The MDC has set next Monday as the deadline for the resolution of all outstanding issues, MDC secretary-general, Hon. Tendai Biti has said.Addressing a press conference at the party's headquarters at Harvest
House in Harare on Wednesday, Hon. Biti said if the outstanding issues were
not resolved by Monday, 11 May, the party would refer the issue to the party's
supreme making decision body, the National Council, which will meet on
17 May 2009.
He said the outstanding issues that remained unresolved were the
appointment of provincial governors, permanent secretaries,
ambassadors, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Gideon Gono and the
Attorney-General, Johannes Tomana.
He said the appointments of Gono and Tomana were unprocedural in that
they were executive appointments done after the signing of the GPA,
which states that such appointments must be done following an agreement
by the principals.
Also of concern to the MDC was the refusal by Robert Mugabe to swear in
MDC treasurer-general, Hon. Roy Bennett as the deputy Minister of
Agriculture and the unilateral grabbing of ministerial portfolios by
Mugabe.
Hon. Biti said Bennett was innocent until proven guilty. He said
according to the GPA, which was now part of the Constitution of
Zimbabwe; Mugabe had no powers to refuse to swear-in Bennett after
being nominated by his party. The MDC secretary-general urged the
deputy-minister designate to go to his office and start work.
The MDC secretary-general also lashed out at the service chiefs for
failing to respect the new authority in town, which is the office of
the Prime Minister.
He said the service chiefs had shown reluctance to respect the Prime
Minister, Hon. Morgan Tsvangirai during the Independence Day
celebrations and at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair.
The delay in finding a lasting solution to outstanding issues is of great concern to the MDC.
In our view these issues should have been concluded soon after the
formation of the inclusive government in February, Hon. Biti said.
He said the party was worried that some elements in government, Zanu(PF), the security forces and public media continued to disregard some
clear provisions laid out in the Global Political Agreement (GPA).
There are a number of toxic and poisonous attitudes that some of these
institutions are showing. Their attitude is as if they are in a war
situation, Hon. Biti said.
He said the public media, especially The Herald and the ZBC, continued
to preach hate speech intended to assault the MDC, which is a
democratic party that won the 29 March 2008 elections with a clear
majority.
Hon. Biti also raised concerns over the disregard of human rights by
some State security agents in light of the re-arrests of Zimbabwe Peace
Projects director, Jestina Mukoko, Ghandi Mudzingwa, former personal
aide of the Prime Minister and 16 other MDC and civil society activists.
We find it unacceptable that when we want to make progress there are
some people whose conduct is inconsistent with rebuilding a new
Zimbabwe, he said.
He said the conduct of Zanu(PF) continued to undo all efforts to rescue the country.
The secretary-general, however, assured MDC supporters and the people
of Zimbabwe that the party stood by its principles and values that it
had been fighting for the past ten years.
Hon Biti said the MDC has an excellent relationship with South
African President Jacob Zumba and hoped that the new era in South
Africa would bode well for Zimbabwe.
Sokwanele
Post published in: News