Tsvangirai wants talks to save economy

via Tsvangirai wants talks to save economy – DailyNews Live by Fungi Kwaramba  27 MARCH 2014

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has ruled out forming another unity government with President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF, but called for multi-stakeholder national dialogue to save the economy.

The MDC leader says he cannot work with a Zanu PF party that is “arrogant”, but warned that, sooner rather than later, the ruling party will have to come to the negotiating table in order to extricate itself from the mounting economic woes.

“The solution necessarily is not a GNU because we all know what has happened at the end. Takabetsera (we helped) Zanu PF when we negotiated the GNU,” Tsvangirai told a news conference this week.

He said the economy was burning, while government was failing to pay its workers.

The former trade unionist said circumstances will force Zanu PF to open dialogue notwithstanding its “arrogance”.

“We all know the character of Zanu PF,” Tsvangirai said.

“Zanu PF is arrogant, Zanu PF is violent. Zanu PF thinks that it has won the election but the opposite is true. Arrogance has got its own limit.

“When you can’t pay the civil service, including soldiers and police, then it (is incumbent upon you) to have national responsibility and say how do I resolve that.”

Zanu PF has rejected Tsvangirai’s call for national dialogue, lampooning the ex-prime minister as a dreamer who is desperately missing government perks.

But a bullish Tsvangirai said Zanu PF can no longer ignore the mounting national challenges.

“If you continue burying your head in the sand, it’s you who is going to burn and I don’t think Zanu PF is stupid enough to burn,” Tsvangirai said.

“We are saying the time has come to have leadership of the national crisis and that leadership comes from Zanu PF.

“It comes from MDC to once again say let’s put people first.

“But if they continue to be arrogant, what do you expect us to do, to cry?

“We will watch them but I can tell you that is not going to solve the problem and I can tell you they will have to come around and sit down with others to resolve this national crisis (because) it will not go away.”

Tsvangirai said the onus lies with Mugabe to approach the opposition in order to find viable solutions to the crippling economic woes.

“Ours is the people’s project and we are not losing focus on the important things such as preparing for the next election and being a credible alternative to this Zanu PF government that has dismally failed to deliver even on its election promises,” Tsvangirai said.

“The country is on its knees and we have a serious national crisis on our hands as a country. Now they cannot even pay government workers their salaries.”

 

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