via Opposition massed with fools, says Biti – New Zimbabwe 04/06/2015
FORMER treasury chief and MDC-Renewal secretary general, Tendai Biti, has apologised to Zimbabweans over what he called the “collective foolishness” of the country’s opposition.
Biti’s remarks, at a press briefing in Harare Thursday, come in the wake of a split in his year-old party that saw former treasurer general Elton Mangoma leaving in a huff to form another outfit known as Renewal of Democrats Zimbabwe.
The former Finance Minister said Zimbabwe’s opposition parties needed to work hard and collectively to come up with a strong alternative to the ruling Zanu PF party.
He however, ruled out a re-unification with opposition stalwart and former prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai.
“The country is on auto-pilot to self-destruction and those in leadership have abdicated their responsibilities,” said Biti.
“The president of the country (President Robert Mugabe) has turned into a visiting leader, the centre cannot hold and we need to do something.
“Cabinet has hardly met since the beginning of the year and, when they have met, it has been for some two hours.
“One hour of correcting minutes and the other for agreeing because if you disagree one runs the risk of being labelled (as belonging to) a particular faction.”
He added: “But more tellingly we would like to apologise to the people of Zimbabwe over the lack of cohesion amongst the democratic opposition.
“We would like to apologise for the collective foolishness of the opposition and failure to form an alternative political voice in the country.”
Mangoma, early this week, announced the formation of another party after reports linked him to a sexual relationship with a married woman.
The former Energy Minister was assaulted by the woman’s husband before being charged suspended by the MDC-Renewal party.
He then packed his bags and quit, resurfacing as president of a new political outfit he said would be called Renewal of Democrats Zimbabwe (RDZ).
Biti however said “there is nothing that should ever stop us from coming together” although he ruled out working with Tsvangirai.
“When we left the MDC-T, there we issues that drove us out; issues to do with violence, misappropriation and abuse of resources, issues to do with personal things that affected the brand of the party as well as personalization of the party.
“Nothing … has changed in that regard. We will talk to people with the same values with us and make sure we work together,” he said.
He added: “We in the MDC-Renewal Team would like to commit ourselves to working very hard towards the formation of a coalition.”
Apparently referring to Mangoma’s complaint that it was his (Biti’s) approach to the group around former vice president Joice Mujuru which forced the Renewal Team to split, Biti said a broad coalition was the best hope of toppling Zanu PF.
“We neither have neither an option nor an alternative to the formation of a coalition.
“It is our only hope and salvation for 2018 and if anyone does not see the importance of that then we will allow them to enjoy their right to idiocy,” he said.
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