HARARE Top officials of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC party will be required to abide by a code of ethics and values developed by the former opposition party in a bid to rid its structures of corruption and other unethical activities. MDC-T secretary general Tendai Biti urged party members and officials to uphold the guidelines, adding that for the party to effectively combat political violence, indiscretions and corruption in the country it must first rid itself of the same vices. Speaking after an executive meeting of the party, Biti said: “Any member of ours and candidate who is going to be seduced away from the path of virtue and engage in violence, vote buying, corruption, all the things that we have associated with the people that have been governing this country for the last 30 years we will say no, we will expel, we will bar, but of course following due process.”
The code is the second adopted by the MDC over the past eight months. The first code of conduct adopted by Tsvangirais party in May 2010 required top declare their assets every year, a requirement that Biti said members have complied with. He said: I am pleased to say all members of our executive have actually declared their assets and we are going to make sure that those declarations in respect of Members of Parliament, both senators and lower members are also going to be submitted to the speaker of the house of parliament in compliance with the standing orders of Parliament.”
Under the code senior MDC members are required to deposit with a registered legal law firm, a list of all immovable property, movable property and liabilities they hold in and outside Zimbabwe by the January 13 every year. The latest MDC code requires members to uphold and promote the values of the party; of solidarity, justice, equality, liberty, freedom, transparency, humble and obedient leadership and accountability as its core founding values.
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