via Survey: MDC-T crucial, Biti, Ncube irrelevant – New Zimbabwe 25/08/2015
THE majority of Zimbabweans say despite losing the July 2013 elections to Zanu PF, the opposition MDC-T party will still play a “critical role” in the country’s future politics.
This was revealed by a Mass Public Opinion Institute (MPOI) survey in Harare Tuesday.
The survey was conducted last September to gauge people’s political preferences and the performance of the government after the 2013 elections.
It sampled 2400 people from all the country’s ten provinces.
According to the findings, Zimbabweans said the other MDC parties led by Welshman Ncube and Tendai Biti were irrelevant in both the current and the future politics of the country.
“Whilst most adults (47%) also thought that the MDC-T is not relevant in the current politics of the country, opinion was equally split (42% thought it would be relevant while 43% thought otherwise) about the future of the MDC-T in the politics of Zimbabwe,” read part of the research results.
“Thus the data strongly suggested that people think that the MDC-T will play a critical role in the future (43%) than it is doing at the moment (39%)”.
Tsvangirai got a paltry 34% of the Presidential vote losing to Zanu PF’s Robert Mugabe who garnered 61%.
Obert Gutu the MDC-T spokesperson said his party remains a favourite despite the “rigging tactics” Zanu PF has been using since “we came” in to the political arena.
“The MPOI survey results clearly vindicate our argument that the MDC-T is the real deal, the only game in town,” said Gutu.
“The majority of the people of Zimbabwe appreciate that we are their only hope and for that, we are deeply grateful.
“We can assure Zimbabweans that the MDC-T will not disappoint them. We are here to serve them. Indeed, we are the de facto government in waiting,” he said.
The vice president of the Welshman Ncube-led faction Edwin Mushoriwa acknowledged that the continued fragmentation of the MDC since 2005 was making them unpopular.
“We embrace the MPOI research and I actually believe that we have been in a struggle for a long time from 1999 until now and many people have wanted to see change as fast as possible and its possible that many people can come up with that perception,” said Mushoriwa.
“These results will help us to come up with fresh strategies so that we reconnect with the people so that we can move forward.
“But we believe that the other aspect which relates to the issue of violence and intimidation that has characterised the country’s over the years”.
COMMENTS
The MDC should do a bit of soul searching. As a party they need to focus on getting power, like parties all over the world do. Finding excuses will not help. This talk of rigging is useless, even if it might be true. MDC needs to stop behaving like zpf and sanctions. Just find a solution. David found the sling against Goliath, Joshua used trumpets against the walls of Jericho. Our own freedom fighters used sub-machine guns against Smith’s war machine. People of Manicaland and Matebeleland have consistently defeated the rigging machine. People by nature gravitate towards the confident. No more useless defeatist talk please.
Its funny how Obert says MDC-T is the real deal, but they continue to blatantly ignore the fact that this will only work if Tsvangirai is not the head that they take to the polls, had they put a person forward pavakaudziwa nana Biti, people would be ralling behind the new head now, vanenge vave ne renewed shungu in the movement because it would have shown a maturity in leadership that Zanu does not have, but alas its too late now. Not to mention that relevance does not equate to leading a nation, it means people still expect your party to be around in 2018 and operating in the country not that they expect you to win the elections. Grow up MDC-T, start thinking like real men, strategize like real men.
Hey Lucy, who would you have chosen to be the new leader of MDC to replace Tsvangirai?
ITS OBVIOUS!