MDC-T concedes defeat

31, political analysts have said.

There are reports that the party is courting Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn, Zapu and Zanu Ndonga while efforts are underway to bring Professor Welshman Ncube’s MDC on board. The development, analysts said, was a clear indication that Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC-T was running scared to go it alone against the revolutionary party.

Several surveys commissioned by organisations sympathetic to the formation indicate a Zanu-PF victory.

“They seem to be desperate and calling on anyone to join them because they have realised that they cannot win against Zanu-PF,” said Midlands State University lecturer, Mr Christopher Gwatidzo.

“These are actions of outright desperation. Their behaviour in 2000, 2005 and 2008 was that which ever party wanted a coalition with them was supposed to do so at the MDC-T’s terms. But now they are going around picking on any organisation, some of which have no people at all.”

Mr Gwatidzo said if the parties were to unite, the pact, would not last since there was no ideological convergence among them.

“These are parties that do not share the same ideology, but are just obsessed with removing President Mugabe,” he said. “The only coalition that works is that of converging policies. We are likely to see more fragmentation because there is nothing of substance that brings them together.”

Chairperson of the Department of Politics and Administration at the University of Zimbabwe, Dr Charity Manyeruke concurred with Mr Gwatidzo.

“MDC-T has seen that it has failed to win support of the people,” she said. “For that reason, it is now trying to get into a coalition with smaller parties that are of no significance at all.

“If ever, there is to be a coalition, it is of no consequence because they only converge on the obsession of removing Zanu-PF from power. They have no converging policies whatsoever. There is also confusion within those parties as well,” she said.

Zimbabwe Union of Democrats founder Mrs Margaret Dongo said while coalitions were successful in other countries, it was going to be difficult for them to thrive in Zimbabwe.

“The difference is that in other countries, they may have similar policies, ideology and approach,” she said. “The one being talked of here is just a marriage of convenience because they just want to remove Zanu-PF from power.

“It is clear that the MDC-T has accepted that the party they are fighting is not easy to defeat. They are just converging to remove Zanu-PF so that they can get into power.

“They have foregone the issue of ideologies for power. The coming together of parties is very important but in this case it shows the fear they have of the Zanu-PF strength.”

MDC-T spokesperson Mr Douglas Mwonzora confirmed that his party was engaging the mentioned parties for a coalition.

“There is nothing formal yet, but political parties are cooperating along areas of interest and are cooperating very well,” he said.

“For us, every political grouping is important. We are not in this struggle for ourselves as the MDC-T but for all the people of Zimbabwe.

“We will do everything that makes the people of Zimbabwe achieve freedom, justice and equality. That includes cooperating with all progressive forces.”