The Sunday Mail
Dr Masimba Mavaza —-
The joint force of all opposition parties will not be enough to stop Zanu-PF winning the elections in 2018. No party will put forward a contender for the presidential post, while Zanu-PF will put the result down to the fact that it “campaigned considerably more than other candidates”.
It will boast that while others were arguing amongst themselves, the revolutionary party was out every single day, knocking on doors and talking to people.
It will say it organised rallies, campaigning where it mattered instead of online and abroad as the “grand coalition” has been doing.
A coalition based on the “Mugabe must go” mantra is hardly alluring.
Such an ideological creation designed to unite over 40 opposition parties to confront President Mugabe and Zanu-PF in 2018 will not only fail, but be remembered as the greatest betrayal of the Zimbabwean people.
It is just a big joke on the opposition side.
Judging by the number of political parties registering daily, one can only conclude that people really take the masses for granted.
The whole charade appears to be a money-making scheme that swindles the Diaspora.
The “grand coalition” is nothing less of a social club where political failures congregate to generate a few dollars in the name of “chasing Zanu-PF out of power”.
Zimbabwe’s laws on political parties exposes the masses.
Politics has become a free-for-all, and the people have been taken for a ride.
This attacks the pinnacle of democracy itself.
One’s following should be the determinant when registering a political party.
But it is quite hideous when one sees some fellow wake up in the morning to form a political party perchance after a sweet dream.
Such people should be confined to just that: Dreams.
Now, we see two or so forming a group on WhatsApp and then think the rest of Zimbabwe will follow them.
Really?
This is the sad reality with this “grand coalition”.
It is a coming together of spent political characters and novices who are congregated under the same banner of making money.
Zimbabwe has a lot of political parties that are very experienced in losing elections at any level.
It is such groups of losers who want to come up and form a grand coalition.
The opposition does well in strategising for elections only to boycott them at the last second.
They form a grand coalition of failures and pretenders.
The greatest thing they do is to form a grand begging bowl. A coalition of failures.
In order to save face they boycott at the last minute.
The Norton by-election won by an Temba Mutasa Mliswa with help from MDC-T, is only notable achievement of a coalition.
Then enters ZIMPF, which split into two baskets before they even start talking. Imagining them in a coalition is surely dreaming of an elephant driving an Datsun 120Y.
They have failed to unite themselves and still hope to play an influential role in a grand coalition.
In many democratic countries, there are only two or three political parties with a significant level of popular support in elections.
This means coming together in such scenarios is a real game changer. So it is necessary for those parties to come together to form a viable coalition under the leadership of the leader of the largest party involved.
In Zimbabwe the ruling party has invested in people. No amount of vilification can adversely affect ZANU PF.
In that case what then is the role of other smaller or unknown parties pushing for the coalition?
I can only foresee confusion and infighting for positions.
Selfishness is pulling our country backwards.
Small parties comprising of only two people talk very big but act very small.
What will happen if Welshman Ncube, Tendai Biti, Joyce Mujuru, Elton Mangoma, Simba Makoni, Egypt Dzinemunhenzva, Lovemore Madhuku and all unknown leaders of the likes of NDU, PPP, ZPD, etc including the protesting movements like #ThisFlag and Tajamuka expend their energy mobilising people on behalf of Morgan Tsvangirai from now on till election day in 2018?
The answer is clear.
Tsvangirai will withdraw a day before elections.
We do agree fully that opposition parties have a right to destroy themselves before elections.
It is their democratic right to contest but honestly we know that they are nothing but toothless dogs.
Nothing will come out of it.
Yes, it is true that Tsvangirai has been tested and tried in failure and has succeeded in failure.
He still wants to lead a group of failures to fail.
Any coalition is bound to fail as it is controlled by selfishness and partisan politics.
