It’s not about Nikuv, it’s about leadership in the presence of Nikuv, dummy!
by Leonard Matsa August 07, 2013 | Kubatana.net
I have noticed that there are people out there who do not think the MDC leadership should be fingered in the party’s 2013 election loss. They have been swift to label anyone who has dared to suggest culpability of the MDC leadership in the 2013 electoral loss as unprincipled sell outs or ingrates who were all the while in hiding while only the MDC leadership, alone, fought bloody selfless battles for the same people’s independence from Zanu PF.
In some cases, MDC sympathisers have even had the cheek to blame the people for the loss accusing them of apathy, and as such architects of Zanu PF victory! Such is the arrogance and disdain pervading the democratic movement that it has lost the decency to locate fault within – even for clearly inherent mistakes. What they accuse Zanu PF, they are now perfecting.
My point is, stop gagging people in expressing their frustrations over the election loss. People cannot have a similar mono way of grieving. People deal with grief variously, and when you feel you are within your right to want to regulate expression of grief then you are equally within your right in deserving the term intolerant.
MDC die-hards need to wake up to the fact that the bulk of their supporters are a product of a protest awakening to Zanu PF insensitivities of the 2008 period. MDC supporters moved to MDC in search of a caring and delivering leadership, which would distinguish itself in the unfair conditions prevailing. Not a leadership that masters the art of crying citing unfair electoral conditions in Zimbabwe! The MDC knew on day one that the jungle had Zanu PF and what that meant. Yet it would appear they carried lipstick and tears in their hunt pack.
The people are irate at MDC not Zanu PF and its rigging because they feel MDC leaders slept on the job and trivialised the task at hand.
The people are irate at MDC not Zanu PF rigging because the elections has made them wonder that, if MDC can be conned a whole election they knew about for the past four years, are they a pair of safe hands with a country endowed with riches in this dog eat dog global world?
The people are irate that they did their part fully by registering and voting while the MDC leadership strategy was hoping Zanu PF would bring the presidency and parliamentary majority in a golden foil to Harvest House.
The people are angry because the MDC approached the elections with a 2008 mindset when they themselves had spent 4 years dismantling the same 2008 conditions that gave them the protest vote victory.
The people are angry that because of the inability of the leadership to think on their feet – rather than on their nostalgic assumptions. All the people’s sacrifices over the years have now been rubbished by this 2013 MDC master of all disasters.
You cannot expect the people not to be angry when they lost a huge chunk of their lives to a political game the MDC was so suicidally ill-prepared for, and took to with shocking casualness.
The people gave the MDC 13 years of their lives – eating bulgur, drinking sewage, marriages breaking, families splitting, some now are living amongst strangers speaking strange languages. People endured bank queues; some sold their bodies for meals, had chunks on xmas, black markets, died of cholera and political violence. All this in the sacrifice and belief that the MDC promises of deliverance were anchored in a logical plan and serious appreciation of the demands of the task at hand.
People feel abused and cheated by those that made them think they had the capacity to match Zanu PF free or unfair. Imagine how they are feeling on learning that central to the MDC response strategy to Zanu PF “rigging” is approaching Zanu PF newly and hastily appointed court judges! Seriously!?
The people deserve to be angry with MDC and not Zanu PF rigging because the MDC took the job, the people and their adversaries for granted in spite of countless warnings that 2013 is not 2008. I mean how many blunders did the MDC leadership do and still the people turned a blind eye? There is not enough space here to list them.
It is not like Zimbabweans were oblivious of MDC culpability to our crisis. Our crisis we know was borne out of Zanu PF mismanaging the economy and its foreign policy then, but we all know it was accentuated by MDC’s invited brutalising sanctions.
But what did the people do? Instead of making MDC accountable they instead voted for them. All in the spirit of the bigger picture of getting Zanu PF’s long hands away from national coffers and citizens rights.
Unfortunately MDC misread that public tolerance and understanding for their divine right to rule. And the Zanu PF election machine proved them wrong; in the process breaking millions of Zimbabwean hearts in, and especially outside, Zimbabwe.
The people are angry at MDC not Zanu PF rigging because MDC surrendered the whole fight to Baba Jukwa who could only do so much as he could not be on all battle fronts.
The people are angry at the MDC not Zanu PF rigging because the MDC disregarded all the laws of combat – including even basic ones. They were like below average army generals they marched into a battle on the singular reason, on the conviction of their adversary’s weakness of 2008.
They found the enemy had restocked, restrategised and had become more cunning. The MDC mistook these elections for church cell treasurership elections. They went camping with a thief and took an overdose of sleeping tablets. The people are angry because of that, and it is unfair for those who had been promised government posts to turn their anger into gag material against the people so betrayed by the MDC leadership.
The MDC failed to understand that 2/3 of Zimbabwean voters are neither Zanu PF nor MDC and as such will not follow blindly and sympathise with a leadership that sleeps on national duty.
The people are angry with MDC not Zanu PF rigging because the MDC leadership still does not see nor believe that maybe they are the raison d’etre they lost and Zanu PF is the chief reason it won. The MDC must question their inability to domesticate fault. This inability to understand and be honest with themselves on exactly why people gave them support, is the reason why 89 year old Mugabe is going to be sworn in as president and not Morgan.
Those that surrounded Morgan were busy buying properties from coins he threw for praise singing instead of advising him appropriately. They failed to remind him that this was an election against the battle hardened wily Mugabe. And worse, 2013 elections were finding Mugabe wounded and very desperate.
It is now clear to the people, who between Morgan and Mugabe, understood the seriousness of the task and wanted the victory more. For that, they are disappointed with Morgan. And they will be even more angry if they are gagged.
It’s not about Nikuv, it’s about leadership in the presence of Nikuv dummy!
COMMENTS
Excellent article
Thanks , but I disagree with the article in the sense that it only vents anger and frustration hence is one sided against MDCT.I wonder, people just blame without looking at reality. if the MDCT did not not even partake the GNU entente what was going to happen to the people of ZIm with cholera epidemic,hunger and starvation,persecution of innocent citizens.we tend to forget that its MDC that brought sanity to the pathetic situation , if you were at home were you going to survive,while your darlings ZANU thugs were partying and dining the proceeds of CHiadzwa , do you call that leadership.IF we patriotic enough for our beloved country let’s bring sanity together. If MDC can change things to the extent of getting boreholes in town,get everyone connected to the world through technology, bring food in the shops within a few months whilst Zanu was working antagonistically on development.WHat did zanu do since 1980 (please check history and facts), how many cows did you sell to get just a cellphone sim card,Ian SMith left our currency at par with British pound where were we in 2000, how many infrusructures were created by zanu gvt besides depleting resources, how many co closed.Its time to stop the rot if we love our country yourself you can rule if you are patriotic mugabe and his party are not the only zimbabweans we need to do seminars and discussions so that we know our history and where we are suppose to be, we need to remove the scales of propaganda from our eyes and see things objectively.zanu is a lucifer that should be shown the door and be charged with treason. enough is enough
Thats the problem of arm chair critics. I wish you knew what was and is on the ground than to write rubbish under the comfort of your chair.
I thought you were to talk more of NIKUV, you have wasted my time
How dare anyone would be allowed to point fingers at the dirty of the dirtiest criminals from Israel? If you wanna live in peace then don’t talk about NIKUV because even in one the strongest country like the USA and its president don’t dare challenge Israeli Mossad (NIKUV). Why do you think no one including Morgan Tsvangrai can even criticize NIKUV? He and rest of the world knows what was the role of NIKUV! NIKUV is the only reason that the West would not only release Zimbabwe from the shackles of Sanctions but further strengthen because that’s how Israel controls the world…through chaos, corruption, blackmail and deception! Wait… there’s lot more to come in the direction of Zimbabwe’s economic disasters… courtesy of Israel!
Absolutely NOTHING about NIKUV. Is this some kind of mind ploy or what?
Great article, well written but wrong facts. Someone just stated the facts above so I won’t repeat them. Let me just add a few things! Gukurahundi was not an MDC product, twas just a taste of worse things to come. Willowgate Scandal, War Vets funds, DRC war…… Our wounds are starting to heal please do not open them by unbalanced articles.
deceitful headline. pathetic
Leonard Matsa ,are you yourself or you are one PSYCHOLGY…..? The thinking of bootylickers is always rusty.
To be honest, I have not seen anyone who prohibiting criticism of the MDC leadership. I am not an MDC supporter myself just to clear things. For starters, how can anyone stop people from criticising the MDC? Unlike Zanu, MDC has no control over the press so how do they stop people from criticising them? I wish you could point to a few facts on how this is happening. If you are merely talking about people defending Tsvangirayi and the MDc leadership then you are being hypocritical by breaking your own rules. Those people have a right to deffend Tsvangirayi and his leadership because they too are entitled to their opinion, why are you trying to silence them? Lets be fair. Visit the MDC Facebook page and you see people endaged in debate and every person saying what they think. Secondly, personally I think its unfair for people to blame the MDC for ZAnu PF rigging and equally to praise Zanu PF for being sly by rigging elections. How can you praise such thuggery by Zanu PF and blame other people for being victims of such madness. To many people, me included, it has become clear that the enemy is the regime more than anyone else. On another note, I think people will have fallen into the hands of Zanu Pf is they start blaming each other for this election, in any case it was stolen and unlawful so the only people you can blame are the thieves. While I do not seek to block the question of leadership competency, I feel that engaging in such a debate now is ill timed and unwise. It will just serve to divide and weaken the movement and to their credit, the MDC have well mastered that pitfall this time around. If you are going to start blaming each other when we all know the election was illegal, we simply don’t have a basis for the blame and will only strengthen our enemies. We might think we don’t have the best opposition leadership right now but making changes is clearly more costly than coming together and remaining united until we weather the storm. Let us be objective in our thinking.
Disappointing article…! So you are condoning Zanu pf rigging machinery? Mind you MDC-t was not in government by themselves,, but look at the achievements that were done,,,yes I agree Morgan Tsvangirai as a leader made a couple of errors prior to this election,,but does this compare to what Zanu pf leadership including Robert Mugabe has done during 33 yrs in power apart from sharing tearing the country apart,and along the way killing tens of thousands of fellow country man sharing the country’s resources. The playing field has never been level…I still can’t farthom the fact that daggers are being drawn at the opposition!!
Leonard Matsa, please come out clearly and declare where you stand. In the discussions that have been taking place since the election, many have been taking a clear stand and condeming the blatant riging that ZanuPf did, or blaming MDC for not doing enough to protect the people’s vote. NO ONE has denied the other their right to an opinion. Everyone is entitled to their opinion.
Come out clearly and say you do not believe there was rigging? That is the single thing that fundamentaly changed the complexion of this election. Unless you were an insider, there is no way you could have devised a plan to counter this rigging. If you think otherwise, please state clearly how this could have been done.
Besides, MDC never said they could face ZanuPf “free or unfair”, as you state. The said they can face ZanuPf in a “free and fair” contest. by sneaking in the words “…. or unfair” you are trying to imply that MDC also had some unfair practices of their own that would stand up to ZanuPf rigging. I don’t think that is right.
One could talk to each of the points you raise but I donot think anyone could convince you at all. You seem to be decidedly unti MDC, and unwilling to criticise the real bad guys in this debacle, ZanuPf. You are entitled to your opninion.
I agree with those above who have observed that your article is not scholarly and well balanced. The debate will however continue until a people centred solution is found.
The columnist has made a valid point. I am however saddened to note, when I read the responses to his article, that the very attitude of denial that made us lose the election is not only still manifest, but is being re-enforced.
We are denying that Zanu Pf had better election strategists than MDC.
We are denying that MDC leadership were ill prepared for this election.
We are denying that Zanu PF will rule this country for the next five years, regardless of what dossiers of proof of rigging we have as proof.
We are denying that this election was ‘stolen’ under the watch of Morgan Tsvangirayi.
Now, if Morgan Tsvangirayi had been a security guard guarding a premise and thieves break in at night and make away with valuable property without him seeing or doing anything, he would have been charged with gross negligence and dismissed. His employers would no longer have faith in his capabilities. Are we sure we want to entrust the 2018 election to Tsvangirayi?
I thought the headline was about nivuki,nxa!
accept the fact the there was massive rigging and in many forms, what worries me is that if zanu are always prepared to use violence and rig elections how can anyone trust them in any business venture that they might want to embark on, one can only assume then that this rogue govt will only attract rogue investors.These sort of investors do not leave any real sustainable benefit for the majority of the population..
People are good at writing folktales, why don’t you do something and show us what the MDC or the people were supposed to do. Mahatma Ghandi once said, be the change you want to see in the world. Instead of sitting behind a chair writting stupid stories, and prettending you know it all do something. Go in the streets and protest if you have the courage and we will join you
Rubbish, its not about Nikuv its all about winning you over to Mugabe.
Congrats MDCs’s 4yrs in one foot in gvt! We are now driving cars, children learning, food everywhere etc. Pliz rest guyz *nd let Bob restart his heartless business!
The article was a prophesy after all. Today the same things we were denying about this article are at the centre of our great party’s split. Cry my beloved party.