In February 2011, Prof Ncube and Mutambara split-up with most of their elected MPs, sitting on the fence waiting for a High Court judgement on who was the legitimate leader of the MDC splinter-party.
Prof Ncube, as a lawyer should have followed precedent. During the 2005 split the MDC agreed that political squabbles could not be solved in the courts but in the public arena. The same reasoning should have applied in the case of Prof Mutambara. Each splinter faction should have been allowed to keep the MP’s aligned to it and then allow voters to decide which is the real MDC, one with an M or an N in 2013 elections.
The circus between the very learned professors is very intriguing as it marks the beginning of the end of the political careers of both of them and the ultimate demise of their respective parties as no sane person would like to be associated with such organisational confusion.
The best the educated professors can do to prolong their political life is to drag on the Copac constitution-making process to 2013. They should insist that the dissolution of parliament and the calling of fresh elections be sanctioned by the majority of both houses of parliament in the new constitution and that MPs be compensated fully for their remaining term period.
As a professor of constitutional law, Ncube is in a position to device sophisticated legal and constitutional arguments which should prolong the Copac process ad infinitum thus also extending his and Mutambara’s political relevance.
The MDC-M/N should identify areas diametrically opposed to Zanu PF’s democratic centralism ideology by emphasising complete decentralisation and devolution of power to regions, local authorities and the people.
Ncube should insist and stick to completely independent institutions and commissions appointed by and answerable to parliament; elected provincial governors, executive mayors; proportional representation for MP’s, senators and councillors and first-past-the-post for the president, provincial governors and executive mayors as the hybrid system.
Zanu PF will vehemently oppose the above position preferring presidential appointees in those positions. In the process they will prolong their political life-span to 2013.
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Because, come the next elections, neither Prof Ncube or Mutambara’s parties will secure a single parliamentary seat given the ongoing circus and confusion in their parties.
The two learned professors are living on borrowed time. Even appealing to the Supreme Court will not salvage Prof Mutambara’s political career in the long run.
Ncolisana Khumalo, Tsholotsho.
