Source: Coalition leadership not about popularity only – DailyNews Live
Guthrie Munyuki 8 July 2017
HARARE – As Zimbabwe slowly but surely inches towards the 2018 national
elections, an all-too-familiar picture is emerging: it’s President Robert
Mugabe versus Morgan Tsvangirai again.
This has been the story of Zimbabwe elections since 1999 when the popular
MDC leader swapped his trade unionism jacket for the wretched politics of
this country.
Mugabe, believing that there is no one else in Zanu PF who can do the
better job than himself, has been a permanent feature on the ballot paper
– winning the elections anyhow.
Next year’s elections are so important for every Zimbabwean.
Firstly, they will mark the last time that Mugabe will be contesting, as
the clauses of the new Constitution written in 2013, kick in.
Secondly, for the first time, since the emergence of Tsvangirai and the
MDC we are likely to see the opposition contesting as a single bloc in the
form of a grand coalition in a move that has raised prospects of a
complete Mugabe and his warring Zanu PF annihilation.
Lastly, the 2018 elections, irrespective of who wins them, are likely to
determine which direction Zimbabwe will take especially after the
stability-inducing government of national unity had given us a sneak peek
into what life could be when all things are normal.
The all-too familiar talk of it’s Tsvangirai versus Mugabe must be
interrogated looking at whether Zimbabwe, going forward is best served by
these “popular” politicians.
In the here and now, we have a Mugabe who wants to contest another
election at 93 despite having presided over the collapse of the country’s
economy, but still claiming he is popular.
And now, in all this talk about the grand coalition, there are growing
calls by partisan sections of the civic society, student movements and
opposition, for Tsvangirai to lead the mooted electoral alliance in 2018,
against Mugabe.
Again the argument is that he is popular and has the backing of the
majority of suffering Zimbabweans.
True!
But what the MDC and Tsvangirai need to understand is that it’s not
popularity alone that is needed to steer this country forward.
And more importantly, they should look at how they have failed to beat
Mugabe and Zanu PF outright in previous elections despite being the party
of “choice” at the polling stations.
This I am saying because of the hysteria and not-so-flattering remarks
that both Tsvangirai and his cohorts have directed at former Cabinet
minister Nkosana Moyo since he announced his presidential bid for the 2018
national elections.
Moyo has been accused of trying to split votes and in some cases as being
a Zanu PF project.
This is not what democrats do and certainly not what a party that is
harbouring ambition to rule behaves.
Instead, Tsvangirai, the MDC and that partisan section of the civic
society should be pushing to have a solid coalition that must justify
reason why people should vote for it next year.
The fact that Tsvangirai and the MDC believe in a coalition means they
realise that they need outsiders who can strengthen them by bringing
skills and expertise not resident in the party.
So, the coalition is not about just popularity but putting together people
who can clearly spell out alternative policies to Zanu PF.
One would have hoped that by now the ordinary people know some of the
faces who are likely to be in this coalition – well ahead of the election
– not the current gamesmanship where even political lightweights are being
used to spite others in a bid to stake claim to leadership of the
coalition.
Any football team that is serious about mounting a strong championship
challenge needs to have balance but talent within its ranks.
That should be the same with the coalition.
There is nothing wrong with Moyo throwing his name into the ring unless
his entrance confirms that he’s perhaps the best candidate to lead the
coalition.
It should be the more the merrier rather than trying to smear people who
are also fighting for a better Zimbabwe.
The opposition need to stop worrying about who leads the coalition and
concentrate on identifying the right people and worry about leadership
later.
Elections are not lost on election day but in crucial moments like these.
So far what the opposition has done is not enough to inspire confidence in
those seeking an alternative to Mugabe and Zanu PF.
Instead, there is more quarrelling and confusion.
In the meantime, Mugabe, in what is turning to be a dry run for the
crucial 2018 vote, is mobilising through the youth interface rallies.
His team already knows what it needs in terms of numbers.
It would be foolish to dismiss the crowds at these rallies as bussed and
forced because they are sending a clear message that as frail and as aged
as Mugabe is, come 2018 they will vote for him!
Haven’t we walked this route before?
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