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Will the true mother of the MDC pleaase stand up?
By Wicky
Moffat
A NEW York Times (July 23, 2002) article suggests that a cooperative
political model creates higher feelings of happiness and breeds more
success, while a competitive model creates fear and limits feelings
of happiness while producing failure.
Why therefore do we compete when we can cooperate? Let us keep this question in mind as we look for solutions to the MDC crisis.
At this crucial point I will revisit the maternal dispute that was famously resolved by King Solomon. Nothing could be more relevant in trying to resolve the MDC dispute.
In passing judgment, King Solomon said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.” Then the woman whose son was alive said to the king, because her heart yearned for her son, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means slay it.” But the other said, “It shall be neither mine nor yours; divide it.” Then the king answered and said, “Give the living child to the first woman, and by no means slay it; she is its mother."
In our case the two women disputing over the child are Morgan, and Welshman et al. When Solomon threatened the baby's life, the natural mother was the only one that showed any concern for the well-being of the child. The natural bond between flesh and blood parents and their children causes them to instinctively want to protect them.
Therefore if Welshman et al were the genuine mothers of the baby called the MDC, they should have avoided the media war against their colleague. The messy public warfare in which they traded insults with reckless abandon in the media was uncalled for, especially when it was fought through the Herald, of all papers. As for the multi-billion dollar lawsuits, I shall not say much. Recklessness of this nature and magnitude does not come from a genuine mother. The imposter always reveals herself by her heartless cruelty on the baby. The battle of ideas should have been fought and won behind closed doors, away from all this media fuss which plays into the hands of the enemy, the dictatorship.
On the other hand, if Morgan was the true mother of the child, he should have stood down from his uncompromising position and put the party before his ego. What kind of a parent would stand on rooftops to shout; "I don't care if the MDC splits"? After all, no mother would have let her own child be killed just to spite another woman. This is what distinguishes between a genuine mother and a pretender. The whole objective of voting is not to seek a predetermined outcome like Zanu PF, but to submit to the outcome, regardless of your personal beliefs and feelings. Such behaviour is typical of a leader who has passed his “use by” date. It may suggest that his six years experience as MDC leader is just one year experience repeated six times. It is important to build a kingdom through integrity, fairness, honesty, and being true to our commitment.
There was something disturbing and disingenuous about the way in which both groups acted. Anyway, no use crying over spilt milk. The important thing is for both sides to realise that they need each other badly and they should burry their hatchet if they are genuine parents of the MDC.
As long as the MDC factions are focusing on competition and mud slinging, then they are, as I put it, living by the sword. And, it's not a new expression that those who "live by the sword, die by the sword." Instead of living by the sword, we should be building on alliances. It is well known that kingdoms grow more when they are at peace with each other than they do when they are at war with each other.
Who then will revoke the wisdom of King Solomon? There are three possible outcomes in trying to resolve the MDC crisis at the moment:
* Amicable divorce
* Reunification of the party
* Court Settlement
Amicable divorce:
This is the David Coltart scenario, where the parties agree to disagree and properties are shared amicably. However it is important to realise that they still share common values and a common objective. They can therefore form an alliance and work together wherever and whenever possible. Strategic alliances increase cooperation and eliminate competition while increasing resources and strength. The idea is not to loose focus on our primary mission of bringing a new democratic dispensation to Zimbabwe.
Once upon a time Zanu and Zapu came to the realisation that "united we stand and divided we fall". There were obvious ideological differences between the two sides: Nkomo was cunning, charming, and persuasive while Mugabe was very militant, intelligent and uncompromising, but they still formed the Patriotic Front based on common values. They realised that to defeat the common enemy they needed to combine their strengths. At one time Nkomo decided to go it alone. He actually held talks with Smith and Muzorewa, facilitated by Kaunda in Lusaka. But he soon realised that without Mugabe he would be outnumbered and out maneuvered. He withdrew from the talks and persuaded Mugabe to join him, culminating in the Lancaster house agreement. It was only after this “crucial victory” that their egos got the better of them and they decided to part ways again.
It is with this in mind that I am proposing a new Democratic Front (DF), somewhat in the mould of the Patriotic Front. Alone, we have limited skills and resources to succeed in our objectives. However, partnered with others who have skills, resources, and teamwork, we can achieve far more of our goals in much less time. Hard as it may be to believe in these days of infectious greed and sabers unsheathed, scientists have discovered that the small, brave act of cooperating with another person, of choosing trust over cynicism, generosity over selfishness, makes the brain light up with quiet joy, thereby stimulating success and strength.
After the two congresses, we now realise that both sides have gone too far to suddenly climb down from their positions and reunite. They must therefore form a strategic alliance and agree to cease the public and media war against each other and focus on the common enemy. When it comes to mass action, elections and other democratic resistances they go as one entity, although they may continue to operate with separate party structures. I believe this is the most practical solution to the MDC crisis at the moment. There are obvious challenges involved in this scenario; eg: who fields a candidate in which election, etc, but these are easy to overcome if they involve the full depth and breadth of human altruism, the willingness to forgo immediate personal gain for the long-term “common good.”
Reunification of the party:
This is a very difficult, though not impossible process which has already been explored by Alex Magaisa and others. It involves leaders climbing down from their egocentric mountains and putting the party and the people before themselves. However it presents its fair share of problems, given the great chasm in ideologies manifesting itself between the two sides. Those differences will always manifest themselves in one form or the other, and it will take a lot of discipline and commitment to stop them from bursting out again in the future. Such cracks have reaped apart the Rainbow Coalition in Kenya, which was built on similar principles. To me this seems to be more challenging and unlikely to happen in the foreseeable future.
Court Settlement:
If both factions cannot revoke the wisdom of King Solomon, Zanu PF will reap the benefits. A DNA type paternity test becomes inevitable to determine who the true mother of the MDC is. The Zanu PF controlled judiciary system will have to decide for us what we can’t decide for ourselves. What else can you do when people do not recognize the value of Solomonian wisdom? This is taking us back to 1963, to the Zapu-Zanu split. History says in that split every typewriter, every desk, every chair and every spoon was fought for. It is better to take us back to the “strategic alliance” of 1979, after which victory was only a year away, rather than taking us back to the “street fights” of 1963, after which it took 17years to reorganize, refocus and gain enough momentum to force the enemy into submission. The value of cooperation over competition cannot be over emphasized, victory will come sooner rather than later.
I want our leaders to realize that a parent-child bond is at minimum an enormous responsibility. Morgan, when you take a position of humility, awe, respect, and service you always get far more than what you bargained for. “A weak flower bends in the wind, while the mighty tree falls from the storm.”. Welshman, your sick baby needs urgent medical attention, please swallow your pride and take her to the doctor asap. Gibson, please do not crush the baby in your sleep. Unity is always the number one option, but if it does not work at least try an alliance based on common values. Please revoke the wisdom of King Solomon for the sake of our nation.
Wicky Moffat
writes from New Zealand
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