COMMENT: Why impose candidates on the electorate?

The Chronicle

HARDLY two days old, Mr Nelson Chamisa’s new political outfit, Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), was on course for another split as evidenced by factionalism during the sitting of the Nomination Court for by-elections set for March 26.

As we reported yesterday, the CCC double-fielded candidates in two Bulawayo wards. Apparently, two national signatories — Job Sikhala and Charlton Hwende — signed for two of the candidates while party vice-president Professor Welshman Ncube and Siphiwe Ncube signed for another set.

If this is not evidence of a power struggle in the CCC, nothing else is. Prof Ncube has clashed with the president of his party before: Remember the split with the late Morgan Tsvangirai?

This was in 2005 when then secretary-general, Prof Ncube and others formed MDC-N. The double-fielding of candidates in the new party’s first elections made bare the possibility of a CCC-N.

The question is why does a party that stands for democracy fail to hold democratic primary elections? Why should candidates be imposed?

What is more telling is that the new opposition party is not concerned about the quality of its candidates. If that was the case, the party would have agreed on representatives.

Bulawayo has seven wards which will hold by-elections on March 26 and CCC registered two candidates in both Ward 9 and Ward 26.

The party registered Donaldson Mabuto, who was the previous incumbent, and former Mpopoma legislator Bekithemba Nyathi in Ward 9, while in Ward 26 CCC will field Norman Hlabano, also a former incumbent, and Mthandazo Moyo.

Mabuto told the media after the sitting of the Nomination Court that he was shocked by the party’s decision to field two candidates and called for the firing of Prof Ncube.

“It is unbelievable. We had two national signatories, who signed for our candidates, Hon Job Sikhala and Hon Charlton Hwende, but the ones who signed papers in Bulawayo are Prof Welshman Ncube and Siphiwe Ncube. Actually, people are being exposed for their evil deeds,” said Mabuto.

“Their evil has been exposed. We said we have built the new, but some people want to derail the new. This is tantamount to treason and as a youth member, we can’t accept this; heads of the signatories must roll. There is pandemonium in the ward as I speak because of this.”

The CCC was not even three days old and already some members are calling for heads to roll. What a joke!
Rebranding or renaming the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) will never be enough. A leopard will never change its spots.

We will wait to see how the party will resolve this impasse. A divided vote will spell doom in the two wards. This is what senior party leaders should have thought about.

We give CCC until the next national elections in 2023 before one group or two break away.

Article Source: The Chronicle

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