MDC-T trying to muscle Zanu-PF from power: Pres Mugabe

The Herald
October 24, 2009

PRESIDENT Mugabe has urged the MDC-T leadership to be guided by national fundamentals and not emotions in conducting Government business, saying it was Mr Morgan Tsvangirai's party that was still to meet its obligations under the Global Political Agreement.

Commenting for the first time on MDC-T's announcement last week that they had "disengaged" from the inclusive Government because Zanu-PF was "a dishonest partner", President Mugabe said his party had done its part under the GPA.

"The inclusive Government and the hiccups ... you will always get people in any arrangement who are guided by little emotional thoughts and act in accordance with them and who would want things to go their way, and not the national way, and not the agreed way.

"There is nothing in the GPA that has not been done by Zanu-PF, nothing at all. We have fulfilled everything that the GPA wanted us to fulfil; the legal aspects we were very accurate about them.

"The swearing in of all those who were supposed to be sworn in, that was done timeously and in an appropriate manner.

"The matters that had to do with what, beyond the legal aspect we had to do, we have done."

The MDC-T leadership, the President said, still had to meet its obligations regarding the West's subversive activities in the form of the ruinous economic sanctions and pirate radio broadcasts.

"They are not doing anything about sanctions, they are not doing anything about, you know, illegal radios, and other forms of communications which are daily undermining the principles of unity and other principles that underlie the Global Political Agreement. They are not doing anything about that."

He said MDC-T, which was moving freely all over the globe, was doing nothing about the fact that they had instigated the sanctioning against some of their counterparts in Government.

"Just now all members of the MDC are free to move, and all my Cabinet ministers have had their legs locked, vakasungwa kumakumbo uku nemasanctions, they cannot move.

"And not only that; the country is suffering under sanctions which the MDC called for. Are they doing anything about that?

"Those are matters that are fundamental, much more than the appointment of governors. Anyway that is a matter that is within the prerogative of the President and that is for me to decide."

The Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces said MDC-T's antics appeared aimed at trying to muscle Zanu-PF from power.

He, however, said Zanu-PF would not budge on that score.

"The matters the people are complaining about in the MDC-T are that we should now voluntarily, from our side, you see, give away aspects of our authority, we will not do that.

"They can go to any summit, any part of the world to appeal — that will not happen."

He said no party in the inclusive Government could give another an ultimatum since the Government subsisted by virtue of agreements between the three parties.

Despite MDC-T's antics, the President said he was sure the party's leadership would not leave Government.

"I do not read that they would want to leave the inclusive Government, I think that they will come back to it soon."

Earlier this week, Mr Tsvangirai asked to meet President Mugabe and the request was granted.

The three principals to the GPA are expected to meet on Monday, for their routine meeting.

Ironically, soon after MDC-T supporters gave the inclusive Government the thumbs-up, the MDC-T leaders said they would not attend Cabinet and Council of Ministers meetings in protest over Roy Bennett's indictment for trial at the High Court on terror-related charges.

The "disengagement" has attracted condemnation from the party' supporters, political parties, labour, the church, civic bodies and society in general.

Observers have questioned why MDC-T was prepared to put the national interest at stake over a person who might be acquitted by the courts.

The action has been described as an attempt to unduly interfere with the operations of the judiciary and influence its decisions.

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