Maravi

(TALKZIMBABWE) Tsvangirai extends his tenure 'secretly'

Tsvangirai extends his tenure 'secretly'
TH/TZG
Sat, 10 Oct 2009 18:03:00 +0000

THE MDC-T leadership secretly amended that party's constitution to extend the term of the post of president from two consecutive terms.

It is alleged that party president Morgan Tsvangirai handpicked a small committee of officials who recommended that the clause limiting the leader to two consecutive terms (6.1.3) be deleted from the constitution at the 2006 congress. Another clause (6.2.2) limiting the terms of office of the vice president was also removed.

Party members from Harvest House and other structures say the deletion of the clauses had been done clandestinely. Members of the MDC-T party are not aware that clauses 6.1.3 and 6.2.2 had been deleted from the party constitution.

MDC-T legal secretary Innocent Gonese confirmed to The Herald newspaper that a select committee had amended the constitution, although he denied that it was done clandestinely.

A University of Zimbabwe-based political analyst described the removal of term limits as "the height of hypocrisy".

"It’s absolutely hypocritical of them. They are saying what is good for the goose is not good for the gander. The issue of term limits is good and should be applicable across the board.

"You cannot advocate the observance of the principle at one level and reject it at another level. It is totally out of sync with the thrust of the MDC and its advocacy for good governance," said University of Zimbabwe analyst Professor Eldred Masunungure.

Another UZ analyst, who refused to be named, said this proved MDC-T was not democratic as it claimed.

"The party has made a lot of noise about its democratic credentials so the latest move raises eyebrows. It proves long-held views that there are people who view the party as their personal possession. It is clear that the amendment is meant to maintain Morgan Tsvangirai’s stay in office."

Sources said a number of senior party officials and the rank and file were unaware of the amendment until a local newspaper exposed it.

"Many of us did not know about this until yesterday and ordinary members have been asking us how this happened.

"I recall an amendment being mentioned at the 2006 congress but I didn’t think it was about this because we surely would have objected to it," a senior party official said.

"At least they should have educated the delegates to the congress on the logic behind the decision and maybe they would have been supported."

MDC-T has been at the forefront of advocating term limits for national leaders.

The party’s rules require that any constitutional amendment be approved by at least two-thirds of delegates present at congress.

According to the 2000 constitution, Tsvangirai was supposed to step down in 2011 as party leader at the end of his second five-year term.

Tsvangirai was first officially elected to lead the party in 2000.

There was no congress in 2005 because the party had just split over whether or not to contest the 2006 Senate elections.

He was subsequently retained in office at a belated 2006 congress.

Earlier this year, MDC-T spokesperson Mr Nelson Chamisa said Mr Tsvangirai’s second and final term would end in 2011.

He did not mention that the clause limiting the party leader to just two terms had been dropped.

This, observers said, was an indication that Chamisa was probably also not aware of the amendment.

Last night, Gonese said there was nothing wrong with the changes.

"We have got a congress and it has the powers to amend the constitution and this is what happened in this case. It was done through a democratic process.

"We are not saying the current leaders will be there for life. What we are saying is that incumbent leaders, including the party president, are free to contest. There is nothing wrong with that," he said.

Labels: MORGAN TSVANGIRAI

posted by MrK @ 4:31 AM