MDC-T celebrate ‘defeat as victory’

Harare Bureau
The MDC-T celebrates “defeat as victory” this Saturday at its 14th anniversary in Mutare with party leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai’s political score card in tatters. He has lost to President Mugabe since the formation of the political outfit in 1999, and the 31 July harmonised elections results marked his political demise.
The annual anniversary is running under the theme “Claiming and Celebrating the People’s Victory,” yet the whole world acknowledged that President Mugabe and Zanu – PF resoundingly won the election.

Zanu-PF heavily defeated MDC-T on 31 July, leaving the party in serious house squabbles with its national organising secretary Mr Nelson Chamisa in the eye of a storm.

“We are celebrating the 14th anniversary of the formation of the MDC. Over the past 14 years the MDC has established itself as a formidable political force in Zimbabwe whose most ardent critics and enemies have been unable to ignore. Annually, we celebrate the birth of this movement. Annually, we also have a theme of the celebrations. This year’s theme is ‘Claiming and Celebrating the People’s Victory’. The meaning of this theme is that the people and the MDC-T know that these elections were defrauded. We are claiming that victory by celebrating it,” MDC-T spokesperson Mr Douglas Mwonzora said yesterday.

He said Mr Tsvangirai would deliver a keynote address alleging rigging among other major highlights.
Political analysts yesterday dismissed the MDC-T’s anniversary theme as an irrational and a sign of cluelessness by its leadership. “Tsvangirai and his defeated lot are clueless about how to interpret or present their resounding loss which has put paid to their short lived agenda. They just do not know what to say to their dwindling supporters. This is why they are shamelessly presenting a resounding loss as a victory,” said political analyst Professor Jonathan Moyo.

He added: “The notion that you can celebrate a defeat as victory exposes their emptiness. The moment you find yourself claiming that night is daylight you do not belong to the rational world. You become a candidate for Engutsheni (hospital for mentally challenged people in Bulawayo). This is what is happening to the MDC-T. Those among us who are rational and experiencing this should feel sorry for them. They are disintegrating right in front of them.”

City lawyer and social analyst, Mr Goodwills Masimirembwa, concurred with Prof Moyo saying the failed MDC – T leadership was clinging to falsehoods in a bid to remain relevant.

“The entire world except their Western handlers endorsed the election result as a true representative of the will of the people of Zimbabwe. One has to look at the MDC-T in the context of the broader strategy of the Western world which is installing puppet Governments in countries endowed with natural resources so that they can have access to the natural resources to the disadvantage of indigenous people. We must never lose sight of the fact that the MDC-T will continue to be sponsored by the West to destabilise Zimbabwe. We must continue to be on high alert,” he said.

Mr Masimirembwa said Zimbabweans must read more into the MDC-T’s celebration of a loss as a win.
“That facade of celebrating a loss as a win must be looked at in the context of unrelenting desire by Western countries to dislodge Zanu-PF from power. The MDC-T will want to incite the people of Zimbabwe. They have this mind of some kind of Arab spring very much driven by the Americans and British but it will not succeed in Zimbabwe,” he said.

Dr Charity Manyeruke said a wise politician accepts defeat and prepares for the next election (2018).
“Their theme alone indicates a lack of acceptance by the MDC-T that they lost an election. They are now confusing losing with winning unless they are joining Zanu-PF to celebrate its victory. The theme shows that confusion is reigning in the MDC-T at the moment. Their MPs have already been sworn in. They are not sure whether the sun is rising or setting. I do not see why they should be celebrating when they should be putting down serious plans for next elections,” she said.

An MDC-T insider said all was not well within the party since 31 July, with infighting and witch hunting reigning supreme. “There is infighting. A witch hunt is going on depending on which faction you belong. Chamisa is being blamed for causing the MDC-T’s defeat to Zanu-PF. They are accusing the organising department, which he led, of incompetence. They are accusing Chamisa of failing to organise the party beyond what Elias Mudzuri did in 2008. Chamisa was just an event manager at MDC-T rallies delivering our stronghold like Manicaland to Zanu-PF. He also delivered his home province of Masvingo to Zanu-PF. How do you have an organiser coming from Masvingo scoring zero seats. He must go,” the source said.

The MDC-T got four seats from Mr Tsvangirai’s Manicaland home province and got nothing in Masvingo province.
Some senior MDC-T officials, including treasurer general Mr Roy Bennett, said he must step aside after the party’s poor performance during the elections.