Maravi

(LUSAKATIMES) Zanu PF threatens GNU pullout over Gono

Zanu PF threatens GNU pullout over Gono
Nyasha Murindagomo
Thu, 28 May 2009 01:50:00 +0000

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF party has threatened to pull out of Zimbabwe’s inclusive Government if the central bank governor is edged out. The three parties in the inclusive Government are deadlocked over the appointment of Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Dr Gideon Gono and Attorney General Johannes Tomana.

The MDC argues that the appointment of these two was unconstitutional as the President was supposed to consult with the other two principals.

“There is no one who touches Gono without provoking us," Zanu PF chief negotiator to the inter-party talks and Minister of Justice, Sen Patrick Chinamasa was quoted as having told mourners at the burial of Dr Gono's brother, Peter Tungamirai Gono who passed away on saturday after a long illness.

"The signatures of all those who served as Ministers of Finance since Dr Gono took over as governor are there to confirm that he did everything with our blessings and authority.

“Anyone who wants to remove Gono must remove us first and those who keep on calling for him to go are saying Zanu PF must go too.”

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) party last week referred the dispute to the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) and the African Union (AU) the guarantors of the September 15 power sharing agreement for arbitration.

The MDC wants the central bank chief to be removed from his post and blames him for contributing to the country’s economic meltdown by excessively printing money to support quasi-fiscal activities.

President Mugabe speaking at the same occassion defended the RBZ policies saying they were necessary for the country to survive illegal sanctions imposed by Britain, US and their allies and international isolation.

Sen Chinamasa, who was the acting minister of finance before the formation of the inclusive Government on February 13, said all the central bank's policies were approved by previous administrations.

He also said the removal of sanctions against Zimbabwe was an issue agreed by all the principals to the inclusive Government.

"We agreed within the Global Political Agreement that sanctions should be removed and now we are speaking with one voice on the matter," said Sen Chinamasa adding that those element in the GPA calling for Dr Gono's removal should not be silent on the more pressing issue of sanctions.

"Why are you not speaking about that (sanctions) as an outstanding issue?

"It is a big outstanding issue," said Cde Chinamasa.

The war of words over Dr Gono’s tenure, which analysts say exposes the fault lines in the inclusive Government, has also drawn in the country’s service chiefs who vowed to protect the governor him from his enemies - "those with personal agendas".

The service chiefs, who have not met with the prime minister since his inauguration, waded into the stand-off over Dr Gono's appointment, saying among the RBZ governor's enemies were people who benefited from his policies but were forgetting that the battle for total sovereignty was not yet over.

Air Vice Marshal Henry Muchena, representing service chiefs at the burial, said despite the loss of a brother and those calling for him to go, Dr Gono should know that the Zimbabwe Defence Forces were solidly behind him.

He said when land reform started many people shunned it but Dr Gono left his businesses and embraced the struggle.

He added that as liberators they made a vow with their departed comrades that the struggle would continue until the country was totally free and "they will not falter on that promise" adding that "those people who do not want to be involved in this struggle should not stop those who are willing to engage in it".

Sadc chairman and South African president Jacob Zuma is yet to respond to calls for the regional body to intervene in the crisis over Dr Gono and AG Tomana appointments. He is the current chair of Sadc.

Critics say the "bad blood" between Dr Gono and Finance minister Tendai Biti, also MDC secretary general, is hurting efforts to mobilise donors and investors.

Influential Western donors including the World Bank have revealed that money meant for humanitarian aid and reconstruction was bypassing the inclusive Government because of concerns that the power-sharing has not demonstrated that it can manage the economy with prudence and transparency.

Labels: GIDEON GONO, NATIONAL UNITY GOVERNMENT, ZANU-PF

posted by MrK @ 4:09 PM