MDC’s lack of ideas a gift to Zanu-PF in 2018
By Kuda Bhejana
The 2018 elections are fast approaching and I am writing to lament lack of real policy announcements by Morgan Tsvangirai and the MDC, Zimbabwe’s official opposition party.
It is the nature of politics that the man who makes the loudest noise gets the largest audience.Politics is about noise making.
Whilst the excuse for lack noise might be that the MDC is busy negotiating the grand opposition alliance, one might also make the argument that the MDC lacks clarity of its policies as a party, and that the MDC is outsourcing the responsibility of policy development to other members of the grand alliance.
Outsourcing policy development weakens the MDC. If the MDC comes to the negotiating table without real policy, the MDC cannot tame the ambitions of weaker parties, if the weaker parties are the ones doing the work.
I thought the MDC was the official opposition party in Zimbabwe. There shouldn’t even be questions about what MDC’s policies are.
While policy is for intellectuals, the masses, the “ghetto youths” want simple pronouncements of the solutions that MDC is proposing to Zimbabwe’s problems.
The MDC is yet to demonstrate that for every Zimbabwean problem, they have well thought out answers.
As voters, we want to know how many jobs to expect from an MDC government, and from which industries? Zimbabwe is very small to the extent that it’s possible for the MDC to even point out which companies they intend to target for resuscitation, and how many jobs that creates.
What salaries do they estimate an MDC resuscitated economy can pay civil servants, including the judiciary,army and police?
We expect the MDC to announce the numbers and locations of the schools and hospitals that they expect to build before 2023.
Tsvangirai and MDC’s confidence that they will win the next elections in Zimbabwe without demonstrating capacity to solve our problems is worrisome.
The elections are a gateway into government, and without an agenda Zimbabwe will struggle even with MDC in power. They will have nothing to execute!
Maybe problem solving in Zimbabwe has become as easy as reversing everything Robert Mugabe and Zanu-PF has done over the years? If so, praise be to the Most High.
Truth is that the only way Zanu-PF can be intimidated into perhaps accepting defeat is if MDC’s policies on the campaign trail are water tight and have been popularized.
Zanu-PF thrives on promises, albeit false and faulty promises. Land reform, indigenization, and Zim-Asset; these are Zanu-PF’s destructive policies over the years. What has been MDC’s antagonizing policies? Nobody remembers – except the clichés like justice, freedom, and rule of law.
The MDC might be under the impression that “Zimbabwe is ripe for change” as one of their three Vice Presidents, Nelson Chamisa tweeted. Whilst that might be true, the question is, “Is MDC ripe to win elections and to govern if they win the elections?” Have they left no stone unturned or they are one stone to be turned?
Mass affection is not enough in Zimbabwe because Zanu-PF can fake or force it. Mass affection premised on solid electoral promises, and sound policy proposals is what will intimidate Zanu-PF from rigging elections.
It is time for Zimbabwe to hear Tsvangirai’s manifesto and his party’s policies.
If Tsvangirai does not have a solid manifesto and policy proposals it is time for him to hire a communication strategist and policy drafters. Time is of the essence. The sooner Tsvangirai hits the campaign trail, the better.
