Opposition failing to pursue “winning politics”

By Conrad Nyamutata

Zimbabwe’s opposition parties will remain useless as long as they pursue personality and personality politics.

The emergence of the MDC about 15 years ago was the most significant development in Zimbabwean politics in the past 34 years because it ended what had virtually become a one-party state.

Smaller parties that emerged before then, did not pose any threat to Zanu PF. Edgar Tekere’s ZUM made a small but insignificant dent to Zanu PF rule.

In 1999, the MDC emerged to present the sternest challenge to Zanu PF. No matter where Zanu PF claims about its external origins, independent-minded and intelligent men and women gathered to form a veritable political alternative.

Fifteen years later, however, the once-formidable opposition has become a shadow of its former self.

After a stint in shared governance and then failure to wrestle power from President Robert Mugabe, the opposition does not appear like it can mount any serious challenge against him if he decides to stand in 2018.

What we see now is personality or ego and personal politics.

A distinction has to be made here between personality and personal politics. Personality politics revolves around the creation of a cult leadership, akin to the Zanu PF type under Mugabe.

All power is centralised on him. Regrettably, a similar brand of personality politics has manifested in the opposition. MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai was vested with powers that seem to make other offices under him virtually impotent and irrelevant.

Among other powers, he is now the chief fund-raiser and custodian of the party name.

Whatever the legal significance, to the ordinary man, the latter would appear to make MDC, Tsvangirai, and Tsvangirai, the MDC.

The hallmark of opposition politics is its self-portrayal as the “opposite” of an existing regime, although some policy commonalities may exist.

Lamentably, the developments in the MDC, antithetical to collective leadership, only foster discomfiting cultism that had hitherto been associated with the Mugabe regime.

Former MDC secretary-general Tendai Biti and others broke away to form another outfit agitating renewal after disgruntlement with Tsvangirai post-July 2013 elections.

To be sure, the concerns of these renewalists could not be dismissed as entirely frivolous.

When a leader has been at the helm of an organisation, it is not an illegitimate proposition to consider possible change.

Renewalists view Tsvangirai’s acquisition of more powers as vindicating them.

Furthermore, proponents of renewal, rightly, exercised their constitutional right to political association.  It remains to be seen, nevertheless, whether they will crystallise into a party distinct from the mainstream MDC. However, Biti may also be vulnerable to the criticism of cult politics he levels against his former boss. Biti has been at the fore of the outfit while its supposed interim leader, Sekai Holland, is virtually invisible.

Equally odious within the opposition camp is personal politics. Here, I refer to the preoccupation with personal attacks and public denigration.

The opposition and its fragments become political nuisances when they spend time hurling insults at each other.

Recently, Tsvangirai described his former colleagues as “lily-livered.” Biti was more vile, describing Tsvangirai as an “illiterate dictator,” and the MDC leadership “reptiles” in inviting Nelson Chamisa to join his new outfit.

How these public insults help a nation groaning under incredible adversity — only these antagonists know.

The tragedy of it all is that this is happening at a time Zanu PF is at its weakest, badly fractured.

Divided as it is, it is difficult still to see the opposition beating it in a by-election as some of such mid-term elections have already shown.

The Zimbabwean opposition is failing to pursue “winning politics.” Such politics should distinguish itself from the current regime, and not copy it.

It is not openly adversarial and unproductive; instead, it is collaborative. It is, most significantly, about winning hearts and minds of the electorate with alternative policy proposals.

Otherwise these outfits become political irritants.