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(TALKZIMBABWE) Elections this year, MDC-T ideologically bankrupt: Zanu-PF

Elections this year, MDC-T ideologically bankrupt: Zanu-PF
Posted by By Brett Mashingaidze at 12 May, at 01 : 17 AM Print

THE Zanu-PF Politburo , the party’s highest decision-making body outside Congress, has resolved that elections will be held this year.

In an interview with the Zimbabwe Guardian on Wednesday after the Politburo meeting, Zanu-PF Secretary for Information and Publicity, Rugare Gumbo said there was no going back on the decision, which is made by President Mugabe, who has the sole prerogative to call the elections.

This is despite claims by the MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai that the President cannot call elections on his own as “executive power is shared by the President, the Prime Minister and Cabinet”.

“The MDC-T is trying to use dirty tactics aimed at delaying the much anticipated polls,” said Gumbo. ”

“They (MDC-T) have no agenda. They are ideologically bankrupt and they have nothing to offer to the people.

“They say they are a party of excellence and if they are really a party of excellence why are they afraid of the masses?” he asked.

“Zanu-PF talks of land reform and empowerment and the MDC-T does not have anything. They can’t even give civil servants anything. President Mugabe said civil servants salaries will be increased next month but the MDC-T is against the increase,” he said.

“The decision to hold the elections is the sole prerogative of the president.

“They (the MDC-T) should read the Constitution of Zimbabwe,” he added.

“Our party resolved this at its last Congress and the Politburo has reconfirmed this position that elections should be held this year. What is the reason for holding back the elections? we always thought the MDC-T was ready for elections ‘any time’ as they always preach. What has changed now”‘

He dismissed Tsvangirai’s recent press reports that that elections had been postponed to next year.

“Who did he (Tsvangirai) make that decision with? The President sat in the Politburo with us and did not indicate that.”

Gumbo also dismissed claims by Sadc facilitation team spokesperson, Lindiwe Zulu, that elections should be held next year and that the facilitation team will meet the Service Chiefs to discuss security reforms as baseless, citing that no external country has the mandate to interfere in the internal security affairs of a sovereign country.

“There is no Sadc meeting arranged with the service chiefs. What would that say about our security. Those people are civil servants and have their careers,” he said.

“They cannot be simply dismissed because someone somewhere wants them dismissed.”

Gumbo also said the withdrawal of the MDC from Copac – the constitutional making process was not to be taken seriously as they cannot agree and disagree on critical issues. The country has to move forward, he said.

He added that “the MDC-T did not want a quantitative approach to the data analysis because the numbers were not in their favour.”

“The constitutional exercise was overwhelmingly supported by the people and Zanu-PF policies were clearly more popular than MDC-T’s. Tha’s why they want a qualitative one.”

Iin the event of a permanent pull out, Zanu-PF and other stakeholders will continue with the process and also inform Sadc of the progress in line with the Global Political Agreement, the legislation that underpins the inclusive Government.

“The pulling out by the MDC-T from the constitutional process comes as no surprise to the politburo as it is now well known that the British Sponsored Party has run out of steam to win the elections,” said Cde Gumbo.

Meanwhile, Cde Gumbo revealed that a star rally has been lined up for Friday this week in Headlands, Manicaland Province, to prop up the Anti-Sanctions Campaign which has already exceeded the two million people who appended their signatures on the petition denouncing the illegal sanctions imposed by the British, American and their Western Allies.

Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa – who is also a Politburo member – yesterday said he was not aware of such a meeting, adding that no one had approached his ministry over that matter.

“We have not been approached by anyone. We can always reply to whoever comes to us but at the moment nobody has approached us,” he said.

posted by MrK @ 1:21 PM