1. If there’s a phrase that must not be entertained by the MDC Alliance right now, it is the phrase “boycott by-elections”. Not when the opponents are doing everything to take you out of political spaces. Boycott is exactly what they want you to do; it guarantees an easy ride.
2. You might boycott when you have leverage, as when Morgan withdrew from the violent & farcical presidential run-off election in 2008. The costs of participating were higher than the costs of boycotting. Morgan had won the 1st round. Mugabe running alone afterwards was a sham
3. The opponent must know that there is a price to pay if you boycott. There is no price to pay for ZANU–PF or MDC-T if the MDC Alliance boycotts by-elections. In fact, the opposite is true: they have everything to gain, with the strongest party abandoning its strongholds.
4. The MDC Alliance needs to rejuvenate its base. It needs to be seen fighting. For a year now supporters have watched helplessly their party conceding ground without a fight. Elections are the space where they can have a say & they get news of their party threatening boycott?🙆🏾♀️
5. The leadership should be bold bullish & uncompromising. What’s in a name? The most urgent issue is not the name but re-building an institution that has been deliberately & purposefully shelled over the past year. Let them stop you but don’t boycott - it would be catastrophic
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