Published by the government of Zimbabwe
14 October 2009
Harare — MDC-T has backtracked on its threat to pull out of the inclusive Government after its supporters rejected the idea during a consultative process.
The party has in the past month been consulting the rank and file of its supporters across the country on whether or not to pull out of the inclusive Government.
President Mugabe, who is the Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara last year signed a power-sharing agreement that gave birth to the inclusive Government in February this year.
On September 24, MDC-T started a poll on its website that ran parallel to the consultations.
The party asked its supporters to vote on the question: "Should the MDC pull out of the inclusive Government?"
Yesterday, MDC-T leader Mr Tsvangirai was quoted by the international media as saying supporters had overwhelmingly voted against the party pulling out.
They said the country's economy had stabilised and the threat to pull out would unravel the national gains.
Mr Tsvangirai said the online poll showed that Zimbabweans wanted his party to stay in the inclusive Government.
"I want to tell you the evaluation (through the online poll) is overwhelmingly that we should stay in Government and make this the direction the country needs to take," he said on his return from Spain.
When contacted last night, party spokesman Mr Nelson Chamisa confirmed the poll outcome but said this was only a preliminary indication.
"Yes, that was a preliminary assessment and reflection our president was making of the consultative process we have made through various channels.
"We will soon be giving a comprehensive report after we are through and table it before the party's national council," said Mr Chamisa.
Mr Chamisa said a fundamental issue that came from the process was that people were happy that they were being consulted on such fundamental matters.
Party secretary-general Mr Tendai Biti echoed the same sentiments last weekend during an interview at a public forum. in this marriage", they would do all they could to make it work.
"If you have been married for seven months and you find that the marriage has no chemistry, something is wrong," said Mr Biti.
Mr Biti confirmed that he was one of the hardliners who had opposed forming an inclusive Government.
He claimed they were frustrated by the "selective and eclectic application of the Global Political Agreement".
"Let us liquidate the ugly politics," said Mr Biti, adding that he and other MDC-T officials would not quit the inclusive Government.
Mr Biti said he would not quit the inclusive Government unless he was forced to go against certain "principles", like re-introducing the Zimbabwe dollar.
Mr Tsvangirai also called on Western countries to lift sanctions on Zimbabwe to reward progress made by the inclusive Government.
However, Mr Tsvangirai has refused to call the highly discredited illegal embargo by its proper name and instead spoke of "restrictive measures".
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