By Bernard Bwoni
Reminiscing,
reflecting and remembering of the opulence and abundance previously presented
and longing for another stint on the pampered boulevard of the government of
national unity days. Musing over the mansions, the mini-skirts, the motorcade
processions, the women, the High Seas, more women, the Savoy, tripping and tumbling
in Berlin, the Renewal and more women. Many people might not be aware of it but
the opposition MDC-T party recently held its elective or should I say selective
Congress where Mr Tsvangirai charged without conviction that ‘We will mobilise
and galvanise the nation for the end-game’. What is it about Tsvangirai’s
preoccupation with ‘endgames’, ‘game-changers’ and ‘deep-ends’? These are the
clutches and grasping at straws by a man and a party with no game, guile or
guts, a man whose game ended a long time ago that is if there was ever any game.
This is a man who fronts an increasingly irrelevant and disintegrating grouping
that has got no game or game to play let alone change. As Mr Tsvangirai rightly
predicted in his book the only way for the opposition is a slow but sure
descend into the deep-end never to come back up. Right now all the games are
happening on the ruling party court with the opposition as mere spectators
gazing in awe at the intraparty democracy and reconfiguration.
The picture of Mr Tsvangirai, Nelson Chamisa,
Tendai Biti and other MDC-T party leadership tripping over each other to read
the ZANU-PF Manifesto just before the 2013 elections is telling and clearly
illustrates the political voyeuristic disorder that we see and continue to see
within this party. And Mr Tsvangirai could not resist ‘borrowing’ from ZANU-PF again
as always during his address at this Elective Congress saying ‘the solution to
the national crisis lies in none but ourselves’. None-But-Ourselves (Iwe Neni
Tine Basa – Mina Lawe Silo Musebenzi) is the ZANU-PF ideology and it is clear
as crystal that MDC-T idolises ZANU-PF hence the huff and puff and tantrums
about leading demonstrations to ‘force President Mugabe to accept the need for
reforms’. This is the same Tsvangirai who during his five years in the GNU
made, sorry I meant shared tea daily with President Mugabe and the only reforms
he called for were matrimonial ones. The only game Mr Tsvangirai changed during
his time as Prime Minister was scoring own-goals and plenty of them for that
matter. Nothing personal against Mr Tsvangirai but the trail is there for all
to see.
The fact that the opposition had this Elective
Congress and very few people knew about it or cared less is a telling sign of
party with no game to play or change or end-game. Even the MDC-T party itself
was not very much interested in its own Congress and the leadership mainly
preoccupied themselves with analysing and admiring the ZANU-PF internal politics
and so-called succession battles. The only game in Zimbabwean politics right
now is found in the ruling party where self-introspection, self-analysis and
self-reconstruction is effectively at play. The opposition can only wish for
the ruling party to implode but what we are witnessing in ZANU-PF is intraparty
politics of uninterrupted self-reflection and growth, a party Constitution that
works and works efficiently to draw the line, bring cadres back in line and
carry the party forwards not backwards or side-ways, not splitting or
splintering.
In his
address Mr Tsvangirai stressed that ‘the protests will force Robert Mugabe to
the negotiating table and build consensus on the need for a timetable towards a
free and fair election’. What is evidently clear from this statement is that Mr
Tsvangirai is looking for a short-cut to another GNU and he is enlisting the
masses to shoulder his quest for and pursuit of the petal-littered path towards
the trappings and luxuries previously presented to him when he was Prime
Minister. The only end-game etched in the opposition minds right now is a
return to the GNU and that is why they are not presenting any shadow strategy
but rather but rather looking for negotiations into government. The elections
have been, over and done with and the opposition ought to start presenting
their own proposals to counter what the ruling currently has to offer. Let us
not confuse this relentless quest for splendour and grandeur of the upper
echelons of power with championing and leading demonstrations for this
so-called desire for ‘constitutional reforms’. Tsvangirai had five years to
clamour for these ‘constitutional reforms’ and he did nothing. This is a man
who during his entire five years in the GNU frolicked on the High Seas and we
have pictures to prove it. A man who wined and dined with the elites of Western
capitals has no game to change because he was changed by the game. The only way
unfortunately is via the deep-end.
The ruckus and fracas about friction within
the ruling are a smoke-screen to confuse, conceal and throttle the the ZANU-PF
led Zimbabwe ground-breaking beginning of economic liberation. That will not
succeed as there is only one united ZANU-PF, one united Zimbabwe that will
prevail at the end of it all. There is indeed is an invisible hand in all
attempts to foil and misdirect Zimbabwe’s path toward real prosperity, real
wealth and economic emancipation of her citizens. The many principled men and
women in the mould of President Robert Mugabe who are the real drivers for African
Renaissance have that difficult but essential task of addressing and redressing
the inequalities created by the colonial system through empowerment of the indigenous
people of Zimbabwe. President Robert Mugabe is an inspiration and even the
incoming British Ambassador to Zimbabwe Ms Catriona Laing rightly described him
as ‘iconic’. President Mugabe is an icon yes, not an object of aesthetics, but pure
substance. He is the glue that binds the nation and the history that will
inspire future generations. It is up to the people of Zimbabwe to define who
their real heroes are and no amount of modification or moderation is going to
change that. The heroes who hold that fundamental belief in the African dear to
their hearts are there among us. Those who sit on the fence, swaying in any
direction the pendulum swings only tarnish the principles and pose a threat to
the ideology that holds and has held this country together amidst the external
economic and political obstruction. The only game left to change is to forge
ahead with the economic emancipation of the people of Zimbabwe. Another GNU as
being advocated by Tsvangirai and his party is all games.
bernardbwoni.blogspot.com
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