Source: Coalition talks divide MDC-T – NewsDay Zimbabwe May 3, 2016
Main opposition MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai (pictured) is in a Catch-22 situation after it emerged most members of his national executive were against the idea of a grand coalition with other pro-democracy groups, despite his claims that the party had endorsed the idea.
BY RICHARD CHIDZA
Tsvangirai told journalists in Bulawayo last Friday that the MDC-T national executive had given him the full mandate to enter into coalition negotiations with other opposition parties ahead of the 2018 elections.
But MDC-T local government secretary Eddie Cross told NewsDay yesterday the majority claimed otherwise.
“Yes, the majority of the party leadership feels that a coalition will not help. The president (Tsvangirai) is naturally bound by the feelings of the majority,” he said.
“As far as we are concerned, a coalition should be built on two things: the interests of the country and the will of the people. In the majority of cases, we do not see this in our colleagues in the opposition movement.”
MDC-T spokesperson Obert Gutu referred questions to Tsvangirai’s spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka, who in turn said his boss had enunciated his party’s position “and that is a matter of public record”.
“The opinions of individual members can only be answered by those members,” Tamborinyoka said.
As pressure from different quarters mount for opposition parties to find common ground and fight the coming elections as a single grouping against the ruling Zanu PF party, Tsvangirai in the past few weeks has been sending mixed signals over his party’s possible participation in the proposed grand coalition.
“If you don’t have shared vision, you can’t have partnership and you waste a lot of time tearing each other apart, pursuing different agendas,” he said then, before he later made a volte-face endorsing coalition efforts .
But Cross’ remarks dovetailed with those made by MDC-T secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora last month when he said the party had “shelved coalition plans”.
To add to the confusion, MDC-T women’s assembly chairperson Lynette Karenyi was over the weekend quoted saying they supported the coalition efforts to unseat Zanu PF leader President Robert Mugabe.
“There is need for the likes of (Joice) Mujuru (former Vice-President and Zimbabwe People First leader) to join hands with us so that we can fight this ruthless regime,” Karenyi was quoted as having said.
COMMENTS
I believe Morgan is past it.
Last week he was vowing to go it alone.
What’s changed?
Why are Zimbabweans being held at ransom by a complete foreigner – what the late Edson Zvobgo called “HWANA HWAKAHUGWA NAVANASISI NEMABWIDI?” Kupata kwe vanhu veku Masvingo vacho of all people in Zimbabwe……You are still endorsing the same Malawian to continue ravaging the country…..Pautengesi Makaranga manyanya kuendesa mberi-mberi kwacho……NeMubwidiwo here chokwadi? Ko kakuzvida kenyu kaya kakaendepi vanhu vemu Zimbabwe, kuti mave kupondana here chaizvo nekunamata Mubwidi iyeyu? Pepukai..!
You can say that again Ratanang. Zvokwadi Makaranga ndiwo madabwa chaiwo anovata masikati vamwe vakasvinura. Mabwidi vevamwe vakavhura maziso vachivondonga rifa renyika iwo makaranga achingoti paanoppepuka chete “Pamberi maGushungo” kunge vagwere vefungwa.
Ukavhunza kuti since 1980 chamakapiwa neGushungo wacho MuMasvingo mose chakati mbii ndechipi? Unovona maziso vazvu-vazvu no answer. Can any one point any hospital, school or road constructed naGushungo – nothing. Saka pamberi pacho panotaugwa ndepeyi chaizvo? If you check the school which Mugabe always talk about kuti akavakira vanhu, in Masvingo they are all Upper -Tops which were built by the local people themselves – takavhunika misana tichikanya zvitinya in the early 1980 tichivaka zvikoro isu tiri kuPrimary chaikoko. Yes taikanya zvitinhu nekuvaka zvikoro sezvo tanga tavazvidhara 9asi tiri kuPrimary) nekuda kwekumira chikoro muhondo. Now all those blocks we built are falling down – the young people now attending Primary Sch can not do it for themselves as were did then.
Otherwise, chihurumende chemubwidi uyu ndechekungosweta ropa chete
@Ratanang Moloi. You comment is disgusting . I am also a Karanga but i cannot support your derogative speech , we are in 21st century where tribalistic tendencies can not built a country. Whats wrong with the malawian people if they are gifted to rule . A nation is built from inclusive minded people that respect other tribes. After all as africans we have similar totems from South Africa to Tanzania and there has been a lot of intermarriages in Zimbabwe.People such as you are not adding value in our society.
People, don’t lose sight of the fight. Ndebele, Karanga, Zezuru, Manyika, Tonga, Korekore, Coloured, Whites – we are all suffering under this system. And if the truth be told, we all contributed to the mess and we all have a role to play to solve the problem.
The MDC should not be divided by coalition talks.
Coalition is for the faint-hearted.
Coalition is for those willing to be used, again.
This is old ground really.
We should all stick together in the MDC and fight our enemy ZANU, in all its forms