a matter of strategy and we are not going to tell our adversaries what our strategy is.”
What he forgets is that politics is not about hiding your policies and programmes to your competitors but about selling the same to the electorate.
Surely, with clueless and copycat opposition groups like these, who would begrudge ZANU-PF for its clean sweep during elections?
Why on earth would opposition groups expect to be voted into power when they have no distinguishable ideas or policies of their own to take the country forward?
While ZANU-PF is putting forward practical, discernible and concrete policies such as the land reform and the indigenisation programme, opposition groups are busy reproducing and throwing around tired clichés that will never translate into anything concrete.
Whether it is laziness or pure ideological bankruptcy, the opposition has dismally failed to proffer relevant alternative policies to rival ZANU-PF’s policies. No wonder they are perennially rejected at the ballot box.
Even their penchant to fret about coalitions against ZANU-PF betrays their conviction that they have no political or ideological depth to face the revolutionary party in their splintered state.
Online Reporter