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Mr Nelson Chamisa

IN December last year, less than two weeks after the dramatic events of November where a new dispensation was ushered into power in the wake of former President Robert Mugabe’s resignation, MDC Alliance leaders Messrs Nelson Chamisa and Tendai Biti embarked on a trip to the United States of America where they joined other anti-Government activists Mr Dewa Mavhinga and Mr Peter Godwin to demonise Zimbabwe before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

In sensational and shocking presentations before the influential committee, the quartet took turns to make a strong case for the maintenance of sanctions on Zimbabwe by besmirching the new administration led by President Mnangagwa even before they had time to acclimatise to their new offices. Right thinking Zimbabweans roundly condemned their macabre charade and pointed out that it was unfair for the opposition politicians to expect the new Government to have righted the wrongs of the past 37 years in a space of a fortnight.

They also called out the duo of Mr Chamisa and Mr Biti for seeking to gain cheap political capital at the expense of the generality of Zimbabweans who were suffering under the yoke of punitive measures, particularly the ruinous and misnamed Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZDERA).

Addressing the Committee, Mr Biti urged the US to maintain the sanctions until after this year’s harmonised elections saying the opposition movements will only advise the IMF and other institutions after assessing the conduct of the 2018 elections.

He said the western world must only assist when reforms have been effected and acted upon by the Zimbabwean Government. “If we are able to deliver as a country a free, fair and legitimate election, in respect of which everyone accepts the results thereof and the provisions of the constitution spelt out in Section 2 of our constitution, the founding values of the constitution that deal with power transfer are respected and there is genuine power transfer in Zimbabwe, then quite clearly, there is an obligation in the international community to assist us particularly the third question where we have to engage the World Bank, the IMF and the Paris Club of lenders,” said Mr Biti.

His co-panelist Mr Mavhinga said the US should push Sadc and AU to insist on a roadmap for free elections, demanding domestic and international observers, and making sure outgoing Zec boss Justice Rita Makarau’s replacement is independent. In the wake of their appearance before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the US announced in February this year that it was maintaining sanctions on Zimbabwe for another year.

It said a review of the punitive measures will be done after the harmonised elections. Government has instituted far reaching reforms and has pledged to hold free, fair and credible elections. It has also embarked on a re-engagement drive with the Western world while reinforcing its cordial relations in the East.

Already, the world is warming up to the new administration with many countries promising to assist Zimbabwe find its footing. However, despite the best efforts of President Mnangagwa’s Government, the opposition appears steeped in the past where it used to demonise the country in return for trinkets from its Western funders.

Messrs Chamisa and Biti are in the United Kingdom on another mission to undermine the Government and reverse the immense progress that has been achieved on the diplomatic front by Harare. Writing on his Facebook timeline, former Education Minister Senator David Coltart — who is part of the MDC Alliance contingent to the UK — let the cat out of the bag when he revealed that the delegation would rubbish the Zanu-PF Government by pointing out its shortcomings to the British establishment.

“The main purpose of the week (in Britain) will be to promote British investment in Zimbabwe in a new era under an MDC Alliance government. We will explain that the fundamental difference between the MDC Alliance and Zanu-PF is that we, unlike Zanu-PF, will implement Zimbabwe’s new Constitution in full — in letter and spirit — and that we will respect the rule of law,” said Sen Coltart in his post.

“For all Zanu-PF’s rhetoric about Zimbabwe being “open for business” the one thing they have never learnt in 38 years of misrule is that the single most important factor in any investor’s decision to invest in a foreign country is security of the investment.” Clearly, the opposition learnt nothing from its trip of shame to the US and will continue its scorched earth policy of burning down the country in pursuit of its selfish agenda to ascend to power.

Now more than ever, Zimbabweans need to unite and promote the country as a safe investment destination not continuous demonisation. MDC Alliance leaders need to appreciate that the image of the country is much more important than their political careers.