Emmerson Mnangagwa
The Party remains committed to a process of genuine dialogue to resolve the multi-layered crisis currently confronting the people of Zimbabwe. The Party believes that genuine dialogue is in the interest of all Zimbabweans. Genuine dialogue must be solely intended to resolve the various challenges facing the people and not to hoodwink the region and the international community that there is a sincere national conversation taking place in the country.
The Party leadership met for six hours today and noted the continued suffering of ordinary Zimbabweans due to the non performing economy and failure to deliver by Mr Mnangagwa’s administration. The leadership however, restated the position that the MDC will only take part in a dialogue that is presided over by a credible, independent, mutually acceptable mediator/convener. It is only under such a convener that an agenda can be adopted and a sincere dialogue process begin to unlock the challenges affecting ordinary Zimbabweans.
There cannot be genuine dialogue in the current environment of systematic violence, intimidation of human rights defenders and contrived convictions. The party leadership noted with concern the slow genocidal campaign in the countryside, especially in the urban areas. There has to be an immediate cessation of the current clampdown to create a conducive environment for a sincere national conversation.
Zanu PF’s lack of sincerity around dialogue manifests itself in the monologues currently taking place in which Zanu PF is speaking to like-minded individuals and institutions.
Jacob Mafume
MDC National Spokesperson
“The Party leadership met for six hours today and noted the continued suffering of ordinary Zimbabweans due to the non performing economy and failure to deliver by Mr Mnangagwa’s administration. The leadership however, restated the position that the MDC will only take part in a dialogue that is presided over by a credible, independent, mutually acceptable mediator/convener. It is only under such a convener that an agenda can be adopted and a sincere dialogue process begin to unlock the challenges affecting ordinary Zimbabweans,” writes Jacob Mafume.
MDC has said it would like to see the proposed national dialogue lead to the implementation of the democratic reforms and an end to the curse of rigged elections. Every thinking Zimbabwean would agree that implementing the reforms and holding free, fair and credible elections is the number one issue on the nation’s agenda.
Indeed, this has been the number one issue ever since the late 1990s when the people of Zimbabwe started demanding democratic change in earnest. Many Zimbabweans have risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders into power on the understanding the party will bring about the changes the nation has been dying for!
God knows MDC leaders have had many golden opportunities to implement the democratic reforms necessary to guarantee free, fair and credible elections and yet they have wasted them all. The party was reminded on countless occasions not to contest the elections without first implementing the reforms but would not listen.
“MDC has stringent measures to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections!” Chamisa claimed.
“MDC has developed Winning In Rigged Election (WIRE) strategies!” chipped in Obert Gutu, then MDC-T party spokesman.
This is no doubt that MDC Alliance has ignored implementing the reforms all these years and is only picked these up now to give the call for dialogue credibility. The primary reason MDC Alliance want the talks is so Nelson Chamisa and a few others can get a seat on the gravy train just as happened during the last GNU.
A GNU led by Zanu PF will never implement the democratic reforms to guarantee free, fair and credible elections. The party failed to implement the reforms last time it is naïve to believe the party thugs would want to do so now when they have a lot more at stake than in 2013!
Chamisa and the rest in MDC Alliance know Zanu PF will never implement the democratic reforms and the international community know this too hence the reason why there will be no meaningful economic recover. The world will still consider Zimbabwe a pariah state with or without Chamisa and a few MDC Alliance friends.
Zimbabwe should focus all its energy on forcing Zanu PF to step down to allow for the appointment of an interim administration that can be trusted to implement all the democratic reform. MDC Alliance are once again an unwelcome distraction!