Maravi

(TALKZIMBABWE) Mugabe did not renege on power-sharing deal – Mutambara

Mugabe did not renege on power-sharing deal – Mutambara
Ralph Mutema
Sat, 25 Oct 2008 06:04:00 +0000

THE leader of the smaller formation of the Movement for Democratic Change, Arthur Mutambara has said that President Mugabe has not reneged on the agreement signed by the two opposition MDC formations and the Zanu PF party on September 15, 2008.

Speaking on BBC’s 'Hardtalk' programme, Mutambara said there were disagreements over cabinet posts but they were “not sufficient enough to destroy the agreement”.

The MDC leader denied suggestions that he was signing “side deals” with President Mugabe and not with Tsvangirai. He said any agreement that will be reached in the country will be a tripartite agreement, “not a two-some”.

Mutambara also denied suggestions that his party had planned with Zanu PF to field Paul Themba Nyathi as a candidate for Speaker of Parliament. Nyathi is the director of elections for Mutambara’s MDC faction who ran, and lost, against Tsvangirai MDC's Lovemore Moyo, for post of Speaker.

Mutambara said the fact that there were two candidates from the Opposition for the post of Speaker “is a victory for the Opposition”. He further added: “How do you know how people voted in that election (for Speaker of Parliament)?”

Pressured to agree that his party and Zanu PF contested against a Tsvangirai candidate, Moyo, for the post of Speaker, Mutambara said he was “not beholden to Tsvangirai” but to the people of Zimbabwe and denied suggestions that there had been a deal with Zanu PF to vote Nyathi as Speaker.

Mutambara said his faction was an important power player because it had 10 Members of Parliament and held the balance of power in the House of Assembly.

Asked whether he would consider merging with the Tsvangirai faction to fight Zanu PF, Mutambara said Zimbabwe was mature enough to have 10 opposition parties and could have a system like that of Britain.

Mutambara said he cannot be pressured to justify his position of not joining the main MDC faction to “a chap called Stephen Sackur on Hardtalk”. He added: “Our politics is as sophisticated as that in Britain, so don’t patronize us.”

“Tsvangirai is not a moral or political standard. I will not be beholden to a politician, but we will be beholden to the people of Zimbabwe,” added Mutambara.

Asked whether he will walk away from the power-sharing agreement if Tsvangirai decides to abandon the talks, Mutambara said “Tsvangirai has option, but to stay in the talks” adding that “this deal is as good as it gets. The alternative is too ghastly to contemplate.”

Asked whether Tsvangirai shared this same view, Mutambara said: “All leaders must understand that there is no alternative to this deal. I cannot speak for Tsvangirai. What do you do? Walk away and call for an election? The people of Zimbabwe are too traumatized.”

“We can’t break this agreement over ministries. It’s a travesty of justice to do so,” said Mutambara.

Click here to watch the programme

Labels: ARTHUR MUTAMBARA, BBC, HARDTALK, STEPHEN SACKUR

posted by MrK @ 7:05 AM