By Shorai Murwira
Movement for Democratic Change Alliance (MDC-A) leader Nelson Chamisa has apologized to party supporters for not planning adequately for the 2018 harmonised elections which the party lost.
Chamisa, whose party is being deiminated by his rival, MDC-T leader Douglas Mwonzora with the help of Zanu PF using courts and recalls said he no longer has a party and risked losing all legislators.
He said the MDC Alliance was now settling for ‘change agents committed to the struggle’ ahead of the 2023 harmonized elections and his party will ‘tightened the criteria used to select parliamentary and local authority candidates to avoid those who defect to the ruling Zanu PF party once they win elections.’
“All the MPs who were elected were elected on the card and ticket of the MDC Alliance, but what we have seen is lawfare abuse of the courts by politicians in tis case Mr Mnangagwa to try and withdraw, recall through his created surrogates, to then say as far as they are concerned all MPs of the MDC Alliance belongs to the MDCT.” Chamisa said.
“Because a lot of our MPs, our councillors are people who are looking for opportunities in fact I have learnt from what has happened that instead of having people coming across as change seekers, change makers, change agents they are actually job seekers.”
“So, the pre occupation is to preserve a job as an MP, the pre-occupation is to preserve a job as a councillor, that has taught me a lesson that we need to revisit the whole aspect and concept of our representatives.”
“That’s why now I am apologising to the people of Zimbabwe, to say that we have not put through the processes of our candidate’s selection proper, that’s why we are going back to the drawing board so that we do party candidates but a community candidate, a converged approach that is driven by the community, driven by the stakeholders and opinion makers in a community as just opposed to a political party
“Because these processes produce candidates or individuals who do not have their loyalties communities and to the people so I have discovered that.
“So. you would find out that MPs and some of the councillors who have remained in parliament on account of allegiance to a state party or a counter party formed by Mnangagwa have not shown loyalty and we are going back to the drawing board doing an audit constituency by constituency, ward by ward of who is with the people, who is against the people.”
“Once we have done that we will be able to authoritatively tell the people of Zimbabwe where we are in terms of MPs and councillors.”
Chamisa lost to President Emerson Mnangagwa (ZANU PF) during the 2018 harmonized elections.
Following the loss, Chamisa was blocked from accessing party properties including gaining access to the MDC part house, known as Harvest house or Morgan Tsvangirai House.
His legislators were then later recalled from parliament and they were given to Mwonzora, his rival.
