Tsvangirai fell for Zanu PF bait

Tsvangirai fell for Zanu PF bait

• Alex Magaisa: Handling a fledging democracy

• Elliot Pfebve: Tsvangirai and Mugabe, larvae and butterfly scenario

• MDC moves to impeach Tsvangirai

• Gibson Sibanda: Tsvangirai in breach of constitution

• Tsvangirai accuses officials of vote-buying

• Itai Zimunya: MDC split good for Zimbabwe

• Tsvangirai bid to heal rifts

• Chenjerai Hove: The MDC and a very Zimbabwean disease

• Tsvangirai must 'come to terms' - Nyathi

• Msekiwa Makwanya: Tsvangirai, lessons in democratic process

• Heads must roll

• MDC splits widen after senate vote

• Tsvangirai: We are out

• Nyathi: We are in

• MDC to boycott senate - Tsvangirai

• Melusi Nyathi: MDC must reconnect with people

• Mugabe sets November 26 Senate poll date

• Tsvangirai plays down rift with Ncube

• Oscar Nkala: MDC should snub senate

• Mugabe calls senate poll for November, MDC undecided

• Msekiwa Makwanya: the MDC, the senate and boycott politics

• Morgan Tsvangirai: The senate, what's in it for the people?

• Grace Kwinjeh: No to senate elections!

• Kwinjeh attacks MDC senate poll participation

• MDC to contest for senate seats

• Prof Jonathan Moyo: New amendments should face battle royal

• New constitutional moves 'will not fly'

• Chinamasa slammed over 'exit visa' threat

• Innocent C Sithole: The MDC and culture of prevarication

• MDC wants to give senate a miss

• Prof Welshman Ncube: Constitutional reforms recipe for disaster

• Zim denies plot to curtail critics' travel

• Dr Alex Magaisa: Constitution without Constitutionalism

• Lucas Nkomo: The right to revolt against tyranny

• Tawanda Hove: Constitutional reforms and MDC mess

• US says Zim moves 'a sad step backwards'

• Rights groups condemn constitutional moves

• Paul Themba Nyathi: Dark day for democracy

• Parliament passes amendment bill

• Prof Jonathan Moyo: Constitutional madness will not save Zanu PF

• MDC ambush Zanu PF with draft constitution

• Zim tables bill to amend constitution

• Lawyers condemn constitutional amendment

• Aspiring Zanu PF senator dies of poisoning

• Alex Magaisa: Constitutional amendment spells doom for economy

• Chinamasa admits Zanu PF has no two thirds

• Zimbabwe senate will last only 5 years

By Bekithemba Mhlanga

IF NOT now then when?

This is a question that many would have asked about matters coming to a head within the Movement for Democratic Change. Watching events in Zimbabwe over the last twelve months one would have mused on how long Morgan Tsvangirai was going to resist the bait from Zanu PF – if you say you are in charge then prove it.

Jesus resisted such taunts in the Bible many times – if he indeed was the son of God why did he not ask his father for all sorts of favours – but he resisted because all these issues when not the pressing items on his agenda.

Tsvangirai is only human and can never be compared with Jesus by any reasonably measure.

What he must be ruing though now was his tactless and unwise decision to seek a referendum of his moral worthiness through the senate elections – to run or not to run.

Tsvangirai is paying the consequences of his indecisiveness and lack of a firm hold over the party and inability to take strategic decisions when asked to do so.

Jonathan Moyo is probably telling anyone willing to listen that he made his point about the leader of the MDC a long, long time ago. The man is not fit to lead the party let alone to be the President of Zimbabwe!

The MDC should not even be in the position that it finds itself in today. But the confused signals from them over the last few years about elections have brought their problems squarely on their dinner table.

Despite protests that the MDC is clear that Zanu PF must be challenged through democratic processes of which an election is one of them, the MDC has continued to cry foul about the circumstances and environment in which the elections take part.

The party protests that the senate elections are a Mugabe gimmick to sort out pension benefits for his cronies. The party then votes vehemently against the constitutional amendment that makes this possible, but still has an argument about whether to participate in the elections or not!

Unfortunately this does not show democracy in the party as both sides in MDC will argue but shows crass stupidity and downright confusion.

For Tsvangirai to even go down the route of suggesting that votes have been bought and sold, that ethnic factors are being brought to play a part in this is unfortunate.

Welshman Ncube should also not be afraid to state his Presidential ambitions if he has any. There is nothing wrong with a Ndebele person leading the party after all the whispers that “MDC iparty yeMandewere” have been hade for a long time.

After all if you are going to be punished for stealing a lamb you might as well be punished for stealing a goat.

If not now then when?

Bekithemba Mhlanga is a Zimbabwean journalist living in Surrey, England. He can be contacted at: MhlangaB@outreach3way.org
JOIN THE DEBATE ON THIS ARTICLE ON THE NEWZIMBABWE.COM FORUMS
newsdesk@newzimbabwe.com