Maravi

(TALKZIMBABWE) Tsvangirai's 'Egypt-style' protest flops

COMMENT - Rebuked by ZANU-PF youths. The reason is obvious - the MDC is not a mass movement, and has never successfully sought the participation of the people of Zimbabwe. Is the CIO really so much more fierce than the security services of Egypt or Tunisia? Of course not. My take is that the people of Zimbabwe understand what the MDC stand for. It would be interesting to see if they can get 50% of the vote again in this year's elections - but I doubt it.

Tsvangirai's 'Egypt-style' protest flops
By: Nancy Pasipanodya
Posted: Thursday, February 3, 2011 1:31 am

MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai's plan to launch an Egypt style protest in Harare, Zimbabwe's capital flopped on Wednesday. Tsvangirai wanted to address his party’s youths at Town House in Harare and then incite them to carry out violent demonstrations against Government.

The leadership of the MDC-T then spent the day in marathon meetings at Harvest House after it became clear the plan had failed. Tsvangirai had masked the demonstration as an address to the Transporters Association of Zimbabwe (TAZ) -- a group of urban commuter transport operators and touts.

Reports from Harare say Tsvangirai intended to incite his supporters to follow the Tunisian and Egyptian style of violent demonstrations against a Government which he is ironically part of.

The gathering which had no police clearance was thwarted by alert police and security details before Tsvangirai's address.

A commentator remarked: "Police came in full force and some of the people were not aware why Tsvangirai came to Town House. After failing to agitate the crowd, he holed himself in Harvest House."

Anti-riot police moved in and cordoned off the area between Jason Moyo Avenue and Speke Avenue, Julius Nyerere Way and Leopold Takawira Street — where Town House is situated.

Zanu-PF youths who had got wind of the intended protest quickly marched to Town House, and Tsvangirai remained holed inside.

The youths spent four hours outside marching and chanting Zanu-PF party slogans.

Tsvangirai recently insinuated on US Right-Wing news organisation, Fox News, that Zimbabweans were going to follow the Tunisian and Egyptian way of mass protests against the country’s establishment.

"To me when people take their rights and start demanding more rights, there is nothing wrong with that including in Zimbabwe," said Tsvangirai, who is a prime minister in the inclusive Government led by President Mugabe.

"That was the whole purpose of our struggle for the last 10 years.

"The aspect of incumbents leaving power to their children, dynasties, as we may call it, that is very resented by the people," added Tsvangirai last week.

Meanwhile, a document by the MDC-T Youth Assembly which met on Tuesday at Harvest House outlined their readiness to follow the Egypt style demonstrations.

This is not the first time the MDC-T president has opted for the use of violence to gain power but to no avail, with the climax being the flop of the so-called ‘final push’ and 'winter of discontent' in previous years.

Some members of the urban transport association of Zimbabwe who had gathered at Town House upon the invitation of the MDC-T leader, said their presence was in fact to read the riot act to Tsvangirai as they accuse him of the woes the sector is facing in the face of the Western imposed sanctions.

Fanuel Mutasa, the chairperson of the TAZ Harare Chapter, said his organisation wanted to stop Tsvangirai from addressing transporters.

He said his group had heard that Tsvangirai intended to address them and they had organised their members to stop him.

This development has exposed the confusion in the MDC-T leadership where on one hand they are in Government and on the other still habour their yesteryear, tried but failed opposition violent activities.

Labels: MDC, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI

posted by MrK @ 5:01 AM