Error of judgement Biti’s Achilles Heel

By William Muchayi

The frenzy and euphoria generated by the MDC  leadership renewal agenda has exposed not only  the  maturity of opposition politics in the impoverished Southern African state but also the limitations in the mindset of those clamouring for change.

While it has become a chorus  to sing Morgan Tsvangirai’s flaws , reasons  for which he has to be replaced, few if any critics ever  rose to the challenge of articulating convincingly  the sort of change being dreamed of in the party let alone the qualities , credentials  and vision of the successor being hunted for.

The debate has been rendered hollow by a failure to market and make public the desired candidates to succeed Tsvangirai whose fate is to be decided by an early congress being called for. Beside Elton Mangoma and Elias Mudzuri who have thrown their hats in the ring, who else is at the centre of the renewal agenda?

This is a crucial question  for the health of the party since each candidate‘s credentials have to be scrutinised thoroughly before being anointed on the day of the long awaited congress. It’s naïve on the part of MDC cadres to clamour for an early congress without articulating publicly who the preferred candidates are and debate on their suitability in advance.

That is suicidal and a recipe for disaster for the opposition party. Where does Tendai Biti stand as the drama unfolds and who has Roy Bennett’s blessings in this jig-saw? This is not a witch hunt but a culture of openness is vital for the MDC’s survival more so in this environment of suspicions and secretiveness if ever it is to weather the storm.

Critics and party cadres have an obligation to not only expose Tsvangirai’s flaws, but that of aspiring candidates as well including Mudzuri, Mangoma, Biti and any other in order for voters at the congress to make informed decisions  rather than just clamouring for an early election.

There should be no sacred cows and the MDC should learn from the past as they navigate the thorny path ahead of them. Welshman Ncube was untouchable during his stint as secretary general of the party before the split in 2005 and the party has to learn lessons from this sad episode.

How suitable then is Tendai Biti to succeed Tsvangirai if he is the preferred choice for the renewal agenda advocates? Flipping a few pages backwards in history can help in unravelling who the secretary general of the party is and shade some light into the sort of leadership that might be associated with him tomorrow.

In 2012, several media circles quoted Biti describing President Robert Mugabe as a ‘fountain of experience, knowledge and, most importantly, a fountain of stability.’ Not only that , the secretary general is alleged to have further showered praise on the 90 year octagorian, arguing that , ‘there are a lot of horrible things that would have happened in this country if he [Mugabe] had not said , ‘No’ . History will prove the correctness of this statement.  He has been the number one symbol of stability….’

These are shocking revelations akin to Arthur Mutambara’s pontifications which have helped in burying his political fortunes . For, how can Mugabe be seen to be a fountain of stability when his hands drip with the blood of Gukurahundi atrocities, the 2007-8 massacres let alone the economic meltdown that has cost the lives of thousands ?

How can the party not censor its secretary general who has a complete disregard for the feelings of party supporters to have the guts of arguing that, ‘We find counsel and wisdom in him [Mugabe]. His importance in this country will be seen once he is gone . When he is gone that is when you will see that this man was Zimbabwe‘?

These remarks are indeed in bad taste and Biti never made an effort to distance himself from them as is now the norm with other high profile figures who claim to have been misquoted. Assuming that Biti hides under the cover of appeasement, who doesn’t know that this outdated policy doesn’t work?

Even Neville Chamberlain, former British prime minister, can tell from his grave that the policy is ineffective.  Who has forgotten his naivety  on 30 September 1938 on the steps of 10 Downing Street after returning  from  Germany on signing the Munich agreement foolishly boasting that that:

“My good friends, for the second time in our history , a British prime minister has returned from Germany bringing peace with honour. I believe it is peace for our time… Go home and get a nice quiet sleep.”

Did Londoners sleep well before Hitler started dropping bombs from above the metropolitan city?  If Biti’s praise of Mugabe wasn’t an attempt to appease him, how else can it be explained? Who is at the centre of this mess the country experiences if it’s not Mugabe ?

Indeed, the cosy relationship between the secretary general and Mugabe is further exposed in a leaked US diplomatic cable. It is up to readers to believe in Edward Snowden’s leaks or not but the fact of the matter is that they do shed some light on what would otherwise not be known to the public outside diplomatic circles.

In this leaked cable, former United States ambassador to Botswana Stephen Nolan is reported to have been told that Mugabe rated Biti as the best ever finance minister he has worked with since 1980 in spite of the fact that the two had only worked together for only a few weeks.

The diplomatic cable was dispatched in April 2009 and Nolan claims to have been told about this suspicious relationship between the two by the Botswana Foreign Minister Phandu Skelemani who had just meet the Zimbabwean strongman during the SADC Summit held in Swaziland soon after the formation of the inclusive government.

Although not underestimating Biti’s  contributions during the GNU in rescuing the country from total economic meltdown, it raises eyebrows when Mugabe who is known for not forgiving his opponents, becomes so attached to such a high profile figure within opposition circles who also happen to be at the centre of the confusion that rages in the party today.

If this alleged relationship is of no significance to the MDC, then I wonder what on earth they would be worried about and this further raises questions on the secretary general’s judgement and more so as an aspiring candidate to succeed the sitting incumbent.

As if that is not enough,  Biti’s judgement took centre stage again not long ago when he  is alleged to have struck a deal to represent Gideon Gono in the latter’s protracted dog fight against Munyaradzi Kereke,  his former advisor over corruption allegations at the RBZ.

Instead of being a spectator in the tug of war between the two protagonists, the secretary general gets sucked in the drama, forgetting that it is the corruption that the MDC claim to fight against that is at the centre of Gono and Kereke’s fight.

While it is acknowledged that it is within the confines of Biti’s democratic right as a lawyer to represent a client of his choice, the secretary general should be the first person to realise the conflict of interest at stake here more so as a high profile MDC figure.

Will Biti open his mouth today in public condemning the salary gate scandals? Taking into consideration the bond that ties Gono and Mugabe; one wonders whether the former Reserve Bank Governor would have risked hiring the service of Biti without Mugabe’s approval.

Critics would quickly come to the defence of Biti by citing the late Learnmore Jongwe’s representation by Samkange in his murder trial and Tsvangirai’s marriage to Elizabeth Macheka.  These two scenarios are different since Samkange is not such a high profile figure in Zanu PF.

The stakes would have been higher if it’s Mnangagwa representing Madzore of MDC in a court of law. In the same way, Elizabeth is not her father who is a high ranking Zanu PF official and she is an adult with an independent mind.

Didn’t  Joseph Stalin’s daughter, Svetlava Alliluyeva seek asylum in the US after falling out with her father before denouncing him and the USSR’s totalitarianism ? If Biti can sacrifice party principles and ideals for the sake of money, what will stop him from representing Mwale and Kitsiyatota in a court of law over the murder of Chiminya?

After all, wasn’t Gono’s stay at the RBZ one of the outstanding issues in the GPA during the inclusive government? How did the issue disappear overnight in Biti’s mind and on the MDC agenda for the secretary general to develop such a cosy relationship with Gono that indirectly involves Mugabe?

Where does Biti stands in this polarised political terrain when calls for an earlier congress by proponents of the renewal agenda become louder with each day? Do those who blow the trumpet on top of the mountain really know the candidates they intend to vote for during the congress?

Sanitising the soiled image of his newly found friend, Biti childishly argues that ‘Gono has the nation at heart although some people wanted to use him…’ Why didn’t Gono resign as RBZ governor like what Nkosana Moyo did if he was being victimised? Wasn’t he a beneficiary of the rot at the bank?

Biti’s defence of Gono is the equivalent of intellectual arrogance at its highest.  That is one problem with the so-called ‘educated’ politicians.  Arthur Mutambara, Welshman Ncube and Madhuku are condemned to the dustbins of history through this arrogance for they take their followers for granted.

The earlier Biti realises this better for him as Zimbabweans are watching his footsteps.  The hunt for Tsvangirai’s successor should continue and it should be an open process and not done secretively in South Africa or Zambia under the cover of darkness.

Party cadres have an obligation to scrutinise each candidate before they are selected and let these individuals come to the open rather than hiding behind the cover of darkness and blow their renewal trumpet from there. Violence shouldn’t be condoned but prospective candidates should realise that he who rides on the back of a crocodile can easily be mistaken for a witch.

William Muchayi is a pro-democracy and political analyst who can be contacted on [email protected]