By Mutsa Murenje I intend, in this presentation, to respond to a politically significant question raised by Kubatana on 9 September when I was in Zimbabwe. Kubatana is an online community for Zimbabwean activists. Mutsa Murenje Mutsa Murenje Like every other subscriber on their list, I received the said question via ‘short message service’ (SMS). The question went as follows: “After 14 years as leader of MDC-T should Tsvangirai stay, or is it time for opposition leadership renewal?” The manner in which the question was raised suggests but one thing, that Tsvangirai has been at the helm of the MDC for a prolonged period and that he has failed. That is my interpretation and I could either be right or wrong. My response, however, as this article’s title shows, is that Tsvangirai should stay. Hear me for my cause, dear reader. I wish to state categorically that I have realised more and more that a well-rounded, complete education demands not only training of the intellect but training of the will and heart as well. In other words, the formation of character is as important as, if not more important than, the acquisition of knowledge. Intellectual ability is no proof that a man will be able to master the difficulties of life and to adhere to the right principles of action in times of distress. Only a strong will and a firm character enable man to stand such trials unshaken. Life is filled with trials; hence the necessity of character information. Most of us flaunt the achievements we have based on the intellectual training we have received. We lack training of the will and heart as well. This then explains why we have the so-called educated people who can’t even inspire the majority with their qualifications. The advantage that Tsvangirai enjoys is he has no qualification to boast about. His greatest qualification is that millions of Zimbabweans have faith in his leadership. If Tsvangirai has failed then Tendai Biti has also failed. If Tsvangirai has failed then Lovemore Moyo has also failed. If Tsvangirai has failed then Thokozani Khupe has also failed. If Tsvangirai has failed then Roy Bennett has also failed. And the same applies to Nelson Chamisa etc. I don’t believe that all these people have failed. It is significant that I write this piece at a time when the Movement for Democratic Change celebrates its 14 years of existence, having been founded on September 11, 1999 when this writer was merely a teenager, then aged 16. I am now 30. I remember vividly watching news at 2000hrs on that particular day. Morgan Tsvangirai (President) and the late Gibson Sibanda (Vice President) emerged the leaders of the newly-formed political party. We all received the news with great felicity and beyond doubt also felt profoundly and genuinely heartened that the duo who had worked together at the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) would continue to work together to improve our lot. We had since started experiencing the difficulties associated with poverty. Bad decisions had been made and would, without any doubt, continue to be made to the detriment of the masses. We had needed leadership and Tsvangirai and Sibanda were the answer to the challenges we were facing. There has never been a political party in the history of Zimbabwe that has been so popular with the masses than Tsvangirai’s MDC. It wasn’t only Tsvangirai and Sibanda who were influential in this new party. We had the likes of the late Learnmore Judah Jongwe and Isaac Matongo, Welshman Ncube, Fletcher Dulini-Ncube, etc. The party was formed at a time when dictatorship was at its worst and when the economy was performing dismally. We all remember the War Victims Compensation fund distributed in 1997, the harassment of journalists as well as our country’s involvement in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) from 1998-2002. And we had a referendum on the constitution in February 2000 and parliamentary elections in June of the same year. And the resettlement and/or land redistribution madness of that year 2000 began shortly after the government-sponsored draft constitution was rejected by wananchi, the povo or simply the masses. We survived the trials and tribulations of that period due to the able leadership of Tsvangirai and his team. We all know that the united MDC was stronger and is even stronger now following the October 12, 2005 split masterminded by the politically weak Welshman Ncube whose political formation failed to win a single seat in the harmonised poll held on July 31, 2013. And we are aware of how Arthur Guseni Oliver Mutambara was elbowed out of that party by Ncube. Realising that he lacked political clout to challenge Tsvangirai; Ncube hired Mutambara who wasn’t at all well-received by the masses who had considerable and circumstantial faith in Tsvangirai’s leadership. It isn’t true Tsvangirai has lost his deserved support overnight. He remains influential and only those bent on destroying the opposition movement in Zimbabwe would call for his stepping down when he hasn’t even finished his given mandate that ends in 2016. The party congress therefore remains the only authority to decide on this matter and this can only happen in 2016. I can also reveal that Tsvangirai is likely to be given yet another mandate in 2016 when his current term expires. The people will decide. I would also like to draw your attention to these facts: there is absolutely nothing wrong with leadership renewal. Renewal only becomes a problem when focus is on one position, that of party president. To associate renewal with only replacement is quite parochial and mischievous. Renewal in this case has to be understood in the context of not only replacing Tsvangirai but also improving or making him more successful as a leader. I can exclusively reveal that Tsvangirai, like all of us, is painfully conscious of his many shortcomings and feels a great desire to eliminate unsatisfactory personality traits in order to achieve greater harmony with himself and with his environment. He definitely needs our support. The ‘Pull Him Down’ syndrome won’t work. Competent communities have been known to produce competent men, as each man is his own politician. We need to revitalise the MDC, make it stronger, more active and healthier. Zimbabwe is governed by an oligarchy. The MDC isn’t therefore an ordinary party in our country and by implication; Tsvangirai isn’t an ordinary leader that we can just think of replacing without considering the serious ramifications of that course of action. Tsvangirai’s party is in parliament although not part of the government. The party has had a felt presence in parliament since 2000. We never had a political party of that nature before. We need to be grateful. Of all those who broke away from the original formation, only Tsvangirai has remained standing and that means a lot! I am an optimist and I do believe that Tsvangirai still has something to offer to opposition politics till we get to the Promised Land. In conclusion, “If someone behaves negatively towards you, it helps to remember that he or she is a human being like you and to distinguish between an action and the person who does it. If counter measures are needed to prevent someone doing harm, it’s always better to do it with a calm rather than an agitated mind. If you act out of anger, the best part of your brain fails to function. Remember, compassion is not a sign of weakness” (Dalai Lama). The struggle continues unabated!
Posted on: Fri, 04 Oct 2013 14:27:34 +0000
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