Maravi

(HERALD) Parties speak on WikiLeaks disclosures

Parties speak on WikiLeaks disclosures
Friday, 09 September 2011 02:00
Herald Reporter

ZANU-PF says it will investigate revelations that some of its senior officials supplied damning information about President Mugabe and the party to United States embassy officials while MDC-T has absolved those who reportedly mocked its leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai.

MDC-T announced yesterday that it had resolved to absolve senior party officials exposed by Wikileaks mocking their leader. However, Zanu-PF secretary for information and publicity, Cde Rugare Gumbo, on Wednesday implored members of the party named in the cable leaks to start examining their consciences as the party was investigating the matter.

Cde Gumbo said it was disturbing that some senior party members were implicated in the secret meetings with hostile forces.

"The revelations are disturbing and demoralising. We are studying the issue and we want to see how these things develop, but we have not taken a position as a party. The people should examine their conscience and ask themselves whether what they have done is right or wrong and if it is wrong there is a way of correcting it," he said.
However, MDC-T spokesperson Mr Douglas Mwonzora told journalists yesterday that the MDC-T standing committee had resolved not to rely on Wikileaks reports because they were not credible.

"There is a standing resolution of the national council to the effect that the party will not concern itself with Wikileaks and unnecessarily allow the reports to divide it.

"Legal experts will tell you that the evidential value of information coming from newspapers is very minimal. The position is we will not take any position on that alone," Mr Mwonzora said.

MDC-T organising secretary Mr Nelson Chamisa, who is quoted in the Wikileaks as having undermined Mr Tsvangirai who is also the Prime Minister, said what the American diplomats said were their opinions and not facts.

"There is no cohesion in terms of the so-called cables, which were just opinions by a mere mortal who was possibly doing so without realising it would come out sometime. He is the culprit rather than somebody whom they just allege," he said.

Mr Chamisa, who is Minister of Information Communication Technology, said the diplomats were using names of people they considered credible to make their opinions understood better in America.

He claimed that MDC-T was united and loyal to Mr Tsvangirai as evidenced by his "unanimous" re-election at the party's congress earlier this year.

Some senior MDC-T officials, among them secretary-general Mr Tendai Biti, treasurer Mr Roy Bennett and Mr Chamisa reportedly said PM Tsvangirai was a weak political operator who lacks strategic direction of the party.

Mr Bennett said Mr Tsvangirai remembered the advice of the last person he would have spoken to while Mr Biti, who blasted his boss for ‘‘for lacking a strategic plan for the MDC in Government" in a cable dated June 30 2009, attributed Mr Tsvangirai's rare moments of lucidity to prior preparation by party officials, him included.

Labels: RUGARE GUMBO, WIKILEAKS

posted by MrK @ 2:50 PM