t Orange Grove motel after the minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing ordered the municipality to deny the MDC the use of the stadium. In Gokwe at Siamchembu, a massive crowd turned up for the rally on Saturday while at Amaveni, 3 000 people attended the gathering. The Secretary-General Tendai Biti, Deputy Secretary-General Tapiwa Mashakada and party spokesman Nelson Chamisa addressed the three rallies.
“The message from the people was very clear that they want a new, people-driven Constitution as a prerequisite for next year’s election. They said they placed their faith in the MDC following Zanu (PF)’s failure to address the declining economic situation and the high prices of basic commodities. The people were unanimous that Zanu (PF) was scuttling the SADC initiative for dialogue by gazetting a self-serving amendment, which flies in the face of the national demand for a new Constitution,” said Nelson Chamisa, the party’s secretary for Information and Publicity.
The MDC leaders outlined the party’s roadmap to a new Zimbabwe, which includes a new Constitution, free and fair elections, stabilization and a reconstruction package in a post-transitional era. The leaders urged the people to register so that their collective voice would leave Zanu (PF) in no doubt that it had overstayed the people’s welcome. The people resoundingly supported the party for being part of the SADC initiative, which they said should work hard towards putting in place confidence building measures for a legitimate election next year.
“Throughout the country, the winds of change are blowing. The people are clear that they hold the future of the country in their own hands. They are raring to teach tyranny a lesson by voting for a credible leadership that is alive to the people’s concerns. The people reinforced their faith in the MDC as their only source of hope. The visible signs of collapse around us are a clear message that Zanu (PF) is bound for the exit door. The people shall win. The people have begun their brave march to a new Zimbabwe. Victory belongs to the people,” said Chamisa.
Ban on rallies a threat to basic freedoms – MDC
HARARE
The Zanu (PF) government has once again extended its ban on MDC rallies, further confirming that Zimbabwe is a one-party state where only the ruling party’s gatherings are permitted.
On Friday, chief-superintendent Isaac Tawengwa, the officer commanding Harare Central district, announced the extension of the ban on MDC rallies in Harare by another month. Armed riot police who came in two armoured police vehicles delivered a copy of the notice to ban the rallies at the MDC headquarters.
“The MDC believes that the ban on our rallies is an assault on the people’s basic freedoms of movement, association and assembly. Due to the closure of the private media, other alternative methods of communication and due to repressive legislation, rallies are the only remaining platform for the MDC to interact with its members. Banning the MDC’s rallies is akin to political suffocation because rallies are the oxygen of any political party as they allow the political leadership to interact and consult with members and supporters,” said Nelson Chamisa, the party’s secretary for Information and Publicity.
Zanu (PF) continues to hold its rallies in Harare and elsewhere. Chamisa said it was against the spirit of the South Africa-led SADC initiative to broker dialogue between Zanu (PF) and the MDC.
“There cannot be honest dialogue while Zanu (PF) is busy undermining our basic rights and freedom of assembly. The regime is negotiating in bad faith,” he said.
Since the enactment of the Public Order and Security Act (POSA) in 2002, Zanu (PF) has held 1 211 rallies nationwide without any due notice to the police. The MDC has given notice to hold 2 342 rallies but only 276 rallies have been allowed to proceed.
“The MDC believes that there cannot be a free and fair election in 2008 when the regime is playing double standards in respect of giving space to political parties. There cannot be a true verdict of the people’s wishes when Zanu (PF) continues to repress and oppress the country’s legitimate opposition.
“The MDC will continue to take advantage of every available opportunity to interact and consult with its members. We shall not be cowed by a regime that is in the sunset of its existence. With rampant price increases and an official inflation rate of over 4 000 percent, the regime is afraid of an implosion and is working hard to prevent people from exercising their basic right of assembly,” said Chamisa.