TSVANGIRAIS REAL LITMUS TEST Special Report By Itai Dzamara THERE is no more ambiguity about the national situation in Zimbabwe, and the real implications of the very serious and urgent circumstances - which, yet again, cast the spotlight upon MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai. Simply and very accurately put, Zimbabwe has, yet again, plunged into a deep leadership and governance crisis. The nation urgently needs an answer to the failure of Zanu PF and its leader, President Robert Mugabe. As was the case in previous episodes of the nations history and cycles, two things still remain obvious, or undeniable. First, Mugabe and his party can no longer pull the nation out of the mud. And, the key is in the hands, yet again, of Tsvangirai and the MDC. The MDC is now, certainly the biggest party with the largest support base in the country - further emboldened by the scandalous failure of Zanu PF during the last 12 months. The failed Biti coup left the MDC intact, where it matters most, the heart and soul of the movement, which is the massive support base. That, unequivocally, puts the urgent responsibility of solving the national crisis at the entrance of Harvest House in Harare and the hands of Tsvangirai. That remains a reality and fact, because, to all purposes and intents, the struggle against the failure of Zanu PF requires the people. It is about having the peoples support. It is about the numbers - and, there is absolutely no need to debate the MDCs unmatched strength in that regard. But, the huge support base needs leadership, and, there lies the to do or not to do question. The Tsvangirai leadership has to show up, assert an agenda to stop the Zanu PF gravy train going to the cliff with the nation, and rescue the situation. The nation is very anxiously looking up to that leadership, yet also getting exasperated and annoyed. That is because Tsvangirai has taken too long to bounce back from the setback of last years rigged elections. The MDC leader has largely been a pale shadow of his strengths and capacity - which he derives from the massive popular support of Zimbabweans - during the last 12 months. The Biti coup had been aimed at putting Tsvangirai to the wall and keeping him busy, but was too shortlived because of its endemic chaotic nature and inherent lack of popular support. Tsvangirai should have quickly brushed the failed coup aside, and refocus on the main game - the national crisis, with a real political game plan and action. He has not. The MDC has remained in a shell for too long and been overtaken by the national crisis. There cannot be any other way to describe the situation than that, even to the admission of Zanu PF, it has reached a tipping point. Zanu PF must actually be nervously grateful that it keeps limping on without the people forcing them to stop. The people, there cant be any doubt about that, have had enough of it - but keep looking for leadership. A closer and deeper assessment of the MDC shows a story of leadership hesitation, discord or even paralysis, in the face of the urgent national responsibility. I have lately observed that there is the agitation and desire to take action within the youths movement and lower structures of the MDC, but without a similar commitment from the top leadership. Very interestingly, the MDC top leadership appears to have become very fond of believing and listening to their own excuses and avenues for escapism. They have not done anything tangible since a whole year ago, when elections were rigged, up to now, but have evolved through packages of excuses. The MDC leadership appears to be enjoying the excuse of lack of funds or resources, and perfecting the art of living with that - at a huge cost to the peoples struggle against Zanu PFs evil failure. I remain convinced that the power of the MDC lies in the people that keep supporting it in very huge numbers, both at home and those in the diaspora. I believe the sustained lack of funds and resources by the party with that massive backing, has to do with the attitude and approach of the leadership - obviously which is not effective. I have never found sense, at all, in the excuse of the forthcoming congress for the MDCs now deeply-entrenched ineffectiveness to the agenda of the national crisis. In any case, the congress agenda came way later, since last years elections and the MDC leadership had spent several months without any tangible response or programme for the national crisis. That is how Tsvangirai is facing a litmus test. He is in a situation where he has to prove dynamism of leadership. Tsvangirais test now is not about his partys congress, which, by and large, will be routine. His test is not about the puerile and farcical noise of the Biti gang, which are similar to the barking of a toothless dog that has no legs. Tsvangirais challenge and test is that of taking his effectiveness and focus to a higher dimension. A dimension that transcends what Tsvangirai and his colleagues have become accustomed to in their 14 years in opposition politics. It is before Tsvangirai to become dynamic, and even innovative in order to pull together the funds and resources required for the struggle. Tsvangirai must come out of his shell to reinvigorate the MDC movement, and realign it into cohesion, unit of purpose and effectiveness. Today, it is a house of discord. There are elements such as MPs and councillors, whose focus and interests have become boxed and limited to their access to benefits and survival means in the governance structures, while only pretending to be still involved in the struggle. These elements have become an albatross on the suffering masses aspirations for a way out of the Zanu PF pit of national failure. For example, MPs of MDC, despite all the excuses thrown around, are partaking in clearly insane programmes of huge expenditure on their expensive vehicles by a totally broke Zanu PF regime. There cant be any doubt about the lack of effectiveness of these MPs in the struggle, now requiring them to come out of their comfort zones and lead the people in stopping the Zanu PF regime. Tsvangirai has to attend to that, and bring these elements back into the struggle. There are pockets within the MDC structures, who are no longer with enough conviction and faith in themselves and the struggle, to the extent that, they are now more or less sitting on the fence and receptive to any form that may give them temporary economic reprieve. The Zanu PF system has long become aware of that opportunity and continues to exploit it. Tsvangirai faces a do-or-die task of correcting that and re-inspire those elements to focus on the game, now well in the danger zone. There is a risk of the MDC leadership, including Tsvangirai himself, failing to properly discern and comprehend the state of the MDC as a movement, while continuing to take a lot of things for granted. For example, l have observed that they can easily keep looking at the huge support base and numbers to the extent of taking that for granted, yet without realising the fundamental aspects that need to be attended to, such as l mention above. Unless Tsvangirai dusts himself now, girds his loins and enters a higher dimension of leadership, to realign, reinvigorate and inspire the MDC movement, the national crisis may not have the proper and effective intervention towards solving it, now. That is Tsvangirais litmus test, which is a question of to do or not to do. If he does not do, now, Zanu PF will continue enjoying the freedom of driving an engine-less and burning train, going nowhere, with the nation. If Tsvangirai does not step out into a higher dimension, the nation may as well be dragged, amidst grinding poverty and failure, by Zanu PF, all the way to another farce of an election in 2018 - then effectively spelling the end of the democratic and reformation agenda. That is Tsvangirais litmus test, because, the MDC remains the peoples hope for the urgently required intervention - all the other touted alternatives simply dont exist in capacity for the task. The MDC still has the popular backing - but the people need leadership.
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 06:07:46 +0000
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