and, by and large, a democrat, and in a well balanced assesment its former
ambassador to Zimbabwe also found him to be "a flawed figure, indecisive and
with questionable judgment", according to a leaked secret cable published by
Wikileaks.
This is contrary to Zanu PF media reports cranking up the propaganda that
says "US expresses doubts on the PM".
"Morgan Tsvangarai is a brave, committed man and, by and large, a democrat.
He is also the only player on the scene right now with real star quality and
the ability to rally the masses. But Tsvangarai is also a flawed figure,
not readily open to advice, indecisive and with questionable judgment in
selecting those around him.
He is the indispensable element for opposition success, but possibly an
albatross around t heir necks once in power. In short, he is a kind of Lech
Walesa character: Zimbabwe needs him, but should not rely on his executive
abilities to lead the country's recovery.
Arthur Mutambara is young and ambitious, attracted to radical, anti-western
rhetoric and smart as a whip.
But, in many respects he's a light-weight who has spent too much time
reading U.S. campaign messaging manuals and too little thinking about the
real issues.
Welshman Ncube has proven to be a deeply divisive and destructive player in
the opposition ranks and the sooner he is pushed off the stage, the better.
But he is useful to many, including the regime and South Africa, so is
probably a cross to be borne for some time yet. The prospects for healing
the rift within the MDC seem dim, which is a totally unnecessary
self-inflicted wound on their part this time.
With few exceptions Tendayi Biti, Nelson Chamisa the talent is thin below
the top ranks.
The great saving grace of the opposition is likely to be found in the
diaspora. Most of Zimbabwe's best professionals, entrepreneurs, businessmen
and women, etc., have fled the country. They are the opposition's natural
allies and it is encouraging to see signs, particularly in South Africa and
the UK, that these people are talking, sharing ideas, developing plans and
thinking together about future recovery.
Unfortunately, among the MDC's flaws is its inability to work more
effectively with the rest of civil society. The blame for this can be
shared on both sides (many civil society groups, like the NCA, are
single-issue focused and take the overall dynamic in unhelpful directions;
others, like WOZA, insist on going it alone as a matter of principle), but
ultimately it falls to the MDC as the largest and the only true political
party, to show the way. Once again, however, these are natural allies and
they have more reason to work together than fight against each other.
