EDITORIAL COMMENT: Zim, get that Western-bred monkey off your back! Luke Tamborinyoka
Luke Tamborinyoka

Luke Tamborinyoka

YESTERDAY we carried a revealing story and two statements from high-ranking MDC-T officials who exposed the tragedy of opposition politics in Zimbabwe, namely paucity of vision and scant understanding of the role of the opposition in a democracy.

One of the statements, which took the form of the lie the MDC-T projects in public, was issued by party leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai’s garrulous spokesperson, Luke Tamborinyoka who tried to dismiss President Mugabe’s State of the Nation Address as a non-event claiming Zanu-PF had no clue on how to turnaround the economy; while the second statement — representing the MDC-T’s private thoughts, came courtesy of a leaked WhatsApp group chat and had the party’s former deputy secretary-general and ex-Minister of Economic Planning and Investment Promotion in the defunct inclusive Government Dr Tapiwa Mashakada accusing President Mugabe and Zanu-PF of “plagiarising’’ the 10-Point Plan from submissions Mashakada claimed to have made in Parliament.

Yet it is common knowledge that the 10-Point Plan is drawn from Zim-Asset which in turn was synthesised from Zanu-PF’s winning election manifesto, President Mugabe’s inauguration address and his address during the opening of the First Session of the Eighth Parliament.

As such if Mashakada made any submissions to that effect in Parliament, he was merely contributing to debate on the President’s speech.

That said, what is revealing and equally baffling about Mashakada’s expose is that the MDC-T insists on remaining an enemy of the people.

We let Mashakada speak: “If Zanu-PF carries out business and economic reforms, everyone will rush to do business. Even Britain and America will soften their stance. Remember the West is already in competition with China whose presence in Zimbabwe is massive. It is all about economic interests. Period.

“I fear and warn that this will leave MDC irrelevant. We must not wait for that process to come into fruition. We need to take charge now. Look at how we as MDC have squandered all the ripe opportunities to steer change. Vendors, the economy, 3 months notices you name it. We must wake up and smell the coffee.’’

Firstly, it is clear that the MDC-T dreads agreeing with Zanu-PF and hence opposes Government policy for the sake of it yet progressive opposition parties the world over strive for common ground with governing parties differing only in the modalities of governing.

Secondly, the MDC-T abhors any economic improvement as that would render the party irrelevant by removing the protest vote, the raison d’être for the illegal sanctions regime that has cost Zimbabwe over $42 billion in revenue since 2000.

Tsvangirai and gang have always hoped to profit from national misery not the supremacy of their vision, which they are still to enunciate.

Thirdly, the MDC-T is like a baby that insists on keeping the placenta. By Mashakada’s own admission, the MDC-T hates losing the umbilical cord that ties it to the West instead of developing as an independent, truly Zimbabwean alternative to Zanu-PF.

Given the foregoing, we are left wondering what else the MDC-T opposes instinctively and fights clandestinely at the expense of the livelihoods of innocent Zimbabweans.

These are indeed worrying traits which bid progressive Zimbabweans to shun the MDC-T like the plague. The MDC-T’s game plan is the continued suffering of the people whom they exploit for protest votes.

With Zanu-PF poised to deliver on the economy, the MDC-T is running scared. The opposition’s desperation is evident in the heartless attempt to exploit Itai Dzamara’s alleged disappearance, Tsvangirai’s sojourns to colleges and universities where he hopes to incite students, the cryptic call for early elections at a time the MDC-T claims to be boycotting all polls and the abortive attempt to get vendors into running battles with the police.

There is clear realisation in the opposition that time to foment chaos is running out as they foresee the growth of the economy under Zanu-PF.

In fact, Mashakada said as much.

There you have it Zimbabwe. Wake up and smell the coffee. It is time to get this Western-bred monkey off your back!

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