via Civic leader warns Tsvangirai, Biti – DailyNews Live 29 July 2014 by Guthrie Munyuki
HARARE – Rights defender and civic society leader, Dewa Mavinga, has warned the MDC that it risks losing relevance if does not quickly rectify problems engulfing the party.
Mavhinga’s warning comes amid a messy fallout over leadership renewal.
“The people’s respect and trust is earned on the basis of a clear record of consistent performance in the interests of the people and the same can be lost easily through taking people for granted,” Mavhinga told the Daily News in an exclusive interview.
“The MDC is only relevant to the extent that it represents a viable alternative to the current regime and embodies the hopes and aspirations of ordinary Zimbabweans. But if people lose trust and confidence that the MDC in fact is a genuine movement for democratic change, then they have a serious problem that needs urgent attention.
“Now is a good time for serious reflection by the MDC in order to rebuild the political capital that has been squandered during this past period of internal fights and missed opportunities.”
The MDC has been dogged by internal fights following attempts by ex-secretary general Tendai Biti to dethrone Morgan Tsvangirai.
Tsvangirai’s loyalists have fought to retain the founding MDC leader at the helm, leading to a serious rift which has since spilled into the courts.
Mavhinga, who is also a senior researcher with Human Rights Watch, warned that the rift was militating against the opposition movement’s role of holding the Zanu PF government accountable.
“The MDC infighting has hugely and negatively impacted on the party’s ability to hold Mugabe’s government accountable as much of their energy and time has been consumed on internal fights, generating massive ripples of negative energy that have rapidly spread across the country,” said Mavhinga, who is also chairperson of Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition.
“The unfolding economic meltdown offers opportunities for the MDC to present clear policy alternatives which so far are not forthcoming as the fragmented opposition movement is consumed by the self-destruct mode in their never-ending zero-sum game.
“Great leadership is not demonstrated by fighting personal vendettas or settling personal scores, but is about setting aside petty personal interests to embrace broader, higher national goals that improve people’s lives. Those pre-occupied with infighting should ask themselves this question: How does this help improve people’s lives and hold Mugabe’s government accountable?”
The squabbling in the fractious party comes as the economy continues to regress, but at a very worrying pace.
Recently Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa was forced to revise downwards the economic growth forecast despite having been bullish during his presentation of the national budget last year.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) hinted it would extend the Staff Monitored Programme (SMP) deadline for the second time after government missed most of its targets.
Mavhinga warned both MDC and other opposition groups that people could easily dump them.
“Well, the MDC and other political parties should not make the mistake of thinking that all Zimbabweans live only for elections and that the only things to look forward to are 2018 elections. Remember in 1998 there was no MDC to talk about, and there will arise a generation that knows no MDC,” warned the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition chief.
COMMENTS
Dewa….you are Morgan Tsvangirai supporter..whom do you want to cow support MDC-T? for now ,no one can be fooled by you…………
Man has a point though, Tsvangson supporter or not.
ZANU is killing our country and all the opposition can do is squabble, like kids in the playground.
Ngoto Zimbwa
Tswangirayi is the problem in Zim opposition politics. Everyone else is just reacting to the problems caused by Tswangirayi. People are not robots you know!
For a party to go through the disaster that was the GNU and the July 2013 elections and then fail to go through serious self-examination and/or renewal would have been the teal steps towards irrelevance. None of the factions are out of the woods as it is.
And if there ever was an ideal time time for this process, it is now, while the elections are as far away as they will ever be and your opponents are distracted with their own internal machinations.
Leave ZANU to wrestle with the economy for now, it is their baby. And in the interim, we the people might finally wake up and rise to our collective feet to free ourselves, as unlikely as our character and recent history makes that seem for now
biti wants to lead a party and he has formed his own party what can tsvangirai do then.
Readers, please understand the difference between Civic leaders, Human rights officials and politics.
Real human rights officials and civic leaders are apolitical – the moment they talk politics they lose that title. Only the uneducated still refer to them by those names.
If you read the article again knowing this, it, becomes a load of junk, not worth getting exited about.
The MDC have played right into the ZANU hands . And the ZANU although we don’t like have the upper hand. Wake up MDC or ship out , now is the oppertune time to make a huge impact
what everyone needs to realize is that zanu have had a determined policy to corrupt any opposition that may come along!!This policy has found fertile ground within sections of the MDC-T and N.So the real issue is who is dealing with our day to day issues and are prepared to confront the animal that has put us all in this situation. If elements of the opposition have been compromised then discard them, look at their track record for this evidence, are they acting for personal benefit or for the wider and better good???
I agree with many of these comments. There is no mature political leadership and they have played right into ZPF’s hands. What are they doing?
Forget political parties and process. Civil society must rise
Comrades, we deserve a better Zimbabwe, regardless of political persuasion, race, tribe…..now is the time to put personal greed and vendettas aside and think of the nation, we are sooo busy bickering, so busy blaming, so busy letting corrupt politicians get away with murder that we have completely lost focus….a better future for all…lets get out of reverse gear and move into 5th gear. Call upon all of civil society, all political parties to move forward and stop bickering about the past…First and foremost a national day of prayer, to ask the ALL Powerful, Almighty God to help our nation and deliver us, this would be sooooo good as HE is the only solution!!!!!!Pray our beloved Zimbabweans Pray!!!!
Dewa Mavinga and your civic colleagues
Please direct that warning to Tswangirayi the very source of opposition problems. He caused the split in 2005 and has now caused a further split in 2014 but will not admit to this – how dishonest can one be really, to deny matters that are a public record. The man is thick-headed and stubborn.
The MDC can revert to its pre-2005 glory if only thick-headed Tswangirayi can learn to listen and accommodate differing views. He is too intolerant, just like his father gukurahundi Robert Mugabe; as a result all those who remain behind with him end up being more like yes-men/women who will see no evil nor hear no evil whatever the circumstances – typical ZANU PF culture.
The democracy we seek is one where:
1. Collective leadership is the essence;
2. Violence in resolving disputes is treated as the primitive gukurahundi ZANU PF preserve that it is and has always been; and
3. The constitution of both the party and the nation are supreme; and not some toilet paper to be tempered with willy nilly to suit one’s big man’s personality.
Surely, is this too much to ask and expect from self-anointed democrats?
I mean, should the opposition come to power, this is the only way the nation can be guaranteed or assured of a total end to ZANU PF type of politics; particularly the primitive political culture of resorting to tribalism and racism in desperation for political power, when it seems to be slipping away – there ain’t no other way!
@straight shooter
So are you saying the MDC leader has this habit of engineering a split in the party after every 10 years and dividing the party spoils with the party sectretary of the day? Kuvhunura kwe opposition party politics here? This is very sensible. I Likeit.This is straightforward, helpfull intelligence.The type that brings confidence to the people on a silver plater. 99%, Star + Good + Excellent. Keep it up.
Doctor Do More
It might not be his intention not to engineer a split; but I think he is incapable of seeing the bigger picture. As a supposedly democratic leader of a democratic opposition, I would expect him not to subscribe to this “my word is final” attitude that is characteristic of dictators like gukurahundi Mugabe, Mobutu Sesseko and many others who have come and gone on issues raised by those with differing views. He must learn to swallow his pride and accept when he is wrong for the sake of the party, democracy and the future of the country.
I think Tsvangirai has reached the peak of his abilities but people want him to be more n more. Don’t people think that if we had a good opposition in Zimbabwe ZANU PF would not be soooo relaxed and yawning sometimes.
What lacking is either a good opposition or a good leadership in MDC.