Makoni's arrival much ado about nothing

The announcement by Simba Makoni that he is presenting himself as a candidate for the 2008 Presidential Elections is a non-event unless he joins the momentum which had already been generated by the Movemennt For Democratic Change (MDC). In other words, Simba Makoni will be genuine if he became part of the movement towards fundamental social transformation which the MDC led by Morgan Tsvangirai represents.

There is nothing special about him because only yesterday he was the secretary for finance for the same ZANU PF which is responsible for the hyper-inflationary environment currently bedeviling our economy. Simba Makoni is a proud ZANU PF member who will be " expelled from the part by due process", if this writer can use his own words.To refer to T. Kapuya's analysis of Makoni's arrival, he(Makoni) just like Jonathan Moyo and Dumiso Dabengwa who were both responsible for the demise of media freedom and freedom of association and movement respectively, cannot be absolved from directly creating the current political and economic malaise.

His emergency will only be beneficial once he reconciles his intentions with the aims and objectives of the democratic movement in Zimbabwe.

What is crucial is the fact that ZANU PF is experiencing an implosion which should become a reason for re-energising the MDC towards achieving the total destruction of dictatorship in Zimbabwe.

The people of Zimbabwe should not be tempted to disregard the gains made by the MDC for the past seven years solely because of the emergence of Simba Makoni. The MDC has consistently been exposing the failures of ZANU PF and clamoring for fundamental social, political and economic changes.

Simba Makoni's arrival therefore serves to reverse the gains of the social justice movement and to uphold and protect the status quo.