WHY NELSON CHAMISA SPOKE ABOUT ISRAEL AT HIS MANIFESTO LAUNCH

Nelson Chamisa, seen here at the launch of his manifesto for the 2018 elections, during which he vowed to establish diplomatic diplomatic relationships with Israel. The reasons behind that announcement are actually laughable. Pic by: Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi (probably the best photo journalist working in Zimbabwe today!)

It is difficult to believe that rumour, juvenile speculation and basic stupidity would inform the strategy of an organisation like the MDC, which is supposed to be a lofty embodiment of not only intelligence, but also the democratic principles we all want in Zimbabwe.

But here it is. It has happened and it is happening.

Nelson Chamisa of the MDC-T and Alliance declared at his party manifesto launch yesterday that his Alliance would immediately establish diplomatic relations with Israel if he is elected to the presidency of Zimbabwe.

Shallow analysis of this move by almost every other so-called analyst has declared that this was done by the MDC-T in order to curry favour with the Americans.

That is nonsense. Arrant nonsense.

Unfortunately, Nelson Chamisa is mistaking rumour for research. It is a shocking display of depth and strategic prowess.

Nelson Chamisa and his advisers for this manifesto have, like the less educated amongst their supporters, actually bought the line that the 2013 elections were lost by Morgan Tsvangirai in large part because of an Israeli outfit called Nikuv.

So, the strategy is that, if the MDC-T tells Israel before the elections that it will establish full diplomatic ties if it wins, this will incentivise  the Israelis into not helping ZANU PF "rig" the elections and, obviously, increase the chances of the MDC in this poll.

The departure point is the belief that Nikuv helped ZANU PF rig the elections in 2013. So, court the Israelis and, hopefully, the promise of diplomatic engagement will motivate them enough so that they do not help ZANU PF.

 ZANU PF and its government, as well as South Africa, like much of the rest of Africa, are pro-Palestinian. How likely, then, is it that the Israeli government or a government-linked outfit out of Israel would help ZANU PF rig? Especially when we all know that in Israel itself, the only true democracy in the Middle East, elections are not rigged?

But, that is not the point of our discussion here, so let us leave that to the side.

There is a more important point that ought to make Chamisa and his crew see that it is foolhardy to base policy on the suppositions of their less-sophisticated, gullible and rumour-mongering supporters.

Former ZANU PF power players and big-wigs are now out of the ruling party. Joice Mujuru is at loggerheads with Emmerson Mnangagwa and his government, Robert Mugabe is determined to deny Mnangagwa and ZANU PF victory at these elections. Jonathan Moyo is also gunning for ED's political head. The National Patriotic Front is, apparently, filled to the gills with former ZANU PF supporters (hence the excited talk of "bhora musango").

Why is it, then, that none of these people are able to tell us or even the MDC, how exactly, they rigged elections when they were in the ruling party, ZANU PF? These are brave men and women, some of the bravest I've ever seen, in fact. They do not fear being arrested or murdered or anything of the kind. They speak truth to power.

So why have they not been able to tell the world (or even the MDC privately) how these elections have been "rigged" before by ZANU PF.

Because, you see, rigging, if it takes place, is not done physically by a Robert Mugabe and 12 army generals sitting in a room.

C.I.O. has been mentioned. As has the army. And, obviously, ZANU PF operatives.

Assuming that these are the people who did the rigging that the MDC says has been done through the ages, can Chamisa and his colleagues then engage us on the following:

The C.I.O are not friends of the current administration. They, we all know, were thoroughly beaten up and, according to President Robert Mugabe, some of them had "their heads bashed in."

Why are they not spilling the beans, even privately, to the MDC of Nelson Chamisa, in order to help him more intelligently deal with the alleged rigging?

Folks, it is because all this talk of rigging is conjecture, rumour and a crutch the opposition has used to justify why they lose elections.

The truth of the matter is that ZANU PF's "rigging" method has been the same since 1980: intimidation. Mugabe's party used to beat people up, threaten that they would back into the bush to fight the war if they lost and also use things like food aid to instil fear.

That is the true rigging.

The frustration with Tsvangirai's MDC had been that, even after people risked life and limb to vote for them, they had no means at their disposal to defend that vote. Brute force and being outsmarted always saw the MDC at a loss after supporters lost lives and limbs at Mugabe's hands.

The only avenue that Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC found and pursued was to ask for the Mugabe regime to be punished by the international community. Which, unfortunately, led to even more suffering for their supporters.

Soon, people decided that, since the little resources left in the country were controlled by ZANU PF, joining that bandwagon was better. At least they could share in those spoils (Hence Philip Chiyangwa and others saying publicly, " If you want to get rich, join ZANU PF".)

Of course, the less educated and gullible amongst opposition supporters will always insist that there was "smart rigging". So let those who were doing the rigging, who are now in Chamisa's camp, help him.

Trying to suck up to Israel in the mistaken belief that Nikuv and Israel rigged the elections for ZANU PF last time is amateurishly laughable, misguided and a sure indication that, to date, none of these Sauls who have become the Pauls of the MDC Alliance know of no "smart rigging."

We repeat: the only rigging we all know of is the brutality, intimidation and threats Mugabe's ZANU was so effective at.

But this now Mnangagwa's ZANU PF. By all indications, Mnangagwa has managed to reconstitute that party into one that does not believe anymore in beating opponents to a pulp, setting them alight or chopping off their bits and bobs.

This is the reason why we are seeing the panic we see. Because it is guaranteed that, in the absence of this brutality, if ZANU PF and Mnangagwa win, it will be impossible for any opposition grouping to credibly claim that Mnangagwa would have won by nefarious means.