Source: Chamisa must act on the vanguard – DailyNews Live
STAFF WRITER 28 May 2018
HARARE – The chaos and violence which were witnessed in the MDC’s primary
elections, just like what happened in the Zanu PF internal voting,
highlight a very worrying culture of failing to disagree in a manner that
shows civility.
It is quite disconcerting that despite the country’s leadership and indeed
MDC Alliance presidential candidate Nelson Chamisa, exhorting Zimbabweans
to embrace and preach peace, their own political parties continue to
behave otherwise.
Zimbabweans need to live peacefully and tolerate divergent views whether
it is in politics, football or in a beer hall.
As a country we have gone through very trying times including having to
lose men and women who waged a bitter war of independence in the 1970s.
Apart from that, thousands of lives were lost in the Gukurahundi
atrocities as well as the fight against Renamo bandits along the
Zimbabwe-Mozambique border line.
All these incidents, should at least, make us a people who value peace and
happiness – because what the country has gone through before and after
independence – demands just we do that.
It is sad that political parties and indeed government have failed to end
the culture of violence among opponents despite having the instruments to
do so.
Talk is cheap and we have heard a lot of it without being supported by
concrete action. In the case of the MDC primary elections, a lot has been
said about Chamisa’s failure to disband the party’s militia, the Vanguard
which was accused of causing the cancellation of primary elections in
Kuwadzana East at the weekend.
The Vanguard has in the past been accused of assaulting several MDC
supporters who include figures such as the party’s former vice president
Thokozani Khupe whom it subjected to unimaginable abuse at the funeral of
the late founding president, Morgan Tsvangirai, early this year.
Chamisa has the instruments to dismantle this group but for some reason,
he has not really pronounced himself on these thugs leaving both his
rivals and allies alike, believing that he has a soft spot for them.
It becomes difficult to go against such thoughts as the widespread
violence over the weekend confirmed that failure to act on the Vanguard
has encouraged others to use this tool to make a political statement.
Both who were for the idea of keeping the Vanguard and those against this
dangerous group of henchmen, now realise that they are a law unto
themselves.
Chamisa must act on this dangerous group to stop anarchy in the MDC.
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