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ZANU-PF hardliners are obstructing progress, says Tsvangirai

ZANU-PF hardliners are obstructing progress, says Tsvangirai
Written by Kingsley Kaswende in Harare
Thursday, May 14, 2009 3:59:50 PM

Political hardliners from ZANU-PF are obstructing the successful implementation of the political agreement that established the inclusive government, Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has charged.

Tsvangirai said during the launch of the 100-day economic recovery plan on Wednesday afternoon that the “residual elements” from the old ZANU-PF government had failed to accept the reality of change taking place in the country.

“Sadly, there appears to be a reluctance by residual elements from the old government. They obstruct and frustrate the successful implementation of the (agreement). This attitude, should it continue, will limit the effective implementation of the 100-day plan and subsequently impact negatively on our ability to make a positive difference to the lives of all Zimbabweans,” he said.

He said it was fundamental that all agreed plans under the agreement are successfully implemented.

“ If all the signatories are not fully committed to abiding by the agreement to which they have appended their names, then the technical implementation of government policy will falter. What continues to plague Zimbabwe can be best described as a reluctance to accept the reality of the changes taking place within the country,” he said.

He said the residual resistance represented an unwillingness to accept the fact that the new political dispensation was not only irreversible, but also offered the country the only viable way forward.

“The continued violations of the rule of law and the agreement prevent the inflows of development aid, obstructing a progressive legislative agenda and risk keeping Zimbabwe mired in poverty and the fear of persecution,” he said.

“...As different political parties, it is natural that we have different political agendas. However, as co-signatories to the (agreement), we should be united by our agenda of governance and of delivering essential services to the people while simultaneously promoting their freedoms,” he said.

Last week, Tsvangirai’s party, the MDC, gave the inclusive government an ultimatum that ended on Monday to conclude the outstanding issues regarding the implementation of the political agreement.

However, the parties failed to meet on Monday and Tuesday, as President Mugabe had meetings with the visiting North Korean delegation.

The resolution of the outstanding issues was deffered to today (Friday).

The outstanding issues that remain unresolved are the appointments of provincial governors, permanent secretaries, ambassadors, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Gideon Gono and the Attorney-General, Johannes Tomana.

Also needing urgent discussion and resolution is the fact that President Robert Mugabe is allegedly still refusing to swear in Roy Bennett as deputy agriculture minister, and the fact that President Mugabe unilaterally decided to remove the Communications department of the information ministry away from MDC’s Nelson Chamisa.

Tsvangirai said if there was truly a political will to abide by the agreement, these issues could be resolved immediately.

“In doing so, we would prove to the international community that we are genuine and serious about restoring Zimbabwe to its rightful place in the family of nations,” he said.

Last week, Tsvangirai said it was this inertia by some ZANU-PF hardliners that was holding back international aid.

Labels: MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, STERP, ZANU-PF

posted by MrK @ 3:02 PM