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IN the turmoil that is swirling within the MDC-T, some party apparatchiks risk creating a monster out of their leader Morgan Tsvangirai as he battles to retain power in a high stakes game. In their mad rush to prove their loyalty to the MDC president, senior figures like national organising secretary Nelson Chamisa have blasphemously equated Tsvangirai to an anointee of God sent to lead the struggle for democracy.
Chamisa made the sensational remarks at an MDC-T rally in Harare’s Budiriro suburb last weekend where he declared Tsvangirai “the commander of the struggle. In a struggle there is a commander, others are lieutenants and no lieutenant should say they want to be a commander. If you dream while sleeping on top of a mountain that you want to be leader, we say no to that,” he said. “He (Tsvangirai) is the founding father of democracy in Zimbabwe, the doyen of constitutionalism. You can’t replace a person chosen by God. Let’s keep on feeding into River Save (Tsvangirai’s totem) so that even Gushungo (President Mugabe’s totem) can be swept away.”
MDC-T deputy national chairman Morgan Komichi went into overdrive, describing Tsvangirai as the biblical Moses who endured all insults and setbacks, but remained steadfast on his mission to deliver the Israelites from the hands of Pharaoh. “Mugabe is the Pharaoh and the Israelites were taken to the Red Sea by Moses, there is our Moses here,” he said. “Moses was attacked and insulted but he kept his mission,” Komichi added before churning out an apostolic song to buttress his point.
This is reckless and dangerous bootlicking. It is crass hero-worshipping that will embolden Tsvangirai as he deals with his opponents within his party. Already, Tsvangirai has displayed his disdain for democracy by ruthlessly crushing dissenting voices or those opposed to his long stay at the helm of the party. During the 2005 split, he managed to assuage those who could have sympathised with the plight of then secretary general Professor Welshman Ncube and other senior officials by brandishing the tribal card and successfully neutralising them.
Alarm bells should have rung right then that Tsvangirai was clearly not a democrat but a power hungry demagogue who would stop at nothing to achieve his ends. Today, even his ardent backers in the West are questioning his democratic credentials and have publicly rebuked him and his merry band of sycophantic followers.
The United States, Canada and Australia on Monday signalled their growing impatience with Tsvangirai by voicing their concern over the recent attacks on his rivals for the MDC leadership. Envoys from the three countries issued statements saying they were increasingly concerned by recent acts of violence against political figures (read MDC-T officials) in Zimbabwe.
The US said it had “taken note of recent media reports on incidents of politically motivated violence that have occurred in Harare. We condemn such acts of violence which have no peace in modern political discourse,” the UN embassy statement said. The Canadian envoy, appearing to make reference to moves by Tsvangirai supporters to stifle all discussions about a leadership change, said political parties must show leadership by “engaging in open dialogue and demonstrating respect for diversity of views”.
While we welcome the grudging condemnation of Tsvangirai’s actions by his Western allies, we can’t help but heave a sigh of relief that the MDC-T leader was not given a mandate by the people of Zimbabwe to run this country. We shudder at the thought of being led by a man who is clearly not a democrat but a power hungry tin pot dictator who will stop at nothing even violence to consolidate his rule and eliminate opponents.
As we write, a guillotine hangs over the head of deputy national treasurer Elton Mangoma who faces suspension for daring to call for leadership renewal. We appeal to Tsvangirai to allow democracy to prevail and subject himself to the will of the people through calling an early congress to resolve the power struggle within his party.
We also enjoin his lieutenants to tone their rhetoric and eulogies because they risk misleading their leader into thinking that he has a divine right to be at the helm of the MDC for eternity. Political parties are not sects or cults where personalities are created around the leader so that he is untouchable. Let democracy prevail.
Online Reporter