Following the re-arrest of the Deputy Minister for Agriculture-designate, Roy Bennett, on an indictment for banditry last week, the larger Movement for Democratic Change faction led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai made a decision to disengage with the party of President Robert Mugabe until such time as outstanding issues are resolved.

Yesterday, Mugabe chaired a cabinet meeting without Tsvangirai being present.

The smaller faction of the Movement for Democratic Change led by Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara attended the cabinet meeting, stating that they would prefer to condemn Mugabe to his face.

Whilst the principle may be quaint, I do believe that the boycott is diluted by the smaller faction erring on the side of Mugabe.

A boycott is precisely that. A boycott. And whilst there are differences between the two factions of the Movement for Democratic Change (and I have yet to fathom just what those differences are) their inability to stand together showcases their weaknesses - and Mugabe will not hold back in using those to his own advantage.

“Mutambara - whose party is independent of Tsvangirai’s group although it broke away from the latter - said he sympathised with his former opposition colleagues’ decision to boycott government and warned Mugabe not to collapse the coalition government because he has no legitimacy outside the power-sharing arrangement.”

Sympathy is not what is called for – unity in thought and action is what is needed.

The smaller faction of the Movement for Democratic Change is sometimes seen as the king-maker in Zimbabwean politics as the Tsvangirai-led faction has an outright (bit small) majority in parliament, but this can be swung in favour of Mugabe id the smaller faction were to side with him and his administration.

Standing by or indulging Mugabe does not help the growing opposition to Mugabe’s rule. He continues to run Zimbabwe as if it were his, making unilateral decisions and appointments without consulting with the agreement principals - and Mutambara’s faction needs to be aware that their non-support of disengagement threatens the future of all Zimbabweans.

Meanwhile, reports state that the Tsvangirai-led faction held their own ‘cabinet meeting’. Whilst I understand their need to meet and discuss political affairs in Zimbabwe, it should be noted that “such action would likely have been viewed as constituting treason or an attempt to overthrow constitutional order. Constitutionally, Cabinet meetings can only be convened by the President“.

Mugabe will think nothing of arresting all individuals concerned, throwing them in prison and indicting them on a conspiracy charge. It would be one way of him removing the necessary inclusion of the Movement for Democratic Change in government.

Mugabe will use whatever powers he has to obstruct the power-sharing government, but if one of the principals were to play so easily into his hands, he is hardly going to think twice before he nails them with a sucker punch.

The disengagement will be difficult to sustain and no country can ever live in peace if run by what would effectively be two governments working juxtaposed to one another.

That juxtaposition will lead to outright opposition - and before we know it, we will be back to where we started from…

Mugabe in power, a one-party State and all of his opponents either languishing in a prison cell, lying in a hospital bed, or buried in unmarked graves.

Great caution is needed to ensure that the boycott is not diluted by factionalism.

Robb WJ Ellis
The Bearded Man