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(NEWZIMBABWE) Ncube berates ‘greedy, insincere’ MDC-T

Ncube berates ‘greedy, insincere’ MDC-T
by Staff Reporter
22/08/2010 00:00:00

PROFESSOR Welshman Ncube last week launched a scathing broadside at Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC-T, berating the party as “greedy, insincere” and an obstacle to the full implementation of the Global Political Agreement GPA).

Ncube, who is secretary general of the Arthur Mutambara-led MDC formation as well as Industry and Commerce Minister in the coalition administration accused the MDC-T of undermining government by pursuing partisan interests.

He said contrary to the MDC-T’s oft-repeated claims that President Robert Mugabe was refusing to fully implement the GPA, it was Tsvangirai’s party that was stalling progress by constantly adding to its list of so-called “outstanding issues”.

Ncube appears to have been incensed by MDC-T demands to be given oversight of constitutional commissions.

The MDC-T recently said it wanted commissions overseeing human rights, elections and the media transferred from the Justice Ministry headed by Zanu PF’s Patrick Chinamasa to the Constitutional and Parliamentary affairs Ministry headed by Eric Matinenga, a member of Tsvangirai’s party.

“They just want those powers to be transferred to their own minister. (But) those demands are nonsensical. That party has lost its way.

“They shout on top of the mountain that Zanu-PF is disregarding the GPA, but it is them who are violating the GPA,” Ncube was quoted as saying by the state-run Sunday Mail newspaper.

Ncube added that proposals by the MDC-T to “strengthen” the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee (JOMIC) through an Act of Parliament were misguided and unhelpful.

JOMIC - which brings together representatives of parties to the coalition government - was established to oversee implementation of the GPA but has been dismissed as ineffective by critics.

But Ncube said the MDC-T proposal could in fact precipitate the collapse of the body.

“Jomic is a forum for consensus and making it a statutory body can only lead to its collapse.

“That notion shows that the party does not know the fundamental functions of Jomic. If we were to follow those views, we would be led astray,” he said.

Tensions between the MDC formations also appear to have been worsened by turf wars in the Matebeleland regions ahead of by-elections to fill vacant constituencies.

Ncube claimed Tsvangirai’s party was trying to field former MDC-M legislators who were expelled from the party over alleged indiscipline.

The three former MPs - Abdenico Bhebhe (Nkayi South), Njabuliso Mguni (Lupane East) and Norman Mpofu (Bulilima East) – have since approached the courts to seek an order that by-elections be held in their respective constituencies.

“We have it on good authority that the MDC-T has bribed the three MPs we expelled from our party and they are now using them as proxy candidates,” he said.

“This is in flagrant breach of the GPA. In the event of a by-election, the party which held the previous seat can only contest against an independent candidate, not against a contestant from a party that is in the unity Government,” Ncube said.

Under the GPA, Zanu PF and the two MDC formations agreed not to contest each other in by-elections during the lifespan of the inclusive Government in effort to eliminate conflict.

Labels: ERIC MATINENGA, JOMIC, MDC, MDC-M, WELSHMAN NCUBE

posted by MrK @ 5:55 AM