‘MDC-T runs out of ideas’

Nduduzo Tshuma Political Editor
THE MDC-T’s plans for mass demonstrations to force the government to “fix the economy” betrays the party’s bankruptcy of ideas and a desperate bid to gain relevance, analysts said yesterday.

MDC-T spokesperson Obert Gutu was on Tuesday quoted in the media saying his party was organising its members to hold mass demonstrations in a bid “to force the Zanu-PF government to urgently address the worsening economic situation.”

However, the analysts said instead of engaging the ruling party in Parliament on issues of policy, the fractious MDC-T decided not to take part in recent by-elections including in those constituencies that used to the party’s stronghold — especially in Bulawayo.

They said it was an exercise in futility or a classic case of cutting one’s throat to spite one’s stomach, considering the MDC-T caused 14 out of the 16 by-elections by firing and recalling its members from parliament.

Political analyst Nhlanhla Dube said the MDC-T by pronouncing the threat to hold its demonstration had stripped itself the status of an opposition party and assumed that of an advocacy group in the league of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (Woza).

Dube said the MDC-T as a political party should confront the government at policy level and not engage on futile demonstrations that won’t affect or effect policy.

“Advocacy groups are the ones that are expected to do demonstrations against a particular interest and not necessarily the broad scope of governance,” said Dube.

He said the only place that the MDC-T would make contributions to the country was through the formulation of policies and laws at Parliament and not toyi toying on the streets.

Dube said the decision not to participate in the by-elections exposed Tsvangirai’s lack of political strategy and the threats of demonstrations were a desperate bid to be relevant. He said the party seemed to have a tendency of trying to find relevance in chaotic situations not in tranquillity.

Another political analyst Butholezwe Nyathi said the threats by the Tsvangirai-led MDC-T were not the first as they issued another soon after the 2013 harmonised elections in which the party performed dismally.

He, however, said it remained to be seen if the party would live to its threats as already, there are questions over its capacity to organise the said demonstrations in the first place.

“The party had experienced a lot of infighting resulting in it making contradictory pronouncements,” said Nyathi.

He said there was also doubt that the people would respond positively to the party’s calls for the demonstration as they would rather work towards improving their livelihoods.

Political analyst Mlungisi Moyo said the MDC-T failed to appreciate that the government is the totality of the country’s population.

He said the party had not been blocked from coming forward with suggestions on how to improve the economy but had simply failed because they had nothing to offer.

“This is a government of the people and not a military state. They’ve not been blocked from coming forward with their suggestions. No one participates in the building of an economy through demonstrations,” said Moyo.

“In any case the very MDC-T has said they would not take part in elections after causing the expulsion of 21 rebel members from Parliament. It’s only through Parliament that they can make contributions towards the governance of the country.”

National University of Science and Technology lecturer Stevenson Dhlamini said by holding the demonstrations, the MDC-T would actually hurt the country’s economy.

He said the MDC-T appeared to be caught up in the wave of demonstrations in neighbouring South Africa by university students.

Dhlamini said the embattled party should differentiate national politics and student movements.

He, like Nyathi, said the MDC-T had slumped in terms of popularity and the people would not heed their calls for a demonstration.

Addressing party supporters in Gweru recently, People’s Democratic Party leader Tendai Biti said the MDC-T has no capacity to defeat Zanu-PF in any election.

Biti said Tsvangirai was selfish, adding that his party no longer has confidence in him as its leader.

Meanwhile, Tsvangirai visits Bulawayo today to console the late Nkulumane legislator Thamsanqa Mahlangu’s relatives after coming under fire for snubbing the MP’s burial two weeks ago.

Tsvangirai who had travelled to the city for the funeral failed to turn up at the burial after, according to insiders, he was caught up in the party’s factional fights.

The embattled MDC-T leader instead, sources revealed, spent the day holed up at a house belonging to a member of deputy president Thokozani Khupe’s faction that is pitted against the one linked to former organising secretary Nelson Chamisa.

This was after youths belonging to the two factions openly clashed in front of mourners as the party was spilt along the feuding legislator’s relatives tussling over the control of burial proceedings.

On one end was Mahlangu’s paternal family the Sangos and that of his stepfather the Mugovas on the other.

The Khupe faction reportedly camped at the Sangos in Luveve suburb while the Chamisa grouping was at Nkulumane.

MDC-T spokesperson Obert Gutu yesterday confirmed Tsvangirai’s visit.

Chamisa on the day of the burial outfoxed his leader as he emerged from the Roman Catholic Church in Nkulumane leading pall bearers carrying Mahlangu’s casket, with Tsvangirai nowhere to be seen.

The factionalism is expected to play out again today as Tsvangirai visits the two families.