Loughty Dube
27 June 2008
FORMER Information Minister and independent lawmaker, Jonathan Moyo, has come out in full support of a government of national unity (GNU) between President Robert Mugabe and opposition parties saying no conflict can be resolved through an election.
Moyo, speaking at the Bulawayo Press Club on Wednesday, devoted the greater part of his presentation to lambasting MDC president Morgan Tsvangirai, calling him an incompetent leader and criticising him for pulling out of today's presidential run-off.
Moyo accused Tsvangirai of being handled by outside forces, adding that his withdrawal from the run-off was misguided.
The political scientist became the first Mugabe opponent to criticise Tsvangirai's withdrawal from the poll after civil society organisations and other political parties lauded the decision.
"This is the most unwise decision that Tsvangirai has ever made and it would signify his downfall," Moyo told the journalists. "How can Tsvangirai withdraw four days before the election and yet people were being beaten and killed all along when he made his decision to contest on May 21."
Moyo drew the ire of the journalists when he said the violence being perpetrated across the country did not warrant a withdrawal from the election and claimed that Zanu PF supporters were the most affected.
"The violence actually is more pronounced within Zanu PF itself where the party members are disciplining each other," Moyo claimed. "MDC members are not being invited to pungwes and being beaten there, but it is Zanu-PF members who are being beaten for voting wrongly."
He drew criticism from the scribes when he made parallels between the Matabeleland massacres of the 1980s and the current political violence which the MDC alleges has claimed over 85 lives of its supporters.
"Sometimes the concerns of the British and the Americans are suspicious," Moyo said. "Over 20 000 people were killed in Matabeleland and nothing happened, but when 86 people are killed, the very same people who ignored events in Matabeleland are the ones who say the election will not be free and fair because of the violence."
In his attack on Tsvangirai, the Tsholotsho MP said the MDC leader was gambling with his political career and accused him of failing to consult other democratic forces on his decision to pull out.
"When Zanu PF was organising and regrouping after the polls, Tsvangirai was advised by his handlers to leave the country for Botswana and South Africa as the handlers were preparing him to take over as the next president of the country," Moyo averred. "He ignored some of the people who were campaigning for him and spent a lot of time away from home and had to be persuaded by the US ambassador (James McGee) to come back home." This self-exile was a bad decision, Moyo said.
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The political life in jeopardy is that of Tsvangirai and not the opposition party. MDC’s constitution is very clear on presidential terms and Tsvangirai by losing this presidential attempt puts him on a risky position in his quest to continue leading the opposition. Tsvangirai has more enemies than friends among the top guys who formed MDC who are now in Mutambara camp. While the pull-out is seen as humane, politics has no human face and the decision is politically wrong for it accelerate Mugabe to the driving seat legally. Mugabe can now chose who to talk to in opposition and… [Read Full Text]
Does any of this matter? Doesn't the MDC presently hold a parliamentary majority? How is Mugabe going to to try to rule without a rubber-stamp parliament to accede to his wishes?
MDC-T was brilliant in withdrawing from the election even if it means the short-term suffering of the people of Zimbabwe - how legitimate does ZANU-PF/Mugabe feel they will be when they are a parliamentary minority? How does Mugabe feel he can get parliament to approve legislation or a change in policy when he cannot get a parliamentary majority? How does he gain parliamentary approval of… [Read Full Text]
Dr. Jonathan Moyo, is the so-called maverick politician of Zimbabwe. Like Dr. Simba Makoni, both have learned to survive by being on both sides of issues. Today, they are against Mugabe, tomorrow they support Tsvangirai. And I don't know what to make out of both of them.
Tsvangirai, for all practical purposes made the right decision! Tsvangirai, not known to be bright or brainy, made the best decision in his entire political career and he saved Zimbabwe from further problems in future. Most people now can clearly see that Tsvangirai and the country were going to be cheated by Zanu-pf,… [Read Full Text]