 Msekiwa Makwanya, 'The Makoni initiative should not underestimate the resolve to privatize or personalise the opposition space by the larger than life power sharks preaching one best way to bring about a New Zimbabwe.' Related Articles Mugabe isolation a mistake for Tony Blair legacy Nothing will change in Zimbabwe unless |
21 January 2008
By Msekiwa Makwanya
THE current media speculation on Zanu-PF politburo member, Dr Simba Makoni, forming
a break away party from the party has been received with a mixture of suspicion,
anxiety and hope.
Makoni has been touted as a possible successor to Mugabe for a long time now but he has generally presented himself as a reluctant leader until recently with his appearance at the World Economic Forum in Cape Town and his response to Sikhanyiso Ndlovu’s “sell-out” jibe, which he dealt with courageously, it must be said.
The speculation regarding the Makoni initiative that is spreading like a wild fire will not necessarily help Makoni unless he is hoping to make wine from the grape vine. But if it is a deliberate strategy, it could backfire because speculation and rumours can be raw material for propaganda because both are susceptible to manipulation.
Yet, it could be just a rumour. So why does Makoni not act fast and set the record straight? It will be very hard to undo some of the things being said already about the Makoni initiative and worse still, it might take longer to change wrong perceptions once they take root. Breaking away from Zanu-PF is certainly not an easy task.
So if it
is true that Makoni’s group is breaking away from Zanu-PF then it is a mark of
courage. You cannot challenge Mugabe if you are coward. He is a fighter and a shrewd
tactician. But every dog has its own day.
Courage is not being beaten up or saying things for the sake of being visible
without having impact. Courage is to know your limitations and accept your
weaknesses and allow others to take your efforts to the next level and it is not
everyone who can do this. Courage is to know and accept that you need the help of
smaller groups, less popular people to achieve your goals, and that there is space
for every skill and talent outside your group, not to help you acquire power, but to
make a difference in your people’s lives.
The struggle to open up space is not just in the ruling party but also in the
opposition and civil society as well where Morgan Tsvangirai and Lovemore Madhuku
are firmly anchored.
The Makoni initiative should not underestimate the resolve to privatize or
personalise the opposition space by the larger than life power sharks preaching one
best way to bring about a New Zimbabwe. It has to be clear whether Makoni offers to
work with other players to avoid dividing the vote. The danger for Makoni delaying
to state the platform where he stands now, amid all the rumour and speculation, is
that it will be hard to undo the rumour and speculation given the limited time
before the elections and space in terms of independent media in Zimbabwean politics.
Makoni has the option of using few newspapers available in Zimbabwe, online news
websites and e-mail lists in this age of the information superhighway. Information
is power but it has to be managed properly and we hope that their strategists, if
they are any, will take control of information dissemination so that people are not
kept guessing on basic points.
Tied to the big question of what the Makoni formation stands for is their strategy
of how to reach out to voters given the short-time left. The main aim of contesting
an election is to gain power but you cannot do that when you are divided.
Is the
Makoni formation coming to work with other opposition forces or against them? In
other words who is in this initiative? What is their policy orientation, proposed
thematic programmes and their ideological frame of reference?
A “Third Way” is expected to take the best of Zanu-PF and the best of the MDC, which
means that it can attract the progressive forces from both parties by occupying the
centre ground. It’s a battle for the centre ground which will win votes in the 2008
elections. Elections will not be won by insulting Mugabe or Tsvangirai but by
bringing supporters from all walks of life to build Zimbabwe and acknowledge their
contribution in the old order and giving a vision for the future and sharing space.
Zimbabweans agree that unity of purpose is the only way the country will pull
through. The old guard in both Zanu-PF and the MDC can assume an advisory role and
accept that they have had their time.
I wish to state that such leadership might also come from the unlikely quarters;“the stone that the builders rejected” which can become the cornerstone. Morgan
Tsvangirai has done a lot for the opposition to deserve special mention but as a
Christian he will know that even the biblical Moses did not enter the Promised Land.
Like Moses questions can be asked about his leadership, things have changed since he
started the journey.
Leaders of Zimbabwe are not cast in stone and they do not use the same route, so no-one should be ruled out because we think they are not known. We do not know everyone and the fact that people know who you are, does not necessarily mean that people will vote for you. It is about what people know about you and your potential. More importantly, it is about your heart, mind and humility, all which add up to gravitas. Zimbabwe needs a strategic direction, managerial leadership and clear vision, in order to get out of the situation which almost every Zimbabwean agrees cannot be sustained.
It cannot be denied that Simba Makoni can win the battle for the centre ground but will he seize the moment? Being at SADCC for 10 years including apartheid years and leaving it transformed is testimony of Makoni’s administrative competency, and being a minister twice is very important experience that should not be ignored.
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