October 15, 2009

MDC’s continued presence in government not good for them or the people

Robert Mugabe and ZANU-PF do not want Roy Bennett.

Morgan Tsvangirai and the MDC do not want Gideon Gono and Johannes Tomana.

These three unwanted men could actually spell the demise of the nonsensical government of national unity.

These three men are evidence that Mugabe does not care about the agreement they signed last year.

The men are proof of the lack of respect accorded the so-called Global Political Agreement.

No wonder Zimbabwe has been tagged among the world’s worst governed countries.

Never in our history, and this especially includes periods when our country was under colonial rule, was the nation of Zimbabwe ever recognized as a nation among “the worst governed countries” in the world.

Before “independence”, our country was a nation to reckon with in all spheres. We, of course, had blotches, like segregation, but in spite of it all, we were far from being among the worst governed countries, at least not in the sense referred to by the report.

Today, thanks to Robert Mugabe, citizens of Chad and Somalia are the only ones who envy us.

This is treason. & nbsp; Zimbabweans did not go to war to liberate our country just so that our kids could swim in the same pool with white kids or sit on the same benches with them in the park.

Freedom, independence and dignity were foremost.

Land was not even as primary as it should have been. Mugabe only started talking about land twenty years after independence and after realizing that his support base had rotted away. Even then, he used land as a tool for revenge against our white compatriots.

And now, we see dishonesty everywhere we look. Our president enters into agreements that he has no intention to uphold.

Mugabe’s behavior even before the unity government was formed should have alerted the MDC about the dangers of working with these ZANU-PF malcontents.

Now the country has a bigger problem than it did before this government of national unity, thanks to the MDC, which now is caught in a vice after trying their best to legitimize Mugabe in the eyes of a skeptical world.

The issue of these three unwanted men is an illustration of just how this government of national unity is unable to function and it is the people who are paying the price.

Mugabe, Gono, Bennett and Tomana cannot continue to hold the nation hostage.

They can only do so if the MDC allows that to happen.

The MDC has shown enough patience but have turned themselves more into complainers than in being a serious part of government. They are being outmaneuvered all the time and they have no answers to what ZANU-PF does because Mugabe never played according to rules.

The MDC is reluctant to use its muscle.

Tsvangirai is standing by his man Bennett while Mugabe is also standing by his men, Gono and Tomana.

No, it is not even a stand-off. Mugabe clearly calls the shots that is why Tomana and Gono are at work and Bennett is not.

To drive the point home, Mugabe imprisoned Bennett once again then refused to meet with Tsvangirai who had sort an immediate meeting to discuss Bennett’s issue. Tsvangirai has no answer to that.

He, instead, found himself demanding a meeting with attorney general Johannes Tomana, a man Tsvangirai insists should not be in government, after having been illegally appointed Attorney General by Mugabe.

Tsvangirai is now under tremendous pressure to either quit this government of national unity or to be much bolder in dealing with Mugabe over the continued violations of the political agreement.

Only two weeks ago was Tsvangirai compelled to instigate a nationwide consultation with the rank and file to determine whether or not to pull out of the unity government.

In the face of all this humiliation and twelve months of patience, Tsvangirai is quoted as asking western countries to remove “restrictive measures” or targeted sanctions on Mugabe and his associates as if Mugabe has made any contribution to the spirit of cooperation demanded by the Global Political Agreement.

In calling for the removal of sanctions, Tsvangirai is wrong. Those sanctions remain Tsvangirai’s only leverage left and that is why there is mounting pressure on him from ZANU-PF to campaign for their removal.

If these fights continue, Tsvangirai might find that he has become irrelevant.

There are too many gaps in this arrangement and it is quite clear who benefitted the most from the outrageous agreement.

The media is still not free and, because of this, the MDC and Tsvangirai himself, are being given bad coverage, if any at all.

Human rights still remain a primary cause for concern.

Companies are being specified and farms continue to be invaded, with the German government protesting, to none other than Tsvangirai himself, over a farm grabbed from a German national.

The judiciary is still tainted and human rights violations continue with abandon.

All the things prohibited by the GPA appear to be what Mugabe is targeting.

So, in the face of all this, why does Tsvangirai still pretend to be a partner in this government? What does he want to happen before he can say, “I tried my best”, then walk away?

The MDC must be realistic.

The heart of the matter is that the MDC has failed to fight ZANU-PF from within. They must try to continue the fight from outside government. They cannot continue like this as people’s expectations and hopes continue to dwindle.

They are tarnishing their image at the same time the people are witnessing the MDC’s ineffectiveness.

And elections are looming.

The disdain of the MDC that ZANU-PF continues to show its partner in government is reason enough for the MDC to stop justifying Mugabe by their presence in this malfunctioning unity government.

The Global Political Agreement legitimized Mugabe and the MDC, through their ineffectiveness, anointed Mugabe.

The issue of the three unwanted men is only one of many things that prove that there is no unity in this government and that the people involved themselves have no idea what they are supposed to be doing in a “government of national unity”.

The MDC is spending most of its time fighting ZANU-PF and have little time to impose and implement any of their policies. Slowly, they continue to become irrelevant since they do not have any authority and are not allowed any room to maneuver.

Who is the MDC fooling?

What are they doing in this government? They should stop the humiliation by quitting and upping the fight but from another angle. They are not getting anywhere with Mugabe but are being used to impose ZANU-PF policies on people.

The MDC continues to legitimize ZANU-PF and that is bad news for everybody.

What do you think?

Send me your comment on tano@swradioafrica.com.

I concede that the MDC has tried its best and has shown great patience but their efforts are not being reciprocated and they no longer have any reason to remain in this government, unless, of course, they want to hang around and pick up a few crumbs dropping from ZANU-PF table.

The MDC should get out now because their continued presence is legitimizing the bad things Mugabe continues to do against the nation.

The fact that the German government protested directly to Tsvangirai about the invasion of a farm “in violation of a bilateral investment protection agreement between the two countries” is an indication that Tsvangirai can no longer blame what is happening on Mugabe. He, too, has become part of it.

The MDC should either leave this government or continue but inflict its might and show their weight by containing Mugabe. They have to contain Mugabe to be believable otherwise if they continue on this path, they are proving to voters that even if left alone in government, the MDC is lethargic, inept and ineffective. This is an opportunity to show their strength and determination..

I am Tanonoka Joseph Whande and that, my fellow Zimbabweans, is the way it is today, Thursday October 15, 2009.