By Takura Zhangazha*
Zimbabwe’s opposition political parties are in serious trouble
and are functioning on a wing and a prayer.
They however will not admit to it. The largest opposition in Parliament and also popularly,
the MDC-T, appears to be entering a new phase of contrived factionalism spurred
on by differences over congress outcomes and alleged coalition talks.
Its most recent offshoot the Peoples Democratic
party (PDP), in the aftermath of its congress is pursuing the path of name-calling
its former allies, not so much the ruling party Zanu Pf, at its rallies. This while simultaneously laying ridiculous claim to having 'friends with money'.
Another offshoot, the MDC as led by Welshman Ncube, is
smarting from leadership departures and holding on by a thread to a public
profile largely driven by a social media presence.
The National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) and Transform
Zimbabwe (TZ) are regularly putting up candidates in
by-elections which they most certainly know they will not win (even at council
level). Their hope being that they maintain some sort of grassroots presence to
at least be able to win some proportional representation seats in 2018 and by dint of
the same become eligible for funding via the Political Parties Finance Act. Though no one knows what they
really stand for. The other parties, even the still to be launched People First, have already defined themselves
as neo-liberal outfits in similar fashion to Zanu Pf.
A common factor to all of these opposition formations has
been their trepidation at a Joice Mujuru party and how to react to it. For the majority the intention is to ride on
whatever political momentum she can bring to the table with her People First outfit. Some, even while missing the
irony of it, have gone as far as
claiming that one of their reasons for splitting from the main MDC-T has been
to form a strong electoral coalition of opposition parties for 2018. And for
them this coalition could not have a better redeemer than People First.
Never mind
that their own internal politics may be in serious disorder and that any such
coalition may face the very same challenges that led them to leave their parent
political formations. That is personality cults, lack of internal democratic
accountability and transparency together with monopolizing leadership roles or
borderline dictatorship.
The opposition is therefore not being honest with itself, its
memberships and the people of Zimbabwe.
The latter know too well the road they have travelled in supporting the
main opposition MDC-T and they are always going to either grow weary of the culture
of splits largely based on personality clashes or alternatively they will begin
to have materialist expectations of politics that are similar to those of Zanu Pf supporters.
Hence
one of the most coveted electoral offices in the opposition ranks is
surprisingly not that of becoming a Member of Parliament. Instead it is the office of a councilor and
the direct link it has to the distribution of local government resources such
as land and tenders.
The dilemmas of the opposition do not end there. They now
have to contend, at least going forward, with an expansion of this materialist culture
to our national politics as defined and spearheaded by Zanu Pf. As things stand and in order for the opposition
to mount a meaningful electoral challenge for power in 2018 it shall need a lot
of money. And that is not an understatement.
It is however doubtful they will get the required resources without having to
sell their souls.
Unless they shift from their current politics of personal
entitlement, internal autocracy, perpetual splits and monopolization of leadership. This will entail
a much more organic understanding of their own values in tandem with their
membership and active permission of others to represent these same said values
at ward, district, provincial, national levels.
This too while paying particular attention to the youth and gender
dimension in order to achieve what has been referred to as cross generational consciousness
or ‘generational praxis’.
Such an approach would enable them to begin the process of
establishing a true counter hegemony to Zanu Pf, if not a revolutionary one
that will have far reaching positive implications for our country’s democratic posterity.
But then again, we know our opposition leaders. While demonstrating messianic tendencies they
appear to be waiting for their own messiahs. Be they in the form of a Mugabe
departure from power (which they cannot influence), Joice Mujuru as an opposition
leader (again which they cannot influence) or an economic catastrophe (which they
can only hope for), they remain as stubborn in their ways as ever. A trait which makes one assume that they may,
in the final analysis, be content with being exactly what they are, opposition leaders.
*Takura Zhangazha writes here in his personal capacity
(takura-zhangazha.blogspot.com)
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