By Patson Dzamara
There is a lot of noise in the corridors of opposition politics regarding who is who and who should do what. The best way to help us map the way forward is posing critical questions and proffering answers to those questions.
Questions
1. Wrong as it may be, Zimbabwean politics and followeship are built around persons. Who has the most followers in opposition?
Answer – Morgan Tsvangirai
2. Experience and trajectory matter in politics and they constitute one’s equity. Who has more experience in opposotion politics?
Answer – Morgan Tsvangirai
3. Politics is a numbers game. Who has the numbers in opposition?
Answer – Morgan Tsvangirai
4. To thrive in Zimbabwean politics, one has to have grassroots support and systems. Who has grassroots support in opposition?
Answer – Morgan Tsvangirai
5. Without systems and infrastructure its hard to make headway politically. Who has the best systems and infrastructure in opposition?
Answer – Morgan Tsvangirai
6. Every domain has a face. In soccer, Lionel Messi is a face and definition of soccer. Who is the face of the opposition?
Answer – Morgan Tsvangirai
7. Of course, in every setting, we are equals but not equal. There is always bigger and smaller, like it or not. Who is the big brother in opposition?
Answer – Morgan Tsvangirai
8. Sharing the same bed doesn’t culminate in sharing the same dream and strength. There are many figures on the opposition bed but who really poses a threat to ZANU PF?
Answer – Morgan Tsvangirai
9. At the end of the day, it all boils down to winning an election. Who has better chances of winning an election against Mugabe based on equity?
Answer – Morgan Tsvangirai
10. Who therefore should lead the coalition if its necessary anyway?
Answer – Morgan Tsvangirai
Admittedly, Morgan Tsvangirai and his party have fumbled several times along the way but the bottomlime is that they remain the best vehicle through which realistic change can happen. They are very much a cardinal part of the quest to a better Zimbabwe.
I would love to see more young and untainted faces taking up positions of leadership in the forthcoming elections. That is necessary and probably all that Tsvangirai and his party needs other than some spent or clueless forces who do not even have followers but want to tell him not to be a big brother. All that is done in the name of our adulterated understanding of democracy.
He is the big brother, period. Lets work together Zimbabweans. We can’t have everyone wanting to be a president of an opposition coalition even those ‘virgins’ in opppsition politics who were actually a part of the monster called ZANU PF not long ago. A coalition must happen and lets allow Tsvangirai to lead us into a new Zimbabwe.
In the new Zimbabwe, under a better system and in a better environemt, we can have anyone battling it out to prove their mettle for the presidency. For now our primary focus should be to ‘delete’ Mugabe and his minions. Let’s cross over.
A new and better Zimbabwe is possible in our lifetime.
Patson Dzamara is a leadership coach, author, political activist and analyst based in Zimbabwe.
