The paradox of the coalition

13 Aug, 2017 - 00:08 0 Views

The Sunday Mail

Vukani Madoda
Without doubt, in spite of the factionalism in Zanu-PF, the alliance — or “coalition” or reconciliation or get-together of old friends — will not escape defeat in 2018.

The MDCs never cease to amaze. For months on end, we have been inundated with talk of a coalition. The talk went back and forth until it became comical.he MDCs never cease to amaze.

We were hardly surprised when the “grand coalition” became an MDC coalition. It was queer to find a desperate Welshman Ncube, Tendai Biti, Agrippa Mutambara and Jacob Ngarivhume, of all people, taking seats at the high table of opposition politics as anxious aides of Morgan Tsvangirai who are clearly searching for political sustenance.

Whilst they were busy wining and dining on a hollow feast, a brood of hoodlums was busy bashing other party members who snubbed what they knew to be a damp squib of an alliance.

Thokozani Khupe, Abednico Bhebhe and Lovemore Moyo were beaten so thoroughly that there was weeping and gnashing of teeth at the Bulawayo MDC-T offices.

The violence that we have always known the MDC-T for was wildly rearing its ugly head as a precursor to what we are to expect of them next year.

The absurdity of the whole episode was the pretext of forming a coalition while at the same time agitating for a split.

The paradox was that Morgan was reuniting with Welshman and Wananchi, who were both once his secretaries-general.

Both left Morgan, citing his lack of intelligence and, above all, his dictatorial tendencies.

What was more perplexing was that while Welshman (who had formed his now defunct tribal MDC) was eating humble pie and approaching Morgan, cap in hand and tail between legs, Thoko was steering her own tribal MDC far away from the “alliance”.

Surely, something is rotten within the MDCs. Anything with the name MDC seems to have a strange ability to quickly decay.

There was no hiding that Morgan was more concerned about those that did not join him.

And those that did not join him included his very own deputy, Thoko Khupe, and Joice Mujuru.

“There are other people who question why we have done it and will fight to the hills to destroy this experiment,” fulminated Morgan in apparent reference to Thoko.

No sooner were those words out of his mouth than the beating in Bulawayo started.

If Morgan had had his way, perhaps then even Queen Bee would have suffered a similar fate such as the violent sting that visited Thoko.

On the other hand, it was clear that Wananchi was seeking political survival by any means necessary and unnecessary.

Part of that survival strategy was having Tendai Biti Law offer Job Sikhala (who also ventured back to Morgan when times were tough) the prestigious position of legal clerk.

And as part of his clerical job, Job was assigned by Morgan to convince Wananchi to take up the MDC Alliance offer so that they both pay for their political sins while putting food on the table.

It is a complete circus, this coalition business, I tell you.

As for Queen Bee, oh boy! Her ego got the better of her.

She snubbed Morgan’s alliance, and Morgan completed a massive coup on her when he attended her NPP convention and stole the thunder.

“We can’t be divided on the basis of personalities,” reasoned Morgan to applause at the NPP convention.

“But remember, we are from different parties,” Mujuru shot back in the very next breath.

Surely, if one hopes to see the day Morgan and Joice share a bed, someone has to first change the sheets.

There can never be a coalition that provokes a split before elections. It’s akin to a couple talking about divorce before the wedding.

It will not be long before Thoko, Lovemore, Joice, Abednico and others start showing who they truly are.

Amongst themselves, they have proved they can not share power.

So, why should anyone be fooled into thinking that they would allow Morgan to lead or a coalition to take root?

The electorate refuses to be misled.

Come 2018, I bet my last two cents that only Zanu-PF supporters will once again celebrate while opposition supporters will yet again occupy themselves with an orgy of protests on Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp.

Without doubt, in spite of the factionalism in Zanu-PF, the alliance — or “coalition” or reconciliation or get-together of old friends — will not escape defeat in 2018.

Dubulaizitha!

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