Zimbabwe: Is Makoni now an option?

Zimbabwe's Former Finance Minister and Zanu PF politburo member, Simba Makoni, launched his Mavambo-Kusile-Dawn (MKD) last week. As Finance Minister he was known as the voice of reason during Zimbabwe's spiral into the abyss and was subsequently sacked as a result of his failure to fall in line. He then ran against Mugabe & Tsvangirai in the 2008 election, garnering an impressive 8% of the vote after only announcing his candicacy 3 weeks before the elections.
 
It is no secret to many at home and in the diaspora that some Zimbabweans now feel as though Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC has been tainted by it's merger with Mugabe's ZANU. A merger that brings many to reflect back to that moment in history when Nkomo's ZAPU merged with Mugabe's ZANU thus morphing into that very same political machine that has laid waste to Zimbabwe today. And so now, with the formation of Makoni's MKD, do those who are at best, mildly skeptical and at worst repulsed by Zimbabwe's political players migrate to Makoni's MKD?

In a simplified method of assessment, factoring out Makoni, the skepticism of the non-partisan and politically unaffiliated Zimbabwean lies in this; Mugabe staying in power and then SADC, MDC and world leaders calling what Zimbabwe has a 'Democracy' is deplorable; the notion that by merging with the corrupt and vicious ZANU, MDC can somehow fix corruption and the state of affairs in Zimbabwe is laughable; and the emergence of Makoni as a third option raises eyes but provides more questions than answers to a wary mind.
 
Thus, based off of the sentiments expressed in many of my conversations with other like minded & concerned Zimbabweans, the debate pivots and revolves around the idea that Mugabe is the dictator, Tsvangirai is now part of the cronyism & Makoni is a former crony and when former dictators and their cronies become advocates for democracy, democracy itself is threatened.
 
sincerely yours,
Kwapi
 
http://www.twitter.com/kwapiv