TANONOKA JOSEPH WHANDE

Received quite a bit of feed back over my monologue in which I expressed my continuously lowering expectations of the MDC.
The interesting thing is that almost all the “respondents”, who are free to give their views, criticised me for criticizing the MDC and for asking questions without they themselves offering alternatives.

We can all see that these damned negotiations have not worked. But when I say so publicly, some people leave Mr Tsvangirai and the MDC and descend on me demanding that I offer alternatives as if I am anyone’s leader.
All of those who wrote clamour for me to offer an alternative. Why should I? I never said I wanted to lead the people and think on their behalf. All I know is what I don't want.

Someone who called himself Fanny wrote and said that when we, that is MDC supporters, criticize ourselves or our party, we are helping Mugabe. I am not an analyst, a critic, a commentator like he accuses me of being. I am just something called Zimbabwean but I dare say that this kind of thinking is unfortunate and is the type of thinking that helped ZANU-PF to oppress the people. It does not deserve any more comment.

Another, calling himself Doccon, accuses me of telling the MDC what to do. He does not appear to have understood anything I said.
I said the MDC should come up with something better this year because for two years they were more concerned with talks and negotiations and launching diplomatic offences than planning any other alternatives.
Then there was also someone called Majuru who said that it is incumbent upon every Zimbabwean to propose the way forward. Is it really?

If I refuse to join your forced march, please do not ask me what other destination I prefer. I am in enough trouble with ZANU-PF as it is and I ain't moving or going anywhere until I know exactly where I am going.
One writer was so simplistic enough as to offer that since I have criticized the MDC I must be ZANU-PF. Gosh.

In my quest for answers, I have criticized all the political parties here and there because they want to lead us. Political parties want something from us and we must question their depth and intentions.
If I question you and you have no answer to my question, do not turn around and ask me what the answer is. I asked you the question because you are aspiring to be my leader. I will not always be available to give you answers. Besides, if I can give the answers, why shouldn't I be a leader? I am not a leader because I don't have the answers. All I have is the knowledge and my sense of smell. I know danger. And I can smell danger. Comfort me with answers that mean something to me not to demand answers from me when you cannot answer my questions.

Those who claim to be leaders and parties that claim or aspire to represent the people must have the answers.

The MDC is a party that asked us for its vote so as to lead us and get us out of the quagmire we find ourselves in.

The MDC leadership shuns people in the Diaspora and we only become important when its election time when we are expected to make financial contributions.

There is bitterness here in Botswana that party leaders, including Mr Tsvangirai himself, do not even bother to meet and talk to the very large Zimbabwean population here but they, including Tsvangirai, are not available to “ordinary people”, preferring, instead, to hole up somewhere and play golf at exclusive clubs where we have no access to them.

The same complaints have been received by me from the US chapters, South Africa and Britain. The leadership is just not accessible at all.

The people have ideas too which they can offer then they can get polished up by the party leaders. But does the MDC ask for anyone’s opinion?

I may not be intelligent enough to think for Zimbabweans but I know what I don’t want and I will say so.

They have an obligation to offer us alternatives. I am not a politician nor do I want to lead anyone into anywhere but I damn know what I don’t want and one of those is my reluctance to be gudza dungwe, just following to make up the numbers.
I have been abused since 1984 when this government campaigned to convince us then students in America, UK and other places in the Diaspora to return home to assist in the rebuilding of the new republic.
Many answered the call.
I intercepted my studies for this but the honeymoon lasted a few hours.
For twelve years in the 70s and early 80s, I was a refugee and I am now, again, a refugee. And I will be damned if I jumped to cheer something I do not understand.
I urge the MDC to be a little more people-oriented. I urge Mr Tsvangirai to not bother himself with acting presidential yet because he got no country to preside over yet. He is aloof and inaccessible yet our battle is still in progress. He needs us badly.
When I criticize ZANU-PF, Charamba, Chinamasa and Zvayi call me MDC; when I criticize the MDC, they call me ZANU-PF.
You can shout all you want, I am neither.
All I am is Zimbabwean and I am not going to support things or people who do not have the decency to inform people of their intentions. Until I understand, there is no support.

Over the past few years, Mr Tsvangirai has always been in Botswana but not once did he attempt to talk to or meet the large Zimbabwean population who are legally resident here.
He is always whisked away to exclusive areas where unthinking people like me cannot enter or see him.

For example, I am News Editor for a major paper, I write for several other newspapers, radio broadcast to Zimbabwe every week and, as you may know, maintain a blog on the Zimbabwe Times, but I and local journalists here can hardly get an interview with MDC leaders when they are in Botswana while Mr Tsvangirai gives interviews to CNN, BBC, and other foreign news organizations.
The same complaints come from MDC supporters in the US, from South Africa and the UK.
Why?
There is no bitterness, we laugh about it that we, local journalists, broadcasters and writers have a hard time getting to interview him yet we reach more Zimbabweans in Zimbabwe that CNN does.

So my compatriots, this is our forum to talk. I just did and I do all the time. It is my opinion, born out of past and current experience.
If you know where we are going, please run ahead and don’t look back. As for me, I will only move when I am certain that the MDC is not going to do a ZANU-PF on me once again.
Let’s not get too comfortable clinking away at the computer in the diaspora. Tomorrow is a different story. The real world is out there.
Leading a party is not easy but that is what leaders do. They have to satisfy individuals. They need to sell themselves.

Although I understand their enthusiasm, those who write in defense of the MDC, saying things that the MDC never said, are misleading both the people and the MDC itself. Let the party leadership stand up and say it then we can cross-examine them, if need be. That is something ZANU-PF never did.
I am not cashing in one dictatorship for another.
ZANU-PF proved to us all that it is a malicious and evil party. We saw the glorification of a murderer, North Korean style. We let him do that ourselves.

Let’s not make the same mistake again.
The heart of the matter is that we might support the MDC as an alternative to ZANU-PF but let’s make sure that the MDC deserves our support and not let it slowly acquire the bad habits we experienced from ZANU-PF. We must, of necessity, ask questions and get some answers to satisfy our doubts and strengthen our support.

I am Tanonoka Joseph Whande and I wish the MDC the best and will support it in any way I can, but they have to satisfy my criteria. Other than that, my compatriots, this vote of mine, or whatever donation I can make, is not going anywhere until I am satisfied that the MDC is not going to cause me to slip on the same banana twice.
What do you think? Send me your comments on tano@swradioafrica.com
And that, my fellow Zimbabweans, is the way it is today, January 22, 2009.