Presidential Spokesperson George Charamba says MDC leader Nelson Chamisa will not be able to have a dialogue with ZANU PF outside POLAD which is a platform for political parties that contested in the 2018 Presidential plebiscite.
Charamba was commenting on Chamisa’s tweet about his meeting with South African former President Nelson Chamisa.
Read the full statement below:
Chamisa’s tweet after meeting former South African President has two points that are noteworthy, one negative, even naive, another, a subtle about-turn which our commentators have, as usual, missed. First, the negative: His tweet in part read: “Dialogue must deliver true change and real reforms. When we shake hands let us be agreeing to truly walk in the same direction, a new direction.”
The real problem with the young man is hoping and wishing that National Dialogue under POLAD delivers for his party what electoral contest wouldn’t! The language in the tweet comes off MDC manifesto, over which the Zimbabwean people passed a verdict on July 30, 2018.
No re-issuance of the same hoping the National Dialogue re-valorizes a discredited manifesto, will ever change the position or verdict of the Zimbabwean people. Creating and finding coming ground for National Dialogue involving winners who can and have been governing without you, includes couching your language in ways that don’t trigger instant recall of the terms that put you apart during the electoral contest, that identified you apart.
One does not need to be a genius to know that ZANU-PF or any other formation under POLAD will never agree to an agenda or proposal where a defeated party is perceived as seeking to recoup politically under guise of National Dialogue. Simply, classical way of how-not-to-say-it!
Then the positive: “Our political impasse cannot continue. We stand firm on the principle that none but ourselves can bring about the true change we need. Real issues affecting us all must be at the heart of any dialogue.” Ignore phrase “true change”, for its offensiveness.
Put accent on “none but ourselves can bring about”; and, “Real issues affecting us all must be at the heart of any dialogue.” It should not be difficult to notice that the none-but-ourselves phrase re-centers the young politician in corridors of National Dialogue as a NATIONAL PROCESS without FOREIGN MEDIATION.
That is a huge climb-down and compromise which the MDC-A leader is conveying to the process with modest rhetorical flourish. In fact, he has tapped into ZANU-PF wartime rhetoric to announce his submission to set parameters of POLAD!
Real-issues-affecting-us-all is yet another, in fact incremental concessions which should clear the way. ALL is INCLUSIVE, suggesting a departure from MDC-A hackneyed position of demanding an EXCLUSIVE BILATERAL with ZANU-PF! Huge take-away! That means a broad church: POLAD!
And REAL ISSUES affecting us ALL, can’t be contained in the manifesto, lingo or vocabulary of any one party, least of all a defeated late-comer! It means a broader re-imagining of the NATIONAL DIALOGUE, as already done under POLAD. Go back to statements of parties at launch of POLAD and check if Chamisa’s post-Mbeki meeting tweet isn’t a perfect fit, not just by way of broad semantics, but even by way of diction and style!! Those of us schooled in political communication got/get the cues being send out. All we say is Hallelujah, the son is now back!
