MDC-T secretary general Douglas Mwonzora
Dear MDC Leaders,
A local weekly newspaper reports that there has been an approach from the pro-Extra-ordinary Congress MDC-T to the MDC Alliance in order to end their damaging power feud following the Supreme Court judgement which restored the party structures to 2014. There is no substitute to the unity between like minded people, all that is needed is sincerity on the part of the persons involved.
In this instance, Senator Douglas Mwonzora and Senator Morgan Komichi got everything wrong from the onset. Senator Morgan Komichi who was not the Chairman of the Party in 2014 already had a statement to read to the media before even the decision was announced. Straight from the Court, he addressed the media waiting outside the Court building with a written statement. I have asked before that if the Court said structures of the Party had to be restored to 2014, Mr. Lovemore Moyo was the Chairman, why did he not wait until Chairman Moyo reacted to his re-reinstatement? This makes the world believe the pro Congress Group had pre-planned this. Senator Komichi had a long list of people he read out to the media as having been reinstated.
Approached for comment by the media, Senator Mwonzora said he had nothing to say because the Chairman had said it all. To call Mr. Komichi the Chairman at that stage, coming out of the Court betrays Senator Mwonzora as he also knew very well that the Chairman in 2014 was Lovemore Moyo who only resigned in March 2018 after the death of Morgan Tsvangirai, and as the Court had ruled that all activities that happened after the death of Morgan Tsvangirai were not to be counted.
These careless moves by the two excited senators betrayed a hidden agenda, and cooperation becomes very difficult if not impossible. These actions made the generality of the membership loose faith in the two senators, and whatever they say will be hardly accepted. To the suffering people of Zimbabwe, they betrayed the struggle, and the suffering people of Zimbabwe are not easily forgiving.
If sources that the publication got its information from are to be trusted, another betrayal would be to want to negotiate positions, with Chamisa being elected as the undisputed new party leader, deputized by Khupe and Komichi, and Mwonzora retaining the secretary-general’s post. Positions should not be negotiated by leaders, but should come from the people. In the first instance, if these comrades talk about constitutionalism, and the party has been restored to 2014 structures, there were no two vice-president positions, so why now want two vice-Presidents when the issue of vice-presidents is what brought us where we are here today? Secondly, if we want to talk about rule of law which Senator Mwonzora and Senator Komichi always want to refer to, the Supreme Court said the Extra-Ordinary Congress was solely for the purpose of electing a substantial President, so who is making those decisions to hold elections for the rest of the positions?
The excitement of the senators seemed to have been inspired by power, and now that they realize what they thought was is not what it is, this could have forced a re-think.
An exciting part of the story is where Senator Morgan Komichi recognises that the no progress can be made without following due process where the Standing Committee has to meet to make decisions, but the comrades want to still proceed without following due process. Senator Komichi acknowledges that with Tsvangirai now late, while Gutu and Moyo are no longer in politics, they would have to get the sufficient quorum from the remaining 11 Standing Committee members in order to proceed according to the party’s protocol. One then asks where the decisions were even made to recall Parliamentarians when the standing committee has not met, something that is not contained in the Supreme Court ruling, which only gives the reinstated Acting President the mandate to organize an Extra-Ordinary Congress within 90 days of the judgement, and failure which the National Chairman should try organising the same for an extra 30 days. The Supreme Court judgement is therefore a mere suggestion, not a mandatory ruling, which, however, is an opportunity that could be used to reflect and unite if the players have a common purpose and are mutually acceptable.
After all, as stated before, the recall of Parliamentarians was a blunder by Parliament and Senate officials who accepted a request to recall from a party which does not have those people on its Parliamentary roll. In any case, the Supreme Court implies that if an Extra Ordinary Congress is not held within 120 days, the matter becomes water under the bridge, so how do these Parliament officials know that there will be a successful Extra Ordinary Congress? So if the Extra Ordinary Congress did not succeed, would they allow back the recalled legislators? Mudenda, don’t make Parliament a circus. Mudenda, do not make Zimbabwe something the international community should laugh at?
Unity of purpose among all people who were involved in the MDC from its formation is vital, provided they have the same vision and are compatible.