The Financial Gazette

Dumisani Ndlela, Deputy Editor-in-Chief

DEPUTY Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara returned from Davos this week and failed to shut out the possibility of messing up.

After days of high expectation, he provided what could have highlighted a significant decline from a dignified loser to one still clutching on to power against all odds.
A politician with the devil’s own luck, as suggested in September 2009 by journalist Sunsleey Chamunorwa, who sarcastically charged that his performance in the inclusive government was “better suited to stand-up comedy than serious analysis”, Mutambara muddled through Zimbabwe’s treacherous politics before winning that surprise trophy: The country’s fifth or sixth top job, depending on where he is placed against Deputy Prime Minister Thokozani Khupe of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC formation.
Well, the difference between him and Khupe is that he got in as a principal representing the MDC formation now led by Welshman Ncube.
At their party’s annual congress at which he declined to stand for re-election after a clear indication he would suffer irretrievably in the hands of Ncube, Mutambara had won the hearts of critics who saluted him for demonstrating rare democratic credentials among African leaders by passing the baton to his rival.
He had made an emotional plea for healing by the new leadership, suggesting he accepted the outcome of that congress. Now, to protect his borrowed splendor, he suddenly does not recognise the process that ushered in Ncube as the new leader of the MDC.
It had already been suspected in other circles that Mutambara’s gesture of accepting the outcome and congratulating Ncube could have been a kiss of death to his former secretary-general, who essentially became the new principal of the inclusive government whose glue is the three political parties — ZANU-PF and the two MDC formations led by Prime Minister Tsvangirai and Ncube, a Minister of Industry in the inclusive government.
The MDC formation formerly led by Muta-mbara and now led by Ncube had decided, during its executive council meeting soon after the congress, that Ncube as the new principal should be redeployed into the inclusive government as Deputy Prime Minister, replacing Mutambara who was to be posted to an insignificant ministerial portfolio.
President Mugabe had given an earlier indication of what the MDC formation had to expect from its former leader: Mutambara could not be replaced unless he voluntarily resigned as Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic.
Speaking to journalists on Monday, Mutambara charged: “Arthur Mutambara, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Zimbabwe and Arthur Mutambara, the president of a political party in Zimbabwe are two different persons. The former is governed by the national interest and collective non-partisan aspirations, while the latter is a functionary of political party idiosyncrasies.”
“When I took the decision not to contest for the position of president of my political party, I was very conscious of the distinction between an office of      state and a political party position. Everybody in my party is, and has always been, aware of this distinction. In fact this was discussed, understood and agreed. The idea was to elect a new leadership which will concentrate on building the party and prepare for the next elections, and not change leadership in order to bicker over current offices of state,” Mutambara said.
Mutambara said he had “specific national projects, programmes and coordinative activities that Iam spearheading in my capacity as DPM, and it will be detrimental to the national interest for me to abandon them midstream. I would be remiss in the execution of my national obligation and duties, if I did so”.
Then he declared: “I have no intention whatsoever to leave the position of Deputy Prime Minister in the inclusive government. I will not abdicate from my national responsibilities in order to satisfy narrow party-political aspirations. In our national constitution, there is no facility for a political party to recall a sitting DPM. In the GPA, while there is provision to reshuffle Ministers after consultation among the three principals, there is no provision to remove a GPA principal. Neither is there an instrument to remove a sitting DPM, more so when he or she is also a principal.”
Mutambara was given the position of Deputy Prime Minister on the basis that he was the leader of the MDC which became part of talks that led to the formation of the inclusive government in 2009.
That position was the MDC formation’s own quota to the inclusive government, including the position of non-constituency Member of Parliament which he claims to hold on the basis of his position as Deputy Prime Minister which he claims to owe to no constituency other than the man who presides over the swearing in of such state appointments.
The interesting thing is that Mutambara’s defenders have come from what is supposed to be a rival political formation, ZANU-PF, over which the MDC was founded to unseat from power.
Apparently, as columnist Natha-niel Manheru, whose views widely reflect those of the country’s Presidium which is exclusively ZANU-PF, has indicated, Muta-mbara is a sought-after technocrat    in ZANU-PF, which is busy hunting for recruits from the opposition parties.
Jonathan Moyo, roped back into the party’s hierarchy after once taking the exit door for a career as an independent politician, has equally indicated that Mutambara could easily find a home in ZANU-PF.
It has been suggested, and not denied, that soon after Mutambara became Deputy Prime Minister, he had spent all his time in the exclusive company of ZANU-PF technocrats and bigwigs.
As one journalist indicated, Mutambara’s speech declining to vacate the Deputy Prime Minister’s position had been fortified by President Mugabe’s hand.
Mutambara had become a student of President Mugabe ever since joining the inclusive government and had sought counsel from the ZANU-PF party leader in dealing with situations from his own party.
On many occasions, he has heaped praise on his political foe President Mugabe.
“As Zimbabweans, we need to     rise above the occasion and give credit where it is due, even if the credit undermines my political career,” Mutambara said at a women’s day celebration in March last year after describing President Mugabe as “greatest ally for women of Zimbabwe . . . the personification of consistent leadership . . .”.
“As our generation, we are envious of you President Mugabe,” Mutambara said.
So, President Mugabe will obviously defend Mutambara because he has good company; soon, when the inclusive government collapses, Mutambara will pack his bags and join the revolutionary party and become a key member of any new government formed by ZANU-PF should it win the next elections. In his view, ZANU-PF has been the only cohesive party since 1975 when President Mugabe took over leadership.
How then is he MDC?