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Press Conferences for Change

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OK its almost official but not quite – the Movement for Democratic Change has trounced the “fist of fury”. Way to go. We’ve had two victory press conferences at the Meikles Hotel which are entirely necessary, but its enough already. As Amanda rightly asked, when is the MDC going to reconnect with their supporters who are sitting in the dark, waiting and wondering about the election results? The MDC’s base of support comes from working class people who don’t have access to satellite TV and the Internet.

Morgan Tsvangirai should be doing victory laps around high density suburbs, inspiring and preparing Zimbabweans for the next round of the fight for democracy. As we all know winning elections in Zimbabwe don’t necessarily mean a transfer of “power”.

So where are the MDC trucks and vans and cars filled with campaign workers roaming the cities hooting up a storm of resistance? They were very active and visible pre-election – now where have they gone?

Enough with Press Conferences for Change; let’s have some open air celebrations.

3 comments to “Press Conferences for Change”

  1. Comment by Global Voices Online » Zimbabwe: Harare is tense after Tsvangirai claims victory:

    [...] Bev Clark argues that it is time for open air celebrations: OK its almost official but not quite – the Movement for Democratic Change has trounced the “fist of fury”. Way to go. We’ve had two victory press conferences at the Meikles Hotel which are entirely necessary, but its enough already. As Amanda rightly asked, when is the MDC going to reconnect with their supporters who are sitting in the dark, waiting and wondering about the election results? The MDC’s base of support comes from working class people who don’t have access to satellite TV and the Internet. [...]

  2. Comment by …My heart’s in Accra » Guessing at election outcomes in Zimbabwe:

    [...] Needless to say, Harare is tense, as people wait and wonder what’s going to happen next. Bev Clark argues that MDC needs to take advantage of this interval and claim victory, making it harder for the government to overturn the results: Morgan Tsvangirai should be doing victory laps around high density suburbs, inspiring and preparing Zimbabweans for the next round of the fight for democracy. As we all know winning elections in Zimbabwe don’t necessarily mean a transfer of “power”. [...]