Prep for new freedom fight, opposition

via Prep for new freedom fight, opposition – New Zimbabwe 17/04/2015

OPPOSITION parties have slammed President Robert Mugabe’s administration, accusing the country’s liberators of usurping the people’s freedoms.

In a joint Independence message issued by the MDC-T, NCA, Zapu and Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn and read out By the MDC-T secretary general Douglas Mwonzora, the group said Mugabe’s government had replaced the colonial regime “lock-stock and barrel”.

“The colonial political administration was replaced by an equally oppressive indigenous administration allergic to difference and freedom of political thought,” Mwonzora said in the statement.

“While in colonial Rhodesia, your skin colour mattered, in Zimbabwe under Zanu PF it is your political card that counts.

“The culture (of) chefdom quickly substituted the baas culture that was the hallmark of the colonial administration.”

The statement declared that Zimbabweans must be ready to fight Mugabe as they did the Rhodesians.

“Just as we fought a brutal protracted struggle against white minority repression, so too must we be ready to redeem ourselves from the current penury, poverty and deprivation inflicted upon us by our own kith and kin.

“Independence is not enough without freedoms and prosperity and we must be ready to pay the ultimate price once again to save ourselves,” added the statement.

Mwonzora was flanked by MDC-T president Morgan Tsvangirai, Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn’s Simba Makoni, Zapu spokesperson Mjobisa Noko and NCA information head Mardock Chivasa.

While acknowledging the initial gains in social services such as education and health the opposition parties said “…we have seen the erosion of all gains by the new culture of mis-governance, incompetence, clientlism and patronage (sic)”.

“The spirit of liberation has been betrayed, some of our liberators have become our tormentors, while we in political leadership have taken up the new national mandate to complete the unfinished business of the liberation struggle.

“The tragedy is that the Zanu PF regime is standing in the way of the implementation of the people’s sovereign will as expressed in the constitution the people wrote for themselves.

“Zanu PF as a regime of impediment and repression is refusing to implement the constitution and even threatening to amend it through a stolen majority in parliament,” said the statement.

Asked whether the event was a precursor to a political coalition ahead of the 2018 election, the leaders were hesitant instead claiming they will continue to work together “as and when the need arises”.

Makoni said, “It is important to remember that this is not the first time we will work together and will definitely not be the last.

“We will come together as and when it is necessary to do while at the same time cognizant of the call from the people that there is need to work together. We are not blind to that need.”

The statement said Zimbabwe’s 35th independence celebration were a call to reflection and a “proper time to chart a new course better than the ruinous Zanu PF path”.