THE notorious G40 cabal and the Nelson Chamisa-led MDC Alliance made futile attempts to form a coalition under the "Grand Union" in the run up to last year's elections in the vain hope of forcing a Government of National Unity.
One of the G40 architects Professor Jonathan Moyo, in self-imposed exile, on Monday published the document that he and his colleagues crafted.
The document is littered with many false assumptions that they thought would give the opposition an edge over Zanu-PF which eventually won the polls.
As a result, political analysts yesterday said the document proved that Prof Moyo was not a strategist that he has always "imagined" himself to be.
According to the documents the so called Grand Union would see Mr Chamisa leading the coalition of parties and deputised by National People's Party leader, Dr Joice Mujuru.
The cabal also suggested that a second vice president should come from Matabeleland suggesting candidates from either People's Democratic Party led by Lucia Matibenga or Dr Thokozani Khupe's MDC-T.
They also suggested that space should be preserved for the likes Dr Dumiso Dabengwa (Zapu leader) Dr Simba Makoni and Mr Elton Mangoma.
The G40 cabalists went on to make false assumptions that the President Mnangagwa's Zanu-PF would not succeed in the Mashonaland provinces in the absence of former President Mr Robert Mugabe.
The project however hit a brick wall, by Prof Moyo's admission, after failed attempts to rope in Dr Mujuru.
In the concept paper, the G40 cabal argued that the "Grand National Union" was the "best natural home for MDC and Zanu-PF supporters."
"This time round, rather than have a negotiated Government of National Unity as was the case with the GPA in 2009, the arrangement would be to have a Grand National Union as a political formation to be submitted to the electorate.
"This pre-election arrangement would be unique and popular with supporters of both Zanu-PF and MDC as well as those of other opposition formations. As already indicated, the arrangement would have two phases: a pre-election Grand National Union (GNU) and a post-election Government of National Unity (GNU)," reads part of the paper.
"It should be noted that whereas, Advocate Nelson Chamisa and the MDC that he leads will bring a considerable and strategic electoral base, there is a need for that base to be complemented by President Mugabe's decisive influence of over the traditional Zanu-PF electoral base.
"In particular but not limited to these cases, President Mugabe remains the leading voice in the electoral strongholds of Mashonaland West, Mashonaland Central and Mashonaland East provinces without which it is impossible for anyone Zanu-PF to win a presidential election in Zimbabwe," reads the paper.
Political analyst Mr Michael Mhlanga said Prof Moyo and his colleagues failed to appreciate that the Operation Restore Legacy and events that led to the new dispensation contained the democratic consensus of every Zimbabwean.
"Prof Jonathan Moyo mistook Mugabe's longevity in power which made the party supporters more accustomed to him and forgot that African politics subscribes to a more grounded traditional affiliation than individuals who are mere representatives of that cultural dominance in power matrix," he said.
"The professor misses one fundamental issue about the politics of continuity and transformation in Zanu-PF. He outrightly neglects how personality cult politics expired with the 'VaMugabe chete chete one centre of power,' when in 2017, the Central committee resolved to deconstruct the 'chete chete' phenomenon that was built around Robert Mugabe. If Jonathan remembered that, he would not have mistook Mugabe as the only symbol of Mashonaland's loyalty to Zanu- PF.
"Again it shows that the professor was wrong about Operation Restore Legacy with his assumption that it did not contain in it democratic consensus, particularly in Mashonaland.
"He was proven wrong when the same people he accused of being loyal to Mugabe voted in favour of President Emmerson Mnangagwa."
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