MDC stalwart Ian Kay has suggested that the opposition party should rebrand and start afresh as it has since lost its glitter because of infighting which has led to several splits.
BY JAIROS SAUNYAMA
In an interview with NewsDay yesterday, the outspoken politician, who is also former Marondera Central legislator, said the opposition party needed to retrace its roots and be guided by the founding principles as outlined during its formation.
“When you are in the bush and you get lost, the best thing to do is to retrace your footsteps and go back where you started from. This is because when you embark on such a journey you know where you want to go, hence starting all over again will be ideal,” he said.
Kay left the MDC in 2013 after the late MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai lost for the third time in a row to the late Zanu PF leader Robert Mugabe in the presidential race. After the dismal defeat by Zanu PF, Kay and his colleague, the late Roy Bennett, called for leadership renewal within the MDC before retiring from active politics.
He lost the Marondera Central seat to former Zanu PF heavyweight Ray Kaukonde in the same year.
“When this started, it was MDC. Movement meant going forward and democratic meant democracy. This is why I am saying, there is need to start afresh, going back to the drawing board and be guided by what was agreed on when the movement was formed.
“Through the passage of time, we have forgotten the founding principles of the movement and if we fail to recall that we will end up having leaders who are astray. If you read the Bible, it took Moses 40 years to cross over to the promised land, but if you analyse it, it was a short journey that took him so much time. This is the moment in which the MDC has seen itself in,” he said.
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The opposition party is currently embroiled in massive factional fights pitting Nelson Chamisa against Thokozani Khupe with the former leading the MDC Alliance while the latter leads the MDC-T.
Following a recent Supreme Court ruling which ruled Chamisa’s leadership illegitimate, acting president of the MDC-T Khupe has since responded by recalling most of Chamisa’s lieutenants from Parliament and local authorities.
Kay said it was best for the warring parties to find common ground and forge a strong alliance. He accused the current crop of politicians of being self-centred.
“No one is perfect, you cannot blame anyone, it is better to blame yourself. Khupe is MDC, Chamisa is MDC and when I was there I was MDC. The best thing is for them to come together and go back to the drawing board. They should dialogue. It is not good to ignore each other, this is what has resulted in the MDC being where it is today,” he said.
“This nation lacks a driver. It is a pity that we have wise people in this country, but we lack the perfect person to steer the ship. Most of the people are joining politics to fatten their pockets and feed their families, that is where we are losing it,” he said.
While announcing his departure from the opposition politics in 2013, Kay described Tsvangirai as “a rusty bolt that needed to be replaced” and this was after the late former trade unionist failed to dislodge Mugabe for the third consecutive time.
