Zimbabwe Information Center in North America
A project of the North American Coalition for a Free Zimbabwe (NACFREEZ)
MDC
By Stanford G. Mukasa
Letter from America
October 15, 2007
Tsvangirai lays roadmap to MDC rule in Zimbabwe
It’s official. ZANUPF and the Movement for Democratic Change have agreed on the need for a new constitution for Zimbabwe. MDC president Morgan Tsvangirai announced this historical milestone when he addressed over 100 cheering supporters in Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon.
With this breakthrough in the talks Tsvangirai easily allayed widely -held fears and criticisms that the MDC’s support for the constitutional amendment no. 18 had effectively watered down the immediate need for, and importance of, a new constitution.
He defended his party’s decision to support the constitutional amendment no. 18 and said critics had not understood the full context within which that decision had been made.
The MDC president was accompanied by, finance secretary, Roy Bennett, and secretary for tourism and the environment, Gertrude Mtombeni.
Tsvangirai laid out three strategic pillars of the MDC approach to negotiations with ZANUPF.
The first strategy was to drag President Mugabe “kicking and screaming” to the conference table. Tsvangirai noted that Mugabe had in the past refused to meet with MDC. He quoted Mugabe as previously publicly stating he would only meet with Britain because the MDC were allegedly puppets of Britain.
But Mugabe’s position had changed drastically and his officials were now meeting face to face and regularly with MDC officials. MDC’s support for the constitutional amendment no. 18 was part of the strategy to keep Mugabe engaged.
“Mugabe’s arrogance is gone. Everyone, including members of ZANUPF, is now suffering in Zimbabwe,” he said.
The second strategy was to reach an agreement on a new constitution, which has now been achieved.
The third strategy involves putting in place a process that will lead to free and fair elections. The outstanding demands by the MDC as conditions for free and fair elections are currently under negotiations.
Tsvangirai said the MDC will boycott the elections if the conditions the party had laid out were not accepted by ZANUPF. Asked if MDC would participate in the elections if ZANUPF accepted most of the conditions but refused to overhaul the voters roll Tsvangirai said elections would not be free and fair if the voters roll is not revised. He said the voters roll had an estimated one million “dead” or fraudulent names and accepting it in its present decrepit form was out of the question for the MDC, adding his party will not participate under such conditions.
The MDC president said that if MDC and ZANUPF agree on outstanding issues his party will require a reasonable time before the implementation of the agreement and the elections. MDC will insist that the elections be held in June.
“Our objective is to create conditions for free and fair elections,” Tsvangirai said, adding that there were still outstanding issues that needed to be resolved at the talks.
“If talks collapse it’s because ZANUPF wants to have its cake and eat it,” he said.
Outstanding issues, under the so-called Track II include security legislation, media and communication laws, the political climate on electoral issues, militarization of state institutions, and the role of chiefs.
ZANUPF added sanctions and foreign radio broadcasts like London-based Short Wave Radio Africa and Washington, DC-based Studio 7. There are, in fact, no sanctions against Zimbabwe. Mugabe has always claimed that the cause for the economic malaise in the country were sanctions. MDC does not control SWRA or Studio 7.
Tsvangirai said MDC is now bracing itself to be the next government of Zimbabwe. He appealed to the party structures to be disciplined and not wash dirty linen in public.
“Avoid these public fights, especially through the Internet,” he said.
Referring to the dissolution of the women’s league executive headed by Lucia Matibenga, Tsvangirai said the party is constantly assessing the effectiveness of its structures. He said all the 23 women who had been interviewed during the review process had asked that the women’s league executive be dissolved.
"It is not my role to micromanage party structures," he said. But if representations are made to him, his role as party president was to protect the interests of the party and ensure all branches worked productively.
He said whatever decisions he took were not motivated, as some people may have alleged, by ideological, ethnic or other narrow interests but the overarching interests of the party.
“I would rather make a good decision than a popular decision which is wrong,” he said.
Tsvangirai also said the MDC will launch a major stakeholders’ conference on Zimbabwe’s economic development as the party charts a roadmap to a post-Mugabe Zimbabwe.
He said the conference will discuss all aspects of Zimbabwe’s economic recovery and development. He invited Zimbabweans in Diaspora to participate once details had been publicized.
Tsvangirai said Zimbabweans in Diaspora should actively participate in the current struggle against the Mugabe-ZANUPF's oppressive rule. He noted there were millions of Zimbabweans outside the country. Their contribution to the party could decisively help the party in its campaigns. He reminded the Diaspora that MDC was preparing a democratic and prosperous country for them as well.
Both Gertrude Mtombeni and Roy Bennett appealed for unity. They urged Zimbabweans in Diaspora to support the party with resources. Mtombeni said regardless of how long Zimbabweans stayed in Diaspora Zimbabwe will always be their home. She said many Zimbabweans in Diaspora were fond of writing all kinds of criticisms of the party and pontificating on what the party leadership should or should not be doing. Yet the same armchair critics were not contributing anything to the struggle.
“You have not experienced what we go through everyday. How can you criticize us when you are not contributing anything to struggle?” she asked amidst cheers from the crowd.
Bennett said the party membership has an obligation to help the party. He noted that many Zimbabweans send home millions of dollars to their families. “That is all right and good. But you must also think about contributing to the struggle.”
Bennett assured members he would give a full accounting of how any donated money would be used as long as it came through his office.
Tsvangirai was welcomed by MDC Chief Representative in the USA, Dr. Handel Mlilo; the chairman and secretary general of the MDC's North American Province, Mr. Maxwell Shumba and Mr. Zvidzai Ruzvidzo, respectively, and the chairman of the MDC Greater Philadelphia branch, which hosted the meeting, Mr. Nick Mada.
The official welcome was read by Washington DC branch chair, Miss Marygold Addams, who called for the unity of all opposition forces and pledged unwavering support for the party president. Miss Addams praised president Tsvangirai’s heroic stand in face of the brutal assault he had suffered under the Mugabe regime.
"South Africans had always had their Nelson Mandela. Today, Zimbabweans have their heroic Morgan Tsvangirai,” she said amidst cheers.
