MKD mesmerized by MDC-T anti-corruption drive

MKD self imposed leader Dr Simba Makoni (right) is attempting to score cheap political points over the MDC-T anti-corruption move as anticipated by the MDC national Spokesman and Minister of Information (ICT) Hon Nelson Chamisa but is only succeeding in reopening the corruption playing out in the MKD

An unbelievably fresh political wind is blowing across the Zimbabwe political landscape.

The MDC-T appears to have taken the Nation by surprise when it came out strongly against corruption within its leadership.

It is early yet to compliment the party for its bold declaration of intent on corruption but nonetheless a refreshing pedigree of politics to hear a governing party acknowledge the existence of the scourge within its leadership in the strongest of terms and follow that up with action to correct the anomaly.

“We shall never hesitate to weed out any decaying apples in our basket of democrats,” said the party in its popular website Changing Times on Line.

To show that the party means every word of it, the party has in the last quarter of 2009 suspended executives in its South African and UK assemblies, suspended the Chitungwiza Mayor and Councilors, Constituted an Inter Party Anti-Corruption Committee which has already investigated alleged corruption by the Bindura Council and will be paying the troubled Redcliff Council a not so friendly visit shortly.

The MDC-T Deputy Secretary General and Hatfield Member of the House of Assembly Mr. Tapuwa Mashakada, heads the party’s Anti-Corruption team that includes former Harare City Councillor and Party National Executive Member Mr. Last Maengehama, Kadoma Central MP Mrs. Editor Matamisa, Sunningdale MP Mrs. Margaret Matienga and Chimanimani West MP Lynette Karenyi.

“We are clear about the needs of the present and future and have the nation fully behind us as we transform our society from a rotten legacy of dictatorship and corruption. The people are our campus. The year 2010 shall hasten our entry into a new Zimbabwe,” said the party in reaffirming its commitment to the anti-corruption initiative.

Party critics surprised by the momentum of the MDC-T anti-corruption initiative were quick to dismiss the initiative as a smokescreen political project aimed at buying time to manage internal divisions in the MDC-T and silence them which will yield nothing.

In particular Dr Makoni’s moribund MKD which claims to be the only opposition party wants to score cheap political points from the initiative.

First it claimed the suspension of the MDC-T external Assembly Executives in South Africa and the UK and I had nothing to do with alleged fiduciary improprieties but had everything to do with power struggles within the party ahead of its congress where the external assemblies were planning to revolt against the party Constitutional amendment limiting party Presidential terms to guarantee the unopposed imposition of the current President Morgan Tsvangirai for another term after serving the prescribed two year terms.

Having failed to find takers the confused outfit masquerading as a genuine opposition party when its leader has long made it clear that he and the party are Zanu PF appendages now claims that the MDC-T anti-corruption drive was motivated by its leader’s new year statement that accused the MDC-T of being corrupt and in dereliction of its election promises to the nation.

The MDC-T being the most proactive political entity in Zimbabwe today had anticipated the ludicrous claims from political opportunists struggling to find space to confuse the people.

The party is not only aware of the background to the political environment in which it has to confront the corruption scourge but also the opportunistic Zanu PF sponsored political entities masquerading as genuine opposition now that their principal party has foisted itself militantly in the coalition government.

The MDC-T has not forgotten the lengthy duration Dr Simba Makoni stayed as a Zanu PF Politburo Member and helped in crafting the policies that destroyed our country’s economy and that his level of membership surpasses any other purporting or actually opposing Zanu PF. Not even ZAPU interim leader Dumiso Dabengwa‘s membership is anywhere near Dr Makoni’s loyalty to Zanu PF let alone the MDC-T leader’s membership the party falsely claims will expire in 2012.

The MDC-T is also very alert to Dr Makoni’s political opportunism having studied his attempt to land the country’s Presidency after 56 days of opposing the sitting President and without an organized political structure from which to draw Cabinet members and control Parliament.

The MDC-T has not forgotten that after being rejected at the polls it was none other than Dr Makoni who tailed the parties that had salvaged some support and had parliamentary seats to show for that to the Lusaka SADC summit in July 2008 where he not only hijacked the MDC-T electioneering slogan about forming an inclusive government that the electorate had bought into but also dismally attempted to persuade SADC to elect him the country’s interim President to lead the GNU after the Presidential election stalemate had been fraudulently declared by the Zanu PF and Militarised Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.

The Party has not forgotten the accusations about fiduciary impropriety and corruption within the MKD that is still before the Courts and has caused the nascent party to split and sink. Those now claiming that Dr Makoni is not corrupt may as well as tell us what caused the discord that led Dumiso Dabengwa, Kudzayi Mbudzi, and Dr Ibbo Mandaza etal to confront him and withdraw their support for his leadership of the party.

The long and short of it is Dr Makoni is as corrupt as the ZANU PF leadership he helped loot our country to a basket case. Evidence of this can be found in his name and declaration of assets not appearing anywhere in the Zanu PF Leadership Code foetus that was still born.

“Against this background, we however find utterances by some failed opposition politicians concerning our transparent and honest bid to stamp out this dangerous practice as nothing but opportunistic publicity stunts. We have taken the lead; our plea is for others to follow our example, as always,” the MDC –T has challenged him.

And all he can do is make the anticipated frivolous and vexatious allegations against the MDC-T instead of supporting the crusade against corruption because he knows he will be entangled if he denounces corruption when he is facing corrupt allegations within his party.

Turning to the MDC-T constitutional amendment to I abolish the two year term prescription will not absolve the MKD of its own bad image as a corrupt entity.

In any event a clause limiting party Presidential terms may sound attractive on paper but if the party grassroots are in favour of the leader after that term expires and he complies by stepping down and then forms a rival party may not look that intelligent if the same person’s new party goes on to win elections.

But that is best left to party structures as opposed to opposition members agitating for the strongest leading opponent to be dumped by people in order for them to compete against a weaker opponent.

That is a lesson MDC has leant well in its dealings with Zanu PF and that is the more opposing political entities antagonize and opposition party leader the more closer they drive him to bond with his supporters who in turn will hold the leader as the icon of their resistance to political opponents projects no matter how rational they may be.

The MDC-T Congress will not be persuaded by the MKD to ditch any of its leaders but may very well retain certain leaders they would otherwise replace if they are made to believe that political competitors in other formations fear them and have no chance of winning as long as they are retained.

The reality of the current MDC-T anti corruption is that it is neither an intra party power management tool nor was it motivated by the MKD.

“We acknowledge that ours is a struggle against an entrenched political culture of the past 30yrs of non-accountability and corruption. It is inevitable that some of our cadres have fallen victim to the yesteryear practices we seek to uproot. And this is a struggle we shall win,” said the party.

It appears that the MDC-T ant-corruption initiative has been at the centre of the party programmes since its conception but corruption had not reared its ugly head in the party leadership until they were exposed to the control of vast national resources and the party wants to weed out those that have fallen to the temptations at this early stage before the problem takes root.

In a corrupt society like the one obtaining and nurtured by Zanu PF for decades it is thus refreshing for a party to boldly take decisive action against those in its leadership fingered in corrupt dealings and any opposition political entity that seeks to rubbish such a noble exercise risks shooting itself in the foot as MKD has evidently done.

Zimbabweans would rather associate with political entities that are prepared to confront corrupt leadership than one that protects them.

Zanu PF has been tongue tied because they just do not have a starting point on ant-corruption which will not backfire on the party.