Our darkest day

Our darkest day

• Tsvangirai threatens 'political action'

• Tsvangirai on ropes after senate rebellion

• Nigeria, Ghana sucked into MDC crisis

• Prof J Moyo: 'All Zanu PF want is geriatrics to be senators'

• Stanford Mukasa: Rejoinder to PT Nyathi

• Bloody Monday for MDC

• Paul T Nyathi: Tribal slurs easy to make, but extremely dangerous

• Brilliant Mhlanga: MDC no longer an alternative

• Patrick Mlambo: Tsvangirai has lost plot

• Nyathi hits back at Tsvangirai bribery claims

• Bekithemba Mhlanga: 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

• Lawyers condemn constitutional amendment

• Aspiring Zanu PF senator dies of poisoning

• Alex Magaisa: Constitutional amendment spells doom for economy

• Zimbabwe senate will last only 5 years

By Nixon Mao Nyikadzino

MONDAY, October 24th, will go down in history as the darkest day in Zimbabwean politics.

The day marked the fall of an opposition party which all progressive forces in Zimbabwe had entrusted with the keys to the democratic reformation of the country.

It was a day on which senior party officials made their own version of a Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) while on the other hand it was a day when Morgan Tsvangirai began to see the true colours of the leadership around him.

In Shona we say, yadeuka yadeuka haichadzorerwi, meaning what has happened cannot be reversed. What can only happen is to record the event in the books of history. This is what we shall do. We shall record that in Zimbabwe, there was once a political party which had a vision but without leaders. We shall say that it was a party with values and principles but with unscrupulous leaders bent on smearing each other at the expense of the people. We shall say there was a party which was full of money mongers bent on using the poor for self aggrandisement and enrichment.

We shall say it was a party that had seen the light but with no torch bearers. We shall finally say it was a party with strong and brave membership but with no direction. Put differently, the people were a flock without a good shepherd.

In this article I do not want to take sides. I would rather dwell on the critical analysis of the current scenario.

Firstly, let us look at what it means when 27 MDC candidates file their papers to contest in the November 26 senate elections. The truth of the matter is that it is a victory for democracy. Such victory is not a national victory, but rather a victory within the party. It is victory which is reflective of the party's mission and vision. That encompasses democracy. It is a victory against dictatorship and hence a thwart to all those with dictatorial tendencies.
Scenario B represents the boycott.

This would be a boycott of an election deemed to have been lost before entering. It is an election run under The Zimbabwe Election Commission which is an undemocratic body and an offspring of the defective current Zimbabwe constitution. This would be a victory against rigging, a victory against a one party state and a victory against an undemocratic constitution.
The other scenario would persuade us to make some predictions as to what the results would look like after the 26th of November.

In Matabeleland, chances are that the MDC will win about 12 seats. We leave the other three for Zanu PF because in one way or the other, they will rig. In Masvingo, the MDC could win one seat. In Mashonaland West, the MDC possibly won't win anything. The same applies to the Midlands, realising the inclusion of the rural electorate.

In Harare, the MDC may lose due to the fact that Harare as a province made it abundantly clear that they won't contest in the election raising the prospects of a vote boycott. What this means is that at the end of the day, the MDC may end up with thirteen or less seats in the senate, which is almost 20 percent of the total seats in parliament.

Under these circumstances it would be wiser for the MDC to make a radical decision, a decision that shall resurrect the party from total collapse. The message that needs to be sent to the MDC leadership is that a time for victories is over.

Yes the other camp has won by going to the elections, and yes the other camp has also won by predicting the outcome of the result. But the truth is that the people of Zimbabwe have not won. Either those who filed their papers should start campaigning for a boycott through their electorate or after the elections, those who would have won should resign on the day Robert Mugabe will be waiting to swear them into the senate. This should be followed by a total resignation by all MDC parliamentarians.

Now that would be a resounding victory for Zimbabweans!

It would be naive for a party to support senatorial elections while at the same time castigating the issue of exit visas and the loss of property rights in Zimbabwe. Let us all remember that all MDC members of parliament voted against Amendment Bill Number 17 which was a vote against a flawed constitution and a vote against all undemocratic tendencies. It is the same bill that ushered in the issue of senate and hence the senate is a product of what MDC voted against.

A parliamentary and senatorial boycott by the MDC would usher in a new era for pro-action and energise the populace to form a formidable force against the regime.
Nixon Mao Nyikadzino is a Zimbabwean journalist and former university student leader
JOIN THE DEBATE ON THIS ARTICLE ON THE NEWZIMBABWE.COM FORUMS
newsdesk@newzimbabwe.com