Tsvangirai-Bashing is Not Good Politics

Alex T. Magaisa

Politics is a dirty game, so goes the old cliche. That, in many ways, might be said to be true of politics anywhere in the world.

There is a lot of dirt and skulduggery in the field of politics. That sinister character of politics is one reason why most people choose to remain on the balcony and far away from the dance-floor. But there is something that must be said of politics in Zimbabwe, and it is that there is, too often and too much than is healthy for a people, an obsession with political personalities at the expense of matters of policy.

It is not untrue, in this regard, that the opposition forces have, for too many years, spent the better part of time focusing on the person of Robert Mugabe and less on the institutional structures that support him, less on his policies and less still on their own policy alternatives.

Mugabe himself, despite all his well-known transgressions has, instead, sought to present himself as the champion of social justice, in particular, for the black citizens of Zimbabwe, on the back of historical injustices. Technical issues over land, indigenisation and empowerment might not stand up to critical scrutiny, mired as they are in corruption, rent-seeking behaviour, inefficiencies and wastage, but it is hard – very hard, indeed – to dispute the underlying philosophy that is embedded in them, the notion of redress for past injuries. It is this that has given him cult status among Africans who have never had to bear the burden of his style of governance and therefore have very little appreciation, if any, of the troubles that the majority of Zimbabweans have to endure.

But Mugabe has, under the cover of these otherwise noble ideals, skilfully managed to entrench himself in power by ensuring that the critical structures of power, including the military and important parts of the civil service have a substantial and personal stake in the system that he runs. And, in that way, he has created incentives for their active interest and participation in establishing a stonewall facility against opposition encroachment.

As a consequence, Mugabe has managed to stay in power for so long because he has crafted this system in which the top military bosses and top civil servants who control everything from the purchase of tissue-paper at the local ablution facility to the top directors in his office, virtually everyone who matters in statecraft, has a personal stake in that system.

And that is why they will keep him there, until someone new comes in to provide the same facility. If you ask them, they will tell you privately that they do not agree with the old man anymore, but that they are now just content to eat quietly. This is why the battle between Mnangagwa and Mujuru for succession is not based on any policy differences, indeed, none has presented their vision for Zimbabwe. It is based on who can continue with and sustain this system that Mugabe has created and controlled like a godfather – a mafia boss.

But rather than devise ways of dealing with this system, too much time has been spent by the opposition bashing Mugabe and pointing to his obvious failings. I fear this is the same problem that has, in recent years extended to the field of opposition politics. And while the opposition generally specialises in Mugabe-bashing, the opposition within the opposition has taken to specialisation in Tsvangirai-bashing.

The trouble with this approach is that apart from demonstrating their opinion in colourful language that Tsvangirai is not a very good man, it offers nothing by way of policy alternatives or approaches to winning power from Zanu PF. It might draw some laughter here and there, or some cheers from the usual gang of cheer-leaders and loyalists, but ultimately, it offers nothing new.

Rather, it actually creates the impression that people are being petty and are acting out of spite rather than principle. It might excite a few people initially but it soon becomes nauseating and people struggle to take it seriously. I do not think that is good politics. The returns of politics of abuse diminish very rapidly over the course of time.

Not that I have a prescription on what is good politics, no. But it would make more sense, in my opinion, if those offering alternatives, were to do so by way of policies and programmes, not only about how to govern Zimbabwe better but also how to penetrate and undo the complex web that Mugabe has managed to create. The people out there are not stupid and they know where their problems emanate from and they prefer opposition leaders who focus on that, rather than their opposition counterparts.

Also, the people have seen this type of abuse coming from one source, which they despise greatly and by talking the same language of hate and abuse, they identify you with that source. It doesn’t help one’s cause but associates you with the villain.

The party that has power is Zanu PF and even though they are going through serious internal challenges of their own, their prospects of retaining power in 2018 remain undiminished and that is not because they have ever shown a capability to win a free and fair election, no, but because they have in place a system that is designed to withstand opposition encroachment. The question of how the opposition can affect that system is not solved by throwing big, bad words in the direction of Tsvangirai or indeed, Mugabe himself, but by actually investing time to do work and also to pay attention to sound advice.

One cannot hope to beat Zanu PF unless they invest time and effort in actually understanding the manner in which the system it has created opearates. The MDC parties had over 4 years in government with Zanu PF and if the leadership learnt anything, it must surely be how that system works. Now should be the time to harvest this knowledge and use it to devise more effective mechanisms of affecting that system, taking advantage of the openings likely to be presented by the internal fissures in Zanu PF. This is not achieved at rallies nor is it achieved by politicians who specialise in mocking their counterparts.

wamagaisa@yahoo.co.uk