Opposition Political parties must adapt to new realities

UMDC launch in Bulawayo two weeks ago

The recent launch of the United Movement for Democratic Change (UMDC) has roused a number of questions to the ordinary populace of Zimbabwe who have since had their hopes of removing the Zanu Pf regime out of power since the formation of a formidable opposition in 1999. The extent of the success of any opposition political party in Zimbabwe has in the recent years been proving to be a difficult phenomenon as the outcome of the elections in 2013 crushed all hopes of any opposition politics in the country.

Some schools of thought would argue that the formation of UMDC is a clear indication that the opposition political parties in Zimbabwe are still stuck to the 1999 syndrome and a sad reality to the electorate that the parties are failing to adapt to new realities at play. What the people of Zimbabwe are in need of at the moment is a clear strategy that will remove Zanu Pf from power rather than the egocentric and power hungry leadership that still news Zimbabwean as cash cows from the western donors. 

Their strategy so they say, to revisit the founding values and principles of the 1999 all peoples convention clears exposes the blank nature of political entrepreneurs whose vision and aspirations for the future now lies in the recycling of ideas. Shows 16years is a lifetime in politics and that could be a trigger to these pseudo political parties or pressure groups to realise that the push factors 16 years ago and the push factors now are different. The majority of the voting populace now or those who are the 2018 targets might not share the same sentiments as those of 1999 hence this but gives the clever and richer Zanu Pf a rather uncompetitive advantage. 

Of note in the recent political developments, one will be quick to point of the massive recruitment drive and door to door operations in urban areas by the ruling party and the dishing out of resources to those in their political structures to lure would be voters into their side. This is a clear strategy .of a party with a well researched vision to resoundingly win the upcoming elections.

As opposition parties cry donor fatigue, Zanu Pf is cruising a major speed to Investment in and brainwash young people into believing that they are the truth and the light towards the resuscitation of the ailing economy. This can be noted by the pouching of young political think tanks such as Qhubani Moyo, Khumbulani Malinga amongt other young people from the MDC led by Professor Welshman Ncube.

Pivotal, is the need for political parties to adapt to the changes taking place in the communication spheres are political communication plays a significant role in influencing the public perception of the party. In their description of the “Third Age ofPolitical Communication“, Blumler and Kavanagh (1999) suggested that to politicians the present-day third-age media system must loom like “a hydra-headed beast, the many mouths of which are continually clamouring to be fed. When something happens, they are expected to tell the media what they are going to do about it well before they can be fully informed themselves. 

Bulmer’s & Kavanagh´s characterization of “the third age” of political communication was given at the turn of the century and has proven to be both influential and useful for the discussion of new realities facing political communication in a digital age. According to this characterization, the proliferation of the means of communication was shaped by five trends: intensified professionalizing imperatives, increased competitive pressures, anti-elitist populism, a process of “centrifugal diversification,” and changes in how people received politics. (Blumler & Kavanagh, 1999) These trends in turn were influenced by long-term social, economic and cultural background changes that occurred in the post-war period. Among these long-term changes were e.g. modernization with increased social differentiation and specialization, fragmenting social organization, interests and identities; proliferating diverse lifestyles and moral stances on the one hand and individualization on the other hand, where citizens had become more like consumers than believers in their approach to politics.