An Open Response to the Newsday Editorial of 13 January 2022

An Open Response to the Newsday Editorial of 13 January 2022

By Zadziso Nyikayaramba

The word Democracy is derived from the Greek word dēmokratiā, from dēmos 'people' and kratos 'rule’. As a system democracy can loosely be said to mean that people can freely participate in the choosing of their leaders. However, it can be said that Zimbabwe, pre and post-Independence has never freely experienced democracy in its fullest. This could be attributed to many historical factors which could be the subject for another day.

The Editorial comment in the Newsday of 13 January 2022 refers. The article betrays the personal hatred of the writer for the person of Senator Douglas Mwonzora. Titled “What is Mwonzora up to?” the editorial comment went on to lie that “Chamisa seeks political legitimacy that is based on a free and fair election, while Mwonzora is preoccupied with a strategy of political accommodation rather than respecting the will of the people.” This is sadly does not ring true to any sober mind that has followed the two politicians. The rivalry between Sen. Mwonzora and Adv. Nelson Chamisa is purely ideological and facts on the ground show that it was Sen. Mwonzora who stood up and defended the people’s movement by demanding that the party constitution be followed. As a responsible Secretary General he openly advised the then rivals, Khupe, Chamisa and Mudzuri on what the party constitution said in the circumstances their party found itself. For the avoidance of doubt anyone can Google the Senator’s advice to same on in February 2018 just after the death of Morgan Tsvangirai.  He was almost killed in Humanikwa for his beliefs by marauding youths allegedly sent by Adv. Chamisa and who openly routed for Chamisa. And this was in front of foreign dignitaries including the then US ambassador who even refused to go and sit on the same stage with Nelson Chamisa because of what was happening under his watch.

To cut the long story, the MDC T constitution states that upon the death or incapacitation of the President, an Extra Ordinary Congress is held within 6 months with only one item on the agenda, that is, election of the replacement of the President. This is the point of departure between Adv. Chamisa and Sen. Mwonzora. Adv. Chamisa desecrated the same constitution and went ahead to appoint himself president without following the rules. Minutes are available when then Secretary General Mwonzora, in an emergency National Standing Committee shortly after President Tsvangirai died, insisted that rules be followed. This almost cost him his life. Adv. Chamisa went on to play the victim in public and abused internal party processes knowing fully well what the constitution entailed. The tragi-comedy show went as far as trying to outwit the courts by manufacturing a fake constitution but the courts saw right through the nonsense. Sen. Mwonzora played by the rule book, and Adv. Chamisa shredded the same rule book and then went on to play victim.

The biggest challenge in Zimbabwean opposition politics seems to be that there are more sympathisers than supporters. The challenge with sympathisers is that  they cannot criticise their preferred candidate openly and anyone else who does so is then branded an enemy. The writer of the comment is a sympathiser and he/she abused the space in the paper to abuse Sen. Mwonzora knowing fully well the senator had no right of immediate response to the non-factual tirade against him. Wanting national dialogue and politics of rational disputation must not be a crime or be classified as undemocratic. It needs no rocket research scientist to discern that dialogue has had tangible positive returns in the history of our country, Lancaster House 1979, Unity Accord 1987 and the Global Political Agreement 2008 need no emphasis. In all the incidences when political players have sat on one table minus their selfish needs, the lives of Zimbabweans have visibly improved. One then wonders why this writer does not want the lives of Zimbabweans to improve. In all stable countries political leaders engage on national interests and Zimbabwe should be no different.  Supporters should then interrogate the benefits or lack thereof of such interaction and then juxtapose them with what their candidate offers before making an informed choice. That is the essence of democracy. 

The sympathiser then went on to allege that Sen. Mwonzora does not want elections. What hogwash. The opposite is in fact true. He held a press conference on 12 January 2022 to confirm his party’s participation in the elections and went on to confirm that his party candidates have already started filing their papers with ZEC. In fact the Senator’s party is the only party in the country that has filed papers with ZEC with regards to the impending by election. One if not many then wonder(s) why someone would have the audacity to make such an embarrassing claim in public. What is clear is that Mwonzora and his party are ready for 26 February 2022 Nomination Court Sitting. Further, MDCT party spokesperson Witness Dube has been on all media platforms and wrote a statement stating the party preparedness for the elections. 

The writer then goes to absurdly allege that MDCT is part of POLAD. Again it is in the public domain that this is untrue and the Senator has clearly articulated his party position on same. He has made his views public on the type of dialogue platform he thinks is best for the country. After the June 11 2021 State House visit, Sen. Mwonzora held a press conference at MRT House where he explained why his party is not part of POLAD and other matters discussed with President Mnangagwa. The truth is Sen. Mwonzora has not yet joined POLAD and that’s why he does not have the POLAD car. In any case if he had these trinkets then sympathisers would have gone home about it and it would not need any one to mention it. We have not yet seen pictures of Mwonzora at POLAD. Alleging that Sen. Mwonzora “Nicodemously” went to the State House is mischievous and irresponsible. In all the occasions that Sen. Mwonzora has visited the State House a public statement has been issued. On 14 March 2018, Adv. Chamisa’s then Chief of Staff Sesel Zvidzai wrote a letter to President Mnangagwa requesting a courtesy call by Adv. Chamisa. Now that Sen. Mwonzora is party president and Official Leader of The Opposition doing the same it becomes taboo. The double standards being shown by this editorial comment are astonishing but expected. This is evidence of journovistic media activism that taints the reputation of the Fourth Estate.

Typical of political sympathisers, the writer goes on to assume to represent the whole of Zimbabwe and “warns” (read “threatens) Sen. Mwonzora to stop the dialogue mantra. This distorts what democracy stands for. Allow Sen. Mwonzora to sell his style of politics without threats. Let individual Zimbabweans then judge him on the ballot, without threats. The use of “we” when issuing veiled threats is typical of Commissariat Journalism which used to be practised in the then USSR to threaten perceived enemies of the communist state. Such commentary under the guise of newspaper editorials has no place in a democratic space. The writer has freedom to fully express how they feel about Sen. Mwonzora but freedom comes with responsibility. 

Insulting Senator Mwonzora does not and will never qualify to be freedom of expression. It is the duty of the editorial comment to disseminate news that is accurate, fair and which does not carry hate speech in all its forms. The *Newsday* editorial is a clear sign of Commissariat Journalism. Zimbabwe needs to heal. Zimbabwe needs to progress.