SW Radio Africa (London)
Violet Gonda
23 October 2009
column
Didymus Mutasa, the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs said ZANU PF is not taking any notice of the MDC boycott, and that the MDC are behaving like 'little babies.' Mutasa, speaking on the Hot Seat programme on Friday about his party's position on the political deadlock threatening to tear apart the fragile coalition, said the MDC boycott will not take the party far or achieve anything.
Last week Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai announced his party's decision to disengage from Zanu PF, because they were 'dishonest, unreliable and unrepentant' and that they will continue with their boycott until there are fundamental reforms.
The MDC leadership, led by Secretary General Tendai Biti, met with representatives of civil society at Harvest House on Friday, to brief them on the party's decision to disengage from Zanu PF.
Biti said the party was left with no choice because of the resurgence of violence in areas like Chiweshe, Makoni South and Bindura; inertia in constitutional and media reforms and in security sector reform, which has resulted in the National Security Council meeting only once for introductions; lack of movement in the swearing-in of provincial governors and the MDC Deputy Minister of Agriculture. Furthermore The MDC said it is concerned with the persecution, through prosecution, of MDC MPs and other party functionaries, and the appointment of the Attorney General and Reserve Bank Governor.
A statement by the MDC said: "Hon Biti said the hate speech in the public media, farm invasions, the militarisation of the countryside and the lack of respect for the MDC as an equal partner, had poisoned the political relationship with Zanu PF."
But Minister Mutasa said the MDC boycott will not achieve anything and as far as his party was concerned the only important outstanding issue is the question of the targeted sanctions, not the issue of Roy Bennett's swearing in. An angry Mutasa also said Robert Mugabe had every right and the power to appoint the Central Bank Governor Gono and the Attorney General Tomana, and that as far as Mugabe is concerned this issue is a "finished accompli (sic) and the President is not going to change his mind."
The ZANU PF Minister said: "They can go on strike like little babies but Zimbabwe is going to go on without them, and the country is going to go on without them, as in the past."
MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai, is currently on a diplomatic offensive in the region to appraise key SADC leaders of the situation in the inclusive government. The MDC said a meeting with the SADC Troika is expected on 29th October to discuss Zimbabwe's crisis. The party said it was still carrying out consultations with the people of Zimbabwe which will end on 31st October.
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