Tsvangirai’s message to the people

“on”>Zimbabwe and a new beginning. It will also look at how we can retain the confidence of millions of Zimbabweans who see us as their only source of hope.

Six years ago, the people laid the foundation for the struggle against tyranny; the struggle for good governance; the struggle for a better life for all Zimbabweans.

This week, we take stock of how far we have traveled towards fulfilling that vision. We take stock of the challenges and lessons drawn from our experiences in the past six years. And the lessons we have derived will help shape and determine our programmes in fighting this dictatorship.

We all bear witness to the visible signs of collapse and ruin around us. The Congress will look at how as a party we respond to all those issues.

Going back to the people is not a charade. It is a culture that we have entrenched so that we continually subject ourselves to the people to determine whether we still remain the embodiments of their dreams and their vision. Once again, as leaders, we go back to the people who gave us the mandate; the people who bestowed upon us the responsibility of saving our nation from a corrupt and inept government. Once again, we present ourselves to the people’s court where the party leadership, the party programmes and party policies come up for scrutiny by the real owners of the party.

The Congress will culminate in elections where delegates are expected to give a fresh mandate to a new leadership that will have the onus of making sure we achieve our vision of a new Zimbabwe. The second national Congress therefore provides a window for leadership renewal and rebirth; a new and committed leadership that realizes and cherishes the importance of carrying the nation’s hope on its shoulders.

The delegates will also discuss amendments to the party’s constitution as well as proposals for institutional reform. The party needs to be rebuilt and reorganized to reflect our experiences and the new thinking that we must have as a political formation that is at a crucial stage in the struggle. New policy proposals will also be debated and refined so that we march bravely into the future with programmes that reflect a new thinking derived from our experiences since 2000.

We will also take a crucial decision on whether it makes sense to continue participating in elections whose results are pre-determined. The Congress will take a position on whether the electoral route under the current electoral management system remains viable. Or whether we should widen our options to include using people power to put pressure on this regime that has reduced us to paupers and beggars in our own motherland. We realize there is strength in unity. Together, we shall win.