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Tichaona Zindoga and Farirai Machivenyika—
MDC-T has been widely condemned for seeking to impose “internal sanctions” on Zimbabwe by urging people to boycott what the party called “Zanu-PF-linked and owned businesses”. Industrialists, business organisations and analysts said MDC-T was living to its billing as an anti-people party by seeking to cripple local industry at a time when the economy was sagging and there were massive job losses due to the economic sanctions regime the party’s Western backer’s imposed.
MDC-T spokesman Mr Obert Gutu was quoted in the print and electronic media saying his party wanted Zimbabwe to “scream”.
“We need to hear Zanu-PF scream and as a democratic party we can only engage in peaceful resistance to this regime until it squeals.
“The MDC has come up with a programme in which we will call on all our supporters and the generality of Zimbabweans to stop dealing and buying products from Zanu-PF-linked and owned businesses as well as their products,” Mr Gutu was as quoted saying.
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This is the same language that was used by former US assistant secretary of State for African Affairs Chester Crocker during hearings for the US sanctions law, the so-called Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act that cut all lines of credit to Zimbabwe.
Said Chester Crocker to the US Senate: “To separate the Zimbabwean people from Zanu-PF, we are going to have to make their economy scream, and I hope you, Senators, have the stomach for what you have to do.”
The sanctions regime has contributed to untold suffering to Zimbabweans leading to massive capital flight, deindustrialisation and loss development quantified to the tune of over US$42billion in lost revenue.
Businesspeople and other commentators rapped the opposition for its unprogressive stance.
Industrialist and a recent past chairman of the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries Mr Charles Msipa slammed the MDC-T for trying to arm-twist consumers for political reasons and said such calls would paralyse Government.
He also called the statements as importune given the economic challenges that the country is facing.
“My view is that people should exercise their choice as to what products they purchase and use. It is really a choice,” he said.
“This is a very controversial pronouncement because Zanu-PF is the ruling party, the party of Government and by extension this means that we have to boycott Government services.
“Naturally as an industrialist I should say we need to build and support businesses regardless of the political affiliation of its owners or shareholders. We need to be supportive of all businesses because they will provide employment.
“At this stage we are as a country we need business to flourish and provide jobs and revenue to the Fiscus,” said Mr Msipa.
Minister of Economic Planning and Investment Promotion Simon Khaya Moyo, who is also Zanu-PF spokesman, said the country should focus on building the economy rather than destroying it.
“We are busy concentrating on the implementation of Zim-Asset and growing the economy and not playing to the gallery.
“To us the statement is irrelevant and that position is the position of a minority that won’t succeed because Zanu-PF is the ruling party and has the greatest support,” he said.
He rapped the MDC-T for immaturity.
Oxford scholar and political analyst Mr Simukai Tinhu said Zimbabwe no longer had a place for this corrosive brand of politics.
“We should be moving away from negative approaches to politics. Instead, political parties should rely on selling their ideas in order to appeal to the electoral market.
“With the easing of sanctions by the West, one would have thought that negative strategies were now history on Zimbabwe’s political landscape. With job cuts in both the private and public sector, what is needed is new investment to open up new business enterprises and also to prop up existing ones, whether owned by Zanu-PF or MDC supporters or officials.”
The National Business Council of Zimbabwe described the MDC-T’s comments as and out of touch with the Zimbabwean reality.
“Calling for a boycott of the so-called Zanu-PF businesses is just but in line with their international call for economic sanctions which did not usher the MDC into power but brought about unwarranted suffering of our people,” said the president of NBCZ, Dr Keith Guzah.
He added: “Zimbabweans are not going to heed that empty call but will continue to ensure that we bring about an economic take off on the back of our blueprint, Zim-Asset.”
The indigenisation lobby group, Affirmative Action Group, said MDC-T’s strategy was misplaced and that the party was behaving as an enemy of the state.
“Our position as AAG is that those utterances by the MDC-T through its spokesperson Obert Gutu are misplaced,” said Mr Chamu Chiwanza, president of the group.
“Their call to boycott Alpha and Omega Dairy (owned by the First Family) and other businesses are direct attacks on the indigenisation and black empowerment programmes that have seen a number of black businesses emerge into the mainstream economy.
“We take these as desperate threats coming from a desperate party seeking attention. What they should simply understand is that we are currently focusing on the economy and ways to improve the livelihoods of the generality of the people and anyone who advocates something to the contrary, as the MDC-T want to do should be taken as an enemy of the State.”
Political analyst Goodwine Mureriwa said Gutu’s statements should be understood in the context of the MDC thriving in crisis.
“(Mr) Gutu’s statements are not surprising because they are coming from an earlier statement by Morgan Tsvangirai that they want to escalate the economic hardships in the country in the hope that the situation will deteriorate and improve their waning popularity,” he said.
“The MDC-T support is derived from the suffering of people and as you know the party has in the past called for sanctions so these utterances should also be seen in that light that they are motivated by their quest for more hardships on Zimbabweans in their misguided hope that this will result in mass protests. The question that should be asked is what will their boycott benefit ordinary Zimbabweans?”
Online Reporter