Chamisa and the politics of violence

Mercy Chitoro

“You saw and heard what happened in Kenya. It’s nothing compared to what we will have here if Mugabe rigs the election again. You can’t have a thief rob you twice and let him keep his hands”

“We have a plan in place. The MDC will use a tried and yet untested (in Zimbabwe) strategy to incapacitate Mugabe.” 

 I wonder if Nelson Chamisa watches the same CNN, BBC and other news programs that I watch. One can only believe the tried and tested method his MDC faction will unleash upon the poor people of Zimbabwe involves the machetes and axes we have been seeing in Kenya. The delusional youth in the MDC’s Democratic Resistance Committees (DRCs) who go out into the streets every now and again to harass law abiding citizens are no doubt going to be the foot soldiers in this promised violence. Ever noticed how disrespectful this bunch of rowdy young men and women are, it gets worse when its “that time of the month” at Tsvangirai Incorporated (Harvest House). I am calling it Tsvangirai Inc because he all but branded the MDC faction his personal property with his new party logo “MDC Tsvangirai”.

Chamisa in his capacity as the spokesman for the main opposition party in Zimbabwe should display maturity and decorum when it comes to making statements that involve the twelve million or so people who reside in Zimbabwe. Turning our streets into a war zone is not going to help us in any way but only appease Tsvangirai and his handful of boot lickers who think it is their turn to ravage Zimbabwe with the help of the British and the Americans. Violence has always been the solution to the MDC’s problems, however what Chamisa and his bosses fail to realize is that the people of Zimbabwe no longer view “taking it to the streets” as a viable means to an end. How many mass strikes and stay aways has the MDC’s affiliate ZCTU called for within the past three years that have been attended by the ordinary person on the street. None. Save for a few executive members of ZCTU and counterparts in affiliate groups no one has the time to waste marching up and down streets.

Instead of promising a reign on terror, Chamisa and company should be out in the rural areas campaigning. The people of Zimbabwe are tired of their continuous whining, ta rigwa ta rigwa, all the time. Maybe if they put more effort in actually talking to us the voters instead of spending most of their time in South Africa and Europe crying in front of imperialists about bad Mugabe. To top it all I hear from a pretty reliable source that Mr- lets- have- a- Kenya -in -Zimbabwe is on his way to Harvard University in America, which is why his name does not appear on the candidates list of MDC. How clever of you Mr Chamisa, you want to incite us while you run away to America leaving us to face the consequences.

Chamisa should take a page out of new politician Simba Makoni’s book and call for peace and respect for the rule of law during the election. The wiles of youth do not have a place in Zimbabwe’s political arena and young Mr Chamisa should know better. I do not blame him though, Tsvangirai his boss lacks the political finesse that an opposition leader in Zimbabwe’s political environ requires. To quote one robotics professor who should be commended for putting national interest before selfishness and greed “Tsvangirai is a political midget”.

What lesson have we learnt from the Kenyan situation? Violence is not the answer. Political violence has resulted in over a thousand deaths, citizens chopping and hacking each other to death, looting of businesses. There is still no solution to the Kenyan crisis yet the two men at the center of the crisis are alive while their supporters and innocent people have committed atrocities against each other. The MDC should be calling upon all Zimbabweans to avoid violence and bloodshed during and after the next elections. Attempting to spark violence in a country whose people are frustrated by economic and social challenges is a low and under handed tactic that shows the MDC’s leadership’s lack of vision.

What Zimbabwe needs is a leader who with a true vision and direction, not a power hungry dictator who thinks that he has been in opposition politics for a long time and deserves to be at the helm of Zimbabwe. The concept of national interest should be the focal point of what rallies the people of Zimbabwe to a political leader and not: fear of economic deprivation, greed, and selfishness. Right now I believe Chamisa and his boss do not have the interest of the people of Zimbabwe at heart but their own selfish sense of self worth which is driving them to be irrational.