Source: I’d rather fight it alone: Tsvangirai – NewsDay Zimbabwe April 26, 2016
MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai says his tenure as Prime Minister of the now-defunct Government of National Unity (GNU) had taught him to stay away from coalitions, effectively ruling out the possibility of joining hands with other opposition parties ahead of the 2018 elections.
BY STEPHEN CHADENGA/RICHARD CHIDZA
Tsvangirai told journalists in Gweru last week that President Robert Mugabe’s “deceitful behaviour” during the GNU showed him the dangers of coalitions based on differing ideologies.
“Given such experience (GNU), we would rather get legitimately elected and be given the mandate by the people to rule. If you don’t have shared vision, you can’t have partnership and you waste a lot of time tearing each other apart, pursuing different agendas,” he said.
His comments came just days after MDC-T secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora declared they were not keen on coalescing with other opposition parties.
“I can confirm that the party has decided to shelve any coalition plans. We have carefully analysed the situation and realised that other opposition parties do not have much to give to the coalition in terms of following,” Mwonzora told a local weekly last week.
“They do not have any significant following and so we have said let us concentrate on rebuilding our party and strengthening it.”
Insiders say Tsvangirai and hawks in his party have been buoyed by the large number of MDC-T supporters that turned up for the anti-corruption demonstration held in Harare two weeks ago.
“After the demonstration, some in the party began to think we could go it alone. On the other hand, that thinking played right into the hands of those that have been arguing against a coalition. That group is made up of people who are scared of losing their positions in the event of a grand coalition,” top party officials said.
Talk of a grand coalition ahead of the 2018 election has been growing since the emergence of former Zanu PF Vice-President Joice Mujuru and her Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF) political outfit.
MDC-T spokesperson Obert Gutu said Tsvangirai had the final say on all matters to do with coalitions.
Tsvangirai’s spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka said: “President Tsvangirai is seized with the issue of conditions rather than positions. Coalitions by their very nature bring to the fore the issue of positions rather than conditions, which is unnecessary. Zimbabweans are currently suffering because of conditions and not positions and that is what we are concerned with for now. It is too early to talk of coalitions.”
Following the bloody presidential run-off election in June 2008 which the MDC-T boycotted, Tsvangirai and Mugabe were forced into a shaky partnership that also included former Industry minister Welshman Ncube’s smaller MDC faction in an arrangement sponsored by regional bloc Sadc and the African Union.
COMMENTS
Yes, big up Tsvangi! Of course, it does make sense to pretend to be together when two or more groupings are not a team at all.
These often “politically correct” marriages of convenience, called “coalitions” have more often than not served simply to prolong the suffering of those they are supposedly mean to serve and to prolong all the vices of dictatorships.
One can imagine coalition of Tsvangi & Mujuru outfits. What really do the two share in common – totally nothing! The Joices, didymus’s. etc, in ZPF clearly share everything in common with their erstwhile zanu pf counterpart except for now their looting licences have been withdrawn by their own ordained son of God – Robert Mugabe. So, certainly such individuals are not fighting for change in the holistic sense, if anything they are simply fight to get back their looting & killing licences – and of course when push come to shove kick anyone out of their way to that end. Is that the kind of partners MDC_T would want – certainly NO!
tsvangirai has saved mugabe on numerous occasions from the aborted final push through to the formation of the gnu, the subsequent spineless performance as prime minister and the decision to participate in the 2013 elections without even a voters roll.
tsvangirai is totally mugabe’s best ally.
whether by design, or by lack of wit, is the only unknown.
Tsvangirayi also refused to join hands with Mutambara at the last hour leaving Mutambara without other option than encouraging his followers to vote for Makoni for presidency. If they participated as a United MDC, Tsvangirai would have clear Majority,and with Mutambara’s support, Zanu pf could not easily temper with the results. Tsvangirai is not serious on defeating Mugabe.Zimbabweans that support Tsvangirai are clueless as to what it take to change the current regime.
I agree with MAPINGU.
Tsvangirai has learn’t the lesson of the GNU.
Coalitions only serve to perpetuate the suffering of the masses whilst pretending to offer instant salvation.
In that respect the MDC was wrong to collectively, go into the GNU.
They were also wrong to participate in 2013 with no voter’s roll, another collective decision.
Having said this, the people still believe in Tsvangirai because he is the only one out there not tainted by the ZANY brush, the Mtambaras, Ncubes, Bitis etc all being agents of the ZANU machine.
Anyone has problems with this, then they belong in the idiot camp.
Tsvangirai is now a Mugabe ally in return for continued occupation of the Highlands mansion. He knows even if he wins alone the army will not allow him to takeover reigns of power so why risk the presidential mansion by getting into coalition with other opp parties. Sell out Morgan shut up and get out
Amazing logic Muzaya.
Guy’s doing it for a mansion?
He has gone through all this harassment by the ZANU MACHINE, just for some nice digs?
Truth is you guys will do anything to discredit Morgizza because you are scared of him.
The masses have seen through you, just like they saw through Smith and Co., and your days are numbered. Might take time, like these things usually do but you and your ZANU morons are soon to be history.
Well done Morgan. You have seen through the ploy. Break you up and the bandits come in again. Brilliant strategy by the bandits. Let the elections come and Mugabe and co are history.
I think this time Tsvangirai is right. No need for a coalition for the sake of it.
Not only that some of these people talking coalitions have no supporters and the only way they can go into government/parliament is through a coalition of sorts.
Take a look at Zapu, for example. They had a chance to sparkle in the Bulawayo by-elections and they couldn’t even muster 2,000 votes in any of the by-elections despite the elections being a two horse between them and Zanu PF.
Then there is the likes of Biti, Ncube and Mangoma. These guys thought they could deceive the electorate and now find that combined they don’t have enough support to win even one constituency.
All these parties will bring are leaders but no supporters and then the squabbling will start. It’s because they are all constituted of leaders but very few supporters.
The biggest bugbear is ZimPF. This is a party that comprises people who not so long ago where on the leash doing anything and everything to sustain Mugabe in office. Mutasa anyone?
I want to believe the plausibility of being who you are. Usually coalitions work with like-mindedness yet from the crop and attitudes of the so-called opposition parties leaders it is very difficult for “water and oil to mix” In light of this I think Tsvangirai is right if he caa stick to principles and be cognisant of the fact that he commands the majority of Zimbabweans fed up by the ZANU misrepresentation and misrule Tsvangirai and MDC-T should not let the people who some have paid the ultimate prize for the sake of good governance and real freedom in our land of birth. Tsvangirai should now stand up like he means serious business in the emancipation of the Zimbabweam populace from the dictatorship of the demon possessed Mugabe.People are crying for real leaders who have the people at heart not power hungry demagogues in the Bitis and company
My assessment of the political situation is that there are some “dogs which are good in barking but not biting”.What I mean is that Welshman Ncube and Tendai Biti are the spoilers here as they want to go into coalition with no real numbers but their heads and spectacles only.Tsvangirai and his team have read that and are very cautious and suspicious of the two.What I have deduced from this is that deep down the Mdct want a coalition which does not involve the two ‘super’ gentlemen because first they split the mdc twice and secondly their suspicious tendency in the gnu make Tsvangirai not trust them anymore.
A stronger, vibrant,efficient and effective coalition will be Morgan Tsvangirai and Joice Mujuru.I believe Zim pf is serious in word and spirit and they have the numbers on the ground because all the disgruntled members of Zanupf will join zimpf or mdct thus a combination of the two is a real game changer.Also remember that Zimpf is coming with the liberation war credentials which is the missing link in mdct and blended with the democratic credentials of mdct , Zanupf is finished come 2018.
I may not be a political scientist or analyst, but I advise MT and Mdct to seriously consider Joice Mujuru and leave the rest nonentities.
I support Morgan’s idea. If you ask the Zimpf people about the coalition they will tell you Mujuru will be the President and Morgan a junior partner. And if we look on the numbers we know who have the numbers. We better go it alone Mr Morgan than kubatana nezvikwekwe zvinoda kusveta ropa. We cant joints hands with former disgruntled Zanu pf members who only noticed the wrongdoings of the rulling party after being chased away,they are Zanu pf in heart and Zimpf on the face but the ideology will never be the same with what we the masses are after.
People, lets face reality. Tsvangirayi can have the support of 200% of the Zim population; so long as the electoral conditions remain as there are, there is no election he will ever win.
Once more, being the flip flop he is, he will legitimize the 2018 elections along with the opposition coalition of ZPF and all other MDC fragments by participating.
What I can assure you, with definite certainity is that the elections WILL be rigged.
Instead of being buoyed, what the opposition should do is unite in seeking ways of forcing the electoral rules to change, anything short of that, they should just not waste time and retire from politics altogether instead of continually repeating the same thing over and over again
Tsvangirai listen! This coalition is different from GNU in that this is coalition of opposition parties to remove Zanu pf . In GNU you were joined and later swallowed by the party you were trying to remove just like what Zapu did. In simple terms, you are joining other opposition parties to increase our chances of removing Zanu pf and none of these opposition parties is in power. It’s different from Zanu pf as it is the evil party running the government.