MDC Alliance president Nelson Chamisa has reiterated that he still holds the joker card and will surprise his political opponents at the last minute, saying for now he enjoys keeping them “stewing and guessing”.
Chamisa added that he had wisdom “from above” and “nothing beats wisdom”.
Chamisa has been forced to respond to declarations by rival opposition MDC-T leader Douglas Mwonzora who warned he would to unleash the full wrath of the law on Chamisa if he ever used the MDC brand for political campaigns and elections.
There have been calls from the Chamisa camp to dump the MDC name whilst there was still time to campaign for the 2023 elections, but Chamisa has kept his cards close to his chest and remained adamant that he had plan.
This is despite the fact that he lost the party headquarters, lost a sizeable number of elections MPs, ward Councillors and Senators, and also lost the main source of funding from Treasury to the Mwonzora camp.
In the wake of criticism that he has been too quiet and unusually laid back for an opposition leader, Chamisa on Wednesday insisted he had a plan up his sleeve. He said there will be no confusion as to who the real opposition is.
“There will be no confusion… We don’t put all our eggs in one basket. We don’t clumsily lay all our cards on the table. We don’t flip the book open for them to counter us. We have a solid plan,” Chamisa said.
The words could be construed as a calculated response to prominent preacher and Zanu-PF supporter Passion Java, who weeks ago famously said Chamisa had virtually no plan to rescue his political career.
To those who are wearing thin on patience and hope that his party will form a Government, Chamisa unleashed yet one of his many soundbites.
“There will be real change in Zimbabwe. Everything new. In this game you don’t let the opposite know what the game plan is.We keep them stewing and guessing.”
Chamisa lost control after he was deemed by the courts to be an illegal MDC president by virtue of the unconventional way he replaced founding party president Morgan Tsvangirai.
Since then, Chamisa has been backpedalling amid damaging losses of party assets, finances and officials to both MDC-T and the ruling Zanu-PF.
On the social media front, he however remains an undisputed favorite. Will that count when elections finally come around? Maybe, or maybe not.
But whichever way, Chamisa insists he has the joker card and will throw it in at the most opportune moment. – Zimbabwe Voice ■
