The majority of MDC Alliance legislators are caught between a rock and a hard place as the battle for the control of the country’s largest opposition party between Thokozani Khupe and Nelson Chamisa continues.
The Parliamentarians know that if they follow Chamisa, they will be expelled from Parliament and lose all their perks and benefits while they risk jeopardising their political careers if they follow Khupe.
An unnamed MDC Alliance legislator who spoke to the Daily News On Sunday at the weekend explained his predicament. He is quoted as saying:
We are in an impossible situation for sure. It’s a lose-lose fix and the overwhelming majority of us don’t know what to do at the moment.
If we remain with Chamisa, who is clearly struggling to withstand the pressure against him, we will lose everything, because most of us survive on our parliamentary benefits.
On the other hand, we are not sure either at the moment how the Khupe ship will sail going forward. Most of our legislators are thus between a rock and a hard place.
… But then again, I risk being kicked out of Parliament immediately if I defy Khupe. There is also no guarantee that I will get my seat back through a by-election or when the next general elections are held.
The hard reality is that for many of us it (Parliament) is our sole source of income. We are in a terrible bind.
The runctions within the MDC came after the Supreme Court recently upheld last year’s ruling by the High Court, which said Chamisa’s ascendancy to the leadership of the MDC was in violation of the party’s constitution, therefore it was null and void.
The Supreme Court ruled that Khupe should assume the party’s presidency in an acting capacity until an extraordinary congress is held within 90 days.