WHY THE MDC SPLIT?

http://www.zimdaily.com/news/127/ARTICLE/1173/2006-12-18.html

Why the MDC Split - The Truth


Mon, 18 Dec 2006 00:09:00


Silence Chihuri


At a time when the situation in Zimbabwe becomes really chronic with democratic and civic forces fighting the cause getting more and more overstretched, most Zimbabweans are desperately yearning for redemption. The only force that stood a real chance of delivering us from the jaws of a ravenous dictatorship was the MDC Party in its original unified format. Yet the party is now severely incapacitated by a split that was both inevitable yet unavoidable. In his new ‘Candid Politics’ column Silence Chihuri, former Treasurer of the unified MDC UK will be revisiting the issue of the MDC split in three series, i.e. why the MDC split, why the party should re-unite or die, and the challenges that await any such reunification.



Why the MDC Split?


There have been various theories that have been put forward as to the causes of the MDC split.


Among others, the theories range from conflicting views and approaches among the party leadership, the issue of the so-called ‘loose coalition’ that made up the party i.e. labour movements, civic society etc and a loose pool of disgruntled masses who hoped on to the MDC bandwagon in droves.


All this was against the backdrop of no clearly defined and binding ideology. Then the issue of tribe that has for the first time been ratcheted to unprecedented heights such that the future of national politics could be quite difficult to determine.


I would refer to the MDC in the past tense because the MDC I am talking about is the one that was split into the two factions that are trying with great difficulty to get back together.


I was very proud to be part of that original MDC and I contributed as much as any other people who were as committed as I was to a party that would not necessarily serve individuals, but the nation state.


I know that there are people out there who would still want to claim that either this or that faction is the real MDC, but I personally think that the real MDC vanished into the deep crater that was created by the split of the party.


What are left are individuals either side of the MDC divide some of whom are still as honourable and committed as they were before the party split. There is no party left unless it is restored.


If there is a party that can split with the majority of the leadership going to one side, and the majority of the members going to the other side, and people still thinking that either of the two pieces is the legitimate MDC, then that would only demonstrate a chronic lack of appreciation of a very serious problem.


Where then would the need to re-unite the party come from, if there were no split in the first place? At times it is important to remove fantasy from reality and that is what has to be realised as far as the issue of the MDC split is concerned, because this is why the matter has been going on and on and will ramble on while the country burns.


One of the main reasons why the MDC split was because the top leadership could not agree on a common approach to a number of issues to take the party forward. If the party is to be re-united to day there is need to avoid glossing over those significant differences but to effectively address and bridge them because those differences created mistrust that still exists among the founding leaders.



For example, the top leadership did not agree whether or not to remove Mugabe by force in the form of intensified mass civil disobedience, especially when the 2002 Presidential election was evidently stolen.


The other hawkish leaders then saw people like Welshman Ncube and David Coltart as the dovetailed academics that were sitting in the way of radicalising the party.


Of course, this has turned out not to be true because even now with the doves out of the way what has flourished is rhetorical radicalism.


There was also the issue of control of the party and this was from where the intra-party feuding actually started.


There were individuals who were resource gatekeepers and got super-rich overnight and they sought to use that access to resources as a means of swaying support of the vulnerable party faithful.


Money was dangled and flashed while the party structures especially in the rural areas suffered with people walking distances on foot to conduct party business.


During party occasions and functions the way members were catered for was usually biased according to whom they were inclined. This created discontent (a hungry man is an angry man), among the generality of members who suffered as a consequence and resentment grew towards those officials clearly marking fault lines that were exploited during the split.


There were then those with the power even to do without the resources and still surround themselves with ‘officials’ in a system of patronage akin to that in Zanu PF, and this stemmed mainly from the issue of the selective allocation of resources.


The system of patronage (including the so-called Kitchen Cabinet), was on the basis of the MDC successfully assuming power and then those strategically cherry-picked and planted into key positions would be used to turn the tables onto those who were using party resources as tools.


However, although there was a common sense of grievance among the deprived of the party, the system of cronyism also equally created resentment as elected officials were sidelined ahead of non-elected people and every principled party member was against this.


It should be noted also, that the penchant for control spilled beyond the national party boundaries into neighbouring countries and abroad where, key positions and authority would be parcelled out only to those ‘loyal’ to the powers that. The Diaspora link proved crucial especially due to the flow of scant resources and control was (still is), viewed as vital and the ‘rewarding’ of loyal and blind followers is still the norm


Then there was the issue of the party constitution that was seriously violated and this was the last straw because there were those who were hiding behind the veneer of the constitution to frustrate their colleagues by conducting themselves in supposedly constitutional ways while underneath it was a deliberate ploy to get ensconced.


This is why the constitution was then deliberately overlooked at a crucial moment (during the Senate Debacle) and with dire consequences to democracy and party unity of course. Either way, those in the leadership abused the constitution and no one person should singled out for retribution.


Some people would say that the MDC was too loose a coalition to remain intact having been founded from such a diverse background and therefore, the splitting of the party was only a matter of time.


It is understandable that when people are of different convictions and aspirations, they tend to find it more difficult to work together especially if there is no single factor that can bind them together.


To effectively re-unite the MDC, the issue of an ideology has to be re-visited and this has to be critically thought out because the MDC brand needs to be known for what exactly it stands for, and what it would seek to achieve for Zimbabweans.


The other and main reason for the split was that Tsvangirai could not ‘control’ Welshman Ncube who clearly emerged as some kind of a Super Secretary-General, and neither could he ‘fire’ him for obvious reasons.


When the 'opportunity' to split the party arose Tsvangirai jumped for it especially when it was crystal clear that Welshman was going to be on the other side of the divide. If Welshman were to happen to be on Tsvangirai's side after the split then Tsvangirai would not have helped the split.


When Tsavngirai bellowed that “ If the party has to split so be it” he actually meant that if Welshman Ncube has to go so be it.


The same goes for Welshman Ncube and those two would never want to be back beside each other and to now expect the same people who wanted apart to reunify the MDC in the context of working together once again, is neither serious nor logical It should be emphasised to them (two) and other like minded people however, that re-unifying the MDC does not necessarily imply reuniting Tsvangirai and Ncube but the two sides generally so as to restore the single MDC that existed before the split.


There was also, the issue of trading dirty insults that followed the split of the party and this further damaged the party fabric.


There was a lot of inflammatory terminology that was thrown around and this has to be healed with equal vigour if any form of trust has to be re-instilled among the party leadership.


It should be noted also, that the re-unification of the MDC should not necessarily mean that each person would re-assume his or her original position in the party because that would not be practical or logically possible.


Re-unification should mean that the two sides come together with the senior people in both sides agreeing to throw their weight behind the people who would be either confirmed in certain positions, or re-selected to assume other position.


The senior peoples, both former and existing position holders, would then rally the support of the rest of the members behind the agreed leadership. Now without mutual trust and due respect among the top brass of the party, it will be difficult to rally the regions behind a united front.


The insults then roped in the issue of tribalism, as everything to do with split was then perceived as tribal. However if properly and critically examined, there was no tribalism but it was personality clashes. No body has the key to Matebeleland or Mashonaland.


The key lies in the policies of a party rather any individuals being viewed as the movers or pushers or tribes behind political parties. Even as it lies in comatose Zanu PF still enjoys some sort of support in Matebeleland because there are people there who still believe in what Zanu PF stands for.


It is up to the MDC to come up with policies that would maintain their support in Matebeleland rather than choosing individuals who would supposedly garner them support. It is policies stupid!


The MDC was formed out of necessity to replace a failing government and a spiteful party that is Zanu PF. The MDC was supposed to deliver on this and the fact that so far it has not done so and even looks further from doing so, shows that there was something wrong in the inception of the party, the operation of the party, as well as the environment in which the party operates.


I have not dwelled on the environment however, because this is a matter for adaptation that should be done by anyone in such a situation. Zanu PF has been evil in terms of suppression, repression and brutality but they are no worse than Smith and the Rhodesians in their tactics.


What is actually different is that while Zanu PF and PF Zapu, two different parties both with fully-fledged military wings, were colluding and combining their forces and efforts to fight Smith, the MDC leadership has in fact, had the luxury to sit on their laurels and go on to split the single party thereby terribly compromising its capacity to fight an increasingly determined and devilish regime.


While Smith followed liberation forces beyond the borders of our country bombing them en mass in refugee and training camps, the MDC has enjoyed largely unperturbed following in neighbouring countries and abroad but what they have done with that support is to exploit it rather than nature and utilise it to maximum effect.


Zimbabweans in the Diaspora feel disenchanted by the MDC because they see it as an ‘MDC thing’ and not their thing. One cannot imagine all those business people, sportsmen and journalists who have fled persecution from Zanu PF through trumped charges for supposedly supporting the ‘enemy’ only to vanish into thin air choosing not to be openly involved with the MDC because they have a feel of what goes on in the party.


It is up to the leadership to look back and reflect on the past misses and near achievements. There are times when Zanu PF has been let off, not because the MDC were in collusion with them, but because the MDC had no strategy to counter them.


Now the issue of Mugabe extending his term of office to 2010 is real and will be pushed through as along as the MDC has no clear and effective strategy to stop that.


There is no need to make any more noise about doing this or that, but simply to get down to business and come up with all the necessary ways of pulling the stops on Zanu PF and a good starting point is for the MDC to re-unite in the real sense of the.


Next week the column will be examining why the MDC should unite.