via Dabengwa keen to join hands with Biti | The Herald 13 August 2014
Dumiso Dabengwa’s Zapu is keen to join the MDC-Renewal Team led by Mr Tendai Biti, the party’s vice president, Ms Emilia Mukaratirwa, has said.
In an interview on the sidelines of a Zapu meeting held in Gweru last week, Ms Mukaratirwa said her party remained open and willing to form an alliance with Mr Biti and they were waiting for the former MDC-T secretary-general to approach them.
The Renewal Team is on record saying it was courting other political parties, including the MDC led by Professor Welshman Ncube, and Zapu, to form a grand coalition.
“We are open to such arrangements,” said Ms Mukaratirwa. “We remain very open to dialogue with other parties willing to form a grand coalition, but of course it has to be parties that share the same principles, values and objectives.
“However, there has not yet been anything formal. Therefore, we cannot give an official position regarding that, but we remain open to dialogue. There has not been anything offered with regards to the grand coalition and it is an issue that we would take to our constituencies in various provinces.”
Ms Mukaratirwa said previous attempts at a coalition had failed, citing a pact Zapu had with the Prof Ncube’s MDC in the run-up to the 2013 harmonised elections.
“We have been involved in some of these alliances or coalitions as some might call them,” she said.
“We had an alliance with MDC-N in the 2013 elections and we realised that we had the bitter end of these alliances. However, this time around we are going to be wiser.”
The Renewal Team is calling for opposition parties to unite in a bid to unseat Zanu-PF, but observers say such an alliance is a pie in the sky considering the power struggles rocking most of the opposition parties.
The Biti-led Renewal Team is in the process of finding its feet after breaking away from MDC-T led by Mr Morgan Tsvangirai over the latter’s paucity of leadership.
COMMENTS
Where were all of these opportunists in 2008 2013 ? Anyway , it seems the opposition plans on the old failed strategy ” management by crisis “. Shame on you self seeking upstarts who sold us out in 2008 at the very last hurdle. !!!!!
Let’s forget these glory seekers. Let’s TRANSFORM ZIMBABWE. Stand firm Revd. The evil ones are afraid
These people want glory for themselves only. We are tired of you all now. The people come first you all come last to us now. SELLOUTS.
Any coalition that leaves MDC-T is nothing but a project that will work in favour of ZANU PF. 2008, there could have been a forever change on the political front in Zimbabwe, but MDC N and MDK messed the whole outcome by giving ZANU PF an opportunity to rig by declaring a 47% MDC M and 42% for ZANU PF and the remaining for MDC N. So will be the out come of the 2018 if this grand coalition is mooted. Best option will be for all opposition parties to form one and ensure a neutral leaders emerges and lead then go for the polls as one against ZANU PF. Also this must be done just before elections to not give ZANU PF an opportunity to front a dummy opposition to create a platform to manipulate result as in 2008.
Biti and Dabengwa can bring the right politics to bear on an opposition formation. However it is not personalities but policies that will get Zimbabwe out of the clutches of ZANU PF.
Weak plus weak is equals to double weak.
“….The Biti-led Renewal Team is in the process of finding its feet after breaking away from MDC-T led by Mr Morgan Tsvangirai over the latter’s paucity of leadership…”
The “….after breaking away from the MDC-T…” is quite an interesting statement.
More appropriately, it should be “….after firing Morgan Tsvangirayi and his hangers-on….”!!!!!!!!!!
What is the way forward if not a coalition of all smaller parties, there will be no election 2018 if the voters role and other reforms are not put in place. Who can pressure to have these steps taken care of?
There will be an election, but will not be free and fair. The Zimbabwean opposition need to get the support of European Governments to place pressure on SADC and South Africa in particular to insure that the previously agreed reforms are instituted. The “threat” that they can very effectively use against SADC is that their business leaders will not put FDI into SADC countries in meaningful amounts that will help create jobs so desperately needed, without democratic reforms and adherence to the rule of law.
all nonsense
Instead of “name-calling” why don’t we hear what these parties stand for. What are their economic development plans; how strong are they on The Bill of Rights; minority rights, human rights, basic freedom and all those fundamental things that Zimbabweans yearn for.