Maravi

(NEWZIMBABWE) Mugabe will never retire: Biti

COMMENT - It is striking that the only thing the MDC can do, is attack the person of President Mugabe. They cannot sell their policies, either in Zimbabwe, or the UK. They cannot sing the praises of privatisation, or deregulation, or free markets for transnational corporations, or say how austerity is going to build the economy. The world is tired of neoliberal policies, and the MDC is a neoliberal party.

Mugabe will never retire: Biti
24/03/2012 00:00:00
by independent.co.uk

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe "will never step down", Finance Minister has suggested, creating an image of a lonely man with few interests outside politics, and a determination to cling to power to the bitter end.

Biti told the UK-based Independent newspaper that he felt "pity" for the 88-year-old President, who is criticised for alleged human rights abuses and the slow pace of democratic reform. "After 32 years in power, he knows nothing else," Biti said.

"I know the joy of walking into a supermarket, watching the Black Rhinos or going to church without anyone raising a furore. He does not know there is a beautiful life outside politics. He would never want to retire. I think he will never step down."
Biti also launched a spirited defence of his MDC-T party's record in government.

He rejected suggestions that his party had lost credibility by cosying up to Zanu PF, which entered the fragile coalition with the MDC-T after disputed, violence-plagued elections in 2008. But the power sharing has proved bitter and fractious.

"We have not stolen money. Zanu PF has tried to trap us. There are many temptations in politics. They have thrown everything at us except incest," Biti said in an interview in Harare.

"The people of Zimbabwe know that we are the party that has given them time-out [economically].

“The past 39 months have shown that we are nobody's puppets and we are ready to govern on the basis of a simple decision-making matrix: what is best for our people and the country."

International donors refuse to pay aid directly to the Zimbabwean treasury. As a result, Biti presides over a peppercorn budget of US$4billion, 70 per cent of which he spends on civil servants' salaries.

He said the country's new diamond field, Marange, had brought in only $19m to the treasury since the beginning of the year, whereas he had expected $77m.

Human rights groups have expressed concern that Mugabe's party plans to use the proceeds from diamond mines to fund violence and intimidation in upcoming elections – accusations denied by Zanu PF.

Biti said the country urgently needed to put in place structures – such as a state diamond exploration company – to ensure that "those diamonds sweat for us and not for thieves and middlemen".
Under the deal that followed the disputed elections in 2008, Zimbabwe is expected to move towards fair elections.

But the process of writing a new constitution has become mired in infighting. President Mugabe has suggested he will call elections with or without a new constitution.

This month, Biti said elections probably could not be held this year because the state coffers were too low. Mugabe had reportedly insisted "money has to be found".
Biti also repeated the MDC-T's call for international sanctions to be lifted, and criticised the Obama administration.

He suggested the US should apply the same "constructive engagement" policies – sweeteners rather than sanctions – that were used by the Reagan administration in its dealings with apartheid South Africa.

"When you have a difficult situation you must engage," he said. "Some countries are refusing to engage. Their approach is primitive and amateurish."

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COMMENTS

RG_M 2 comments collapsed Collapse Expand

Instead of coming up with clear policy statements Morgay travels 1000s of kilometres to the UK to tells Cameron that 'An 88 year old can not create a vision for the nation' and now we have this fat ugly idiotic mBiti telling a British 'tabloid' that 'President Mugabe will not retire'..... now you cry babies when are you ever going to grow some balls and tell us that you are ready to take on Mugabe head on and fight your own battles instead of running to report to your handlers everytime a microphone and a white person is put in front of you.....Why are you so preoccupied with this 88 year old?

I would have thought mBiti and Morgay will rubbing their hands with glee that they going head-to-head with an 88 year old, definitely a walkover(not)....but from every statement from these puppetic MDC excuses of human beings, they are running scared and they know they are headed for the picket lines come elections this year.

mBiti and Morgay's preoccupation with The Great CDE RG Mugabe is understandable, these two are just fronts for Western Imperialism and their preoccupation is just a mirror image of the Western preoccupation with this true son of Zimbabwe, the Western Fear factor manifesting itself in Ignoramous

The West knows what is really going on....Can you all look at the current reporting from Western media recently.....they are actually not really assaulting Mugabe or Zimbabwe and it is by design

The people who are demonising Zimbabwe are the MDC leadership....mBiti and Morgay in the UK and the economic forum in SA recently.....All out assault on Zimbabwe by these two idiots.

The Independent has actually published a 'positive article' on how Mugabe has won the nation again......and the West has loosened sanctions on Chinamasa and Mumbengegwi ready for dialogue......and MDC are not happy with such developments which means they have become irrelevant in their masters' eyes. MDC have as such gone into overdrive in attacking Zimbabwe and everything Zimbabwean. USA and EU have hurt MDC feelings and MDC will not let their abusers stop abusing and handholding them.....The Stockholm Syndrome

Labels: MDC, ROBERT MUGABE, TENDAI BITI

posted by MrK @ 9:27 PM