THE move by the MDC-T led by Douglas Mwonzora members of the National Assembly and senators to vote in favour of the Constitutional Amendment Number 2 in a marriage of convenience with Zanu PF showed it for what it really is: a two-faced “opposition” party.
The Amendment Bill, which is a ploy by Zanu PF to consolidate power around President Emmerson Mnangagwa, passed in both houses before it was gazetted into a law yesterday by the biggest beneficiary.
The way MDC-T members went to bed with Zanu PF shows all and sundry that the opposition party has abandoned the notion of democratic processes.
Mwonzora, who for long has been accused of being a Zanu PF pawn, tried in vain to defend why his party supped and dined with the ruling party saying: “We know what we wanted, we wanted the women quota, the youth quota, and the devolution quota. Those are issues that we have always fought for.”
Right! Mwonzora is majoring on minors, the big deal of the Constitutional Amendment No. 2 was centred on clauses that would give imperial powers to Mnangagwa to appoint key executive, and judicial officers without the involvement of the key stakeholder, the voters.
He is now coming out of the closet and that, indeed, he is a Zanu PF project to turn the country into a one-party State. A subservient opposition is no opposition at all.
Clauses to advance women and youth quota are icing put on the cake to make it look nice while covering the rotten underbelly. The aging Mnangagwa now has all the ammunition against the judiciary and political opponents, even in his own party. Rumour has it that all is not well in the Zanu PF camp and thus, the new law gives him leverage over anyone in the party.
Mnangagwa hastened to sign the Bill into law and it will be interesting to see if he will exercise his new found powers to extend Justice Luke Malaba’s term as chief justice when he reaches the retirement age of 70 years later this month. All bets are off.
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While Mwonzora claims to be a proponent of democracy, the actions he and his MDC-T faction have taken simply show Zimbabweans that they cannot be trusted to be custodians of the public vote. It is hardly surprising, however, as the numbers they claim in Parliament were handed to them by Zanu PF, not won in an election. The MDC-T legislators are merely working for their supper.
