Sunday, 05 May 2013 00:00
Sunday Mail Reporters
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s continental wild goose chase comes to an embarrasing end today as the beleagured MDC-T leader heads back home where he will face his party that is saddled withproblems following the failure to hold primary elections that were scheduled for this weekend.
Mr Tsvangirai left the country last weekend on what his party claimed was a “diplomatic offensive” that it hoped would culminate in the Sadc Troika on politics, defence and security co-operation calling for a summit on Zimbabwe.
So desperate is the MDC-T that it has gone beyond the borders to scout for foreigners who can assist it to come up with an acceptable manifesto for the impending elections.
After a week that saw their beleaguered leader being snubbed by Namibian President Hipfekunye Pohamba and his Prime Minister Hage Geingob before failing to meet Angolan President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos some MDC-T heavyweights have begun questioning the logic behind the so called diplomatic offensive.
A senior MDC-T official last night said Mr Tsvangirai, who managed to meet South African President Jacob Zuma, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan and Gabon President Ali Bongo Ondimba, “should have stayed home to address the mess we find ourselves in.”
“Look there are so many issues that need to be dealt with as a matter of urgency,” said the official.
“The holding , or non holding, of primary elections has caused a lot of confusion within our ranks.
The elections should have started yesterday (Friday) but nothing of that sort has happened and there is no explanation being given to our members who are left with more questions than answers.
“There is also the issue of the manifesto. We are due for elections anytime soon and instead of supervising the crafting of the manifesto our leader sees it fit to go into the region to sell an argument that most leaders are clearly finding difficult to buy.”
Despite MDC-T spokesperson Mr Douglas Mwonzora insisting that the “electoral process for primary elections has started” investigations by The Sunday Mail established that the party resolved to shelve the polls amid serious disagreements over the selection of candidates.
Meanwhile, the MDC-T is battling to come up with a manifesto to sell to the electorate ahead of the harmonised elections amid revelations that the party has roped in the West to craft its election decree.
Party spokesperson Mr Douglas Mwonzora confirmed that they have invited foreigners to assist in coming up with the manifesto at a conference slated for May 17.
This is not the first time that the MDC-T has sought the help of foreigners as, in 2009, the party invited a British spy, Charles Heatly to author a document titled “The Roadmap to the Elections”, which it attempted to present as a Government policy.
Although Mr Mwonzora refused to divulge the identity of the international delegates, it is understood that spies in the mould of Heatly, who was deported in 2011 will be hired for the process.
“We are going to come up with our election manifesto during a conference that we will hold on May 17. We have invited a number of our friends from abroad to assist us in crafting the policy although we cannot name them at the moment,” he said.
Labels: MDC, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI
posted by MrK @ 5:40 PM
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