Chamisa must play ball, by the rules

THE game of football should provide vital lessons to MDC-Alliance leader Mr Nelson Chamisa and his supporters. In a football game, there are players from two contending sides and match officials, who include the referee and his/her assistants.

The supporters of both teams and spectators all know when a goal is given; they are aware of the basic rule that when the ball has not crossed the line, it is not given.

No matter how much they desire that the ball move an inch towards the line, that remains a wish. The supporters of one team cannot invade the pitch to push the ball across the line.

That is the scenario we have witnessed in our political arena in the past week, especially after the announcement of the results of the July 30 harmonised elections.

The MDC-Alliance lost on all the three fronts — the presidential race, parliamentary race and local government race.

No matter how much the alliance’s leaders and their supporters feel they were so near to fulfilling their dreams, the fact of the matter remains that they were not good enough to make it.

Just like our football spectator friends, it is time that the MDC-Alliance leaders tell their supporters that no matter how hard they push, the July 2018 elections “ball” has already been played.

Their violent efforts to push the “ball” across the line is a futile exercise. The opposition party is trying to use means outside the rules of the elections game to push a result in their favour. That is the context in which the violence instigated by the MDC-Alliance on Wednesday last week should be viewed.

If opposition officials wish to contest the elections result, the door is open for them to follow legal processes that are availed by the country’s Constitution.

Trying to force the result in their favour through illegal means like violent demonstrations will only return to haunt the perpetrators.

The MDC-Alliance has proved that it is a party of violence and ready to spoil Zanu-PF’s massive win. The opposition party’s leaders primed their supporters for violence well before the elections.

During his campaign trail, which took him to many parts of the country and around 80 rallies Mr Chamisa would not end a rally without telling everybody who cared to listen that he would make the country ungovernable if he was not declared the winner.

Mr Chamisa was a bad competitor from the start. A candidate who declares himself a winner well before the competition begins is not a worthy opponent.

Now, Mr Chamisa’s intention is to hold the nation to ransom by claiming he has evidence of rigging by Zanu-PF, but without proving himself.

Even if his intention is to challenge the results in court, at least he should calm the nerves of his supporters by demonstrating that he has a strong case.

We note that Mr Chamisa’s dilemma emanates from his failure to reconcile the position he portrayed before the elections and his failure to deliver.

Before the elections, the young politician told his supporters that the elections were a walk over. After defeat, he is claiming he was robbed. Mr Chamisa knows the truth, but it is obvious that backing away from his pre-election claims is an embarrassing move, with defining consequences on his political career.

But the nation needs to move on and our advice to Mr Chamisa is that he stops derailing the new Zimbabwe that has been ushered in by the election of President Mnangagwa and Zanu-PF.

The MDC-Alliance has no monopoly on the word “change” and to think that they only can bring change to Zimbabwe is further proof of Chamisa’s political immaturity.