Maravi

(TALKZIMBABWE) MDC-T leadership divided over inclusive Govt

COMMENT - The corporate lobby (Tsvangirai) and the white farmers lobby (Biti/Cross/Bennett) are at odds within the MDC? Who would have thought it? Of course the trade union/people's lobby was sidelined almost as soon as the MDC was founded.

MDC-T leadership divided over inclusive Govt
Philip Murombedzi
Wed, 30 Sep 2009 04:09:00 +0000

THE top leadership of the Movement for Democratic Change party led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is divided over whether to remain in the inclusive Government with President Mugabe and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara, the Zimbabwe Guardian has learnt.

It has emerged that there are now two camps within that party; one led by PM Tsvangirai and another led by Finance Minister Tendai Biti.

PM Tsvangirai’s camp, which includes Elton Mangoma and Fidelis Mhashu the ministers of economic planning and investment promotion, and national housing and social amenities respectively, is at loggerheads with the Biti camp which includes the likes of ICT Minister Nelson Chamisa, treasurer and financier Roy Bennett and policy co-ordinator Eddie Cross.

The Tsvangirai camp is under pressure to withdraw from the inclusive Government over what the Biti camp calls “outstanding issues” in the implementation of the Global Political Agreement of Sept 15 2008 which paved the way for the formation of the inclusive Government.

Chamisa said his party last week wrote to the regional Sadc group urging the body to promptly deal with the outstanding matters; although PM Tsvangirai indicated in July that there was no longer any need for Sadc to get involved.

"We have advised SADC to expeditiously deal with the outstanding issues of the GPA," said Chamisa. "It was an appeal to Sadc."

Biti is said to have pressured PM Tsvangirai to engage Sadc at the last summit in the Democratic Republic of Congo to resolve the "outstanding issues". That strategy failed to work.

It is understood that Biti wants to present Bennett as an “outstanding issue” as he is the chief fundraiser for the party and has extensive donor contacts. Biti and Chamisa are reportedly frustrated by their inability to take effective power from President Mugabe.

Chamisa who doubles as ICT Minister and MDC-T spokesperson once remarked, “We are sharing power to grab it’. The parallel government was their way of trying to grab power. Chamisa and Biti are reportedly frustrated by the fact that President Mugabe still wields a lot of executive power as Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces.

The other outstanding issues cited by Biti’s camp include, among others, the appointment of Attorney General Johannes Tomana and Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono which they are saying should be reversed; although the GPA is silent on these appointments.

PM Tsvangirai’s camp, however, says the inclusive Government is functional and working. The prime minister told western nations that he had a working relationship with President Mugabe.

PM Tsvangirai is said to have been pushed by Biti's camp to conduct a "Take the GPA to the People" move. Chamisa said the party had already lined rallies across the country to consult its stakeholders on the wisdom of remaining in the inclusive Government.

Although Chamisa pledged that the party would seriously consider the outcome of the people's views in the consultations as they were the real owners of the agreement, analysts say this strategy is a political campaign strategy gearing. up for the next election, which President Mugabe said will be conducted as early as 2010.

Minister Fidelis Mhashu, recently said there was unity of purpose in the inclusive Government.

"The people should be together for the good of the nation. Let us love, respect, unite and work together for the development of our country," he said.

Speaking at a prize-giving ceremony at Rukuma Primary School in Mhondoro last week, Minister Mhashu urged teachers to be patient while Government sorted out the issue of salaries.

"Please bear with Government as we believe things will improve and salaries for the civil servants will be increased as the economy shapes up," he said.

Recently, MDC treasurer general and financier Roy Bennett told a radio station that the inclusive Government was not working and that the MDC-T had no power in government.

His statement is in direct contrast to Minister Mhashu’s recent statement and PM Tsvangirai who have indicated that the MDC-T party will not pull out of the inclusive Government.

A UK based MDC-T official who spoke to this reporter on condition of anonymity said the party had lost direction and divisions in the high ranks threatened another split in the party.

He added that the Diaspora had been completely left out of discussions about the future of the party.

“We have waited for the party to communicate with us regarding the future but we never heard anything.

“We are not even sure what is going on in Harare. It seems like the MDC-T party has been reduced to a pressure group rather than a party that is looking to get into power at some point,” said the official.

Labels: FIDELIS MHASHU, MDC, NATIONAL UNITY GOVERNMENT

posted by MrK @ 3:37 PM