"Nothing beats dialogue," says Tsvangirai - Khupe & co. know better. Patrick Guramatunhu

Mr Tsvangirai said the alliance was bigger than individual parties, adding: "This alliance is a far bigger vision than the individual political parties that are in it. In our individual parties, we may have disputes, we may have differences, but nothing beats dialogue.

"That is leadership. Even if you disagree with me, the first basis you must understand is that nothing beats dialogue. As we move to a new Zimbabwe led by the alliance, you will see that there will be squabbling here and there. Some of the disputes will be informed by individual personal interests."

Dialogue! What does Tsvangirai know about dialogue? His idea of dialogue is he talking at you until the cows come home. If you disagree with him, he will send his thugs to beat you up and pretend it was CIOs who beat you. If there is a free vote on the matter and he loses the vote, he will disregard the vote.

Former USA Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Chris Dell, said Tsvangirai was “a flawed figure” who was “not readily open to advice, indecisive and questionable judgement in selecting those around him,” according to Wikileak report.

The Ambassador has been proven right thousand time and thousand times again. Tsvangirai is not clever to start with and combine that with his inability to listen to others has made his a downright dangerous leader who has led the MDC and the nation from one blunder to the next with disastrous consequences.

Tsvangirai has wasted the last four year pursuing this grand opposition coalition although he has been told again and again and again that this is distraction. Whether next year’s elections result in a meaningful democratic change will depend on one thing and one thing only – are the elections free, fair and credible. And the only way the nation can be certain the elections are free and fair is by making sure the democratic reform designed to stop Zanu PF rigging the vote are implemented.

The decision by Tsvangirai and everyone in the opposition camp to contest next year’s elections with not even one democratic reform in place – forget this MDC Alliance, because it will never do anything to stop the vote rigging – is madness. The more so, given these MDC leaders were advised in 2013 not to contest that year’s elections with no reforms and they failed to listen. David Coltart did shed some new light on MDC leaders’ real reason for contesting flawed elections – greed.

“The worst aspect for me about the failure to agree a coalition was that both MDCs couldn’t now do the obvious – withdraw from the elections,” explained Senator Coltart in his book.

“The electoral process was so flawed, so illegal, that the only logical step was to withdraw, which would compel SADC to hold Zanu PF to account. But such was the distrust between the MDC-T and MDC-N that neither could withdraw for fear that the other would remain in the elections, winning seats and giving the process credibility.”

Everyone agrees the elections will be rigged but the MDC Alliance is not about “doing the obvious – withdraw from the elections”. Greed is still trumping reason! The Alliance is about sharing out the few winnable gravy train seats they know Zanu PF giving away by fielding one Alliance candidate for each contested seat.

As long as the opposition has a chance of winning a few gravy train seats they will never demand the implementation of the democratic reforms to ensure free, fair and credible elections; this is a well-established historic fact and reality. It is now for the people of Zimbabwe themselves to fight both Zanu PF and the opposition by demanding the implementation of reforms BEFORE elections.

“If you go into elections next month, you are going to lose; the elections are done,” SADC leaders warned Tsvangirai & co. against contesting the 2013 elections with reforms. One can say the same about next year’s elections, they too “are done”! Tsvangirai did not listen to SADC leaders’ warning then and he and his MDC Alliance are not listening to any warning now because their eyes are fixed on the gravy train seats.

Tsvangirai is “not readily open to advice and indecisive” at the best of times but when his eyes are glassed over with greed, he sit on his ears and will not hear. Holding a dialogue with him at such times is a complete waste of time. He will contest next year’s elections come rain come sunshine regardless how flawed and illegal the process gets; not even if millions of ordinary Zimbabweans are denied the vote, frogmarched and even murdered in cold blood.   

“Even if you disagree with me, the first basis you must understand is that nothing beats dialogue,” said Tsvangirai.

 Nothing beats dialogue; that is rich coming from someone who takes advice from no one but he does not listen to anyone!