 |
HARARE – Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai says President Robert Mugabe and his ruling Zanu PF are now hanging onto power by their fingernails and cautioned Zimbabweans to be wary of being bought at this stage of the struggle for democracy as this would derail the gains that have been made so far.
Tsvangirai’s passionate appeal for heightened commitment to the change cause to ordinary Zimbabweans, opposition parties and pro-democracy activists — which he made at the MDC’s 17th anniversary celebrations in Bulawayo at the weekend — came as the opposition is working towards forming a grand coalition against Zanu PF, ahead of the eagerly-anticipated 2018 national elections.
“We are cognisant of the fact that such phases of the struggle are dangerous both for the struggle itself and for the lives of leaders and activists. Throughout history, it is at such critical phases that some sell out, some lose faith while others are brutally exterminated as happened to Josiah Tongogara and Chris Hani in South Africa.
“I urge everyone to retain their faith and commitment and not to sell out at this critical juncture when we have already lost so much. We all have critical roles to play in the final execution of this struggle,” he said.
Mugabe, the only leader Zimbabweans have known since the country gained its independence from Britain in April 1980, is battling to save his long political career as civil unrest escalates over the ever-deteriorating quality of local life, which citizens blame squarely on his misrule.
The long-mooted 2018 elections deal between Tsvangirai and former vice president Joice Mujuru — which has spooked Mugabe and Zanu PF — also involves smaller opposition parties who are members of the National Electoral Reform Agenda (Nera) which has been holding demonstrations around the country to press for much-needed electoral reforms.
“The entire nation is now speaking the same language. A broad coalition of opposition parties is now fighting as a common front for comprehensive electoral reforms in the country. A few years ago this was inconceivable. We welcome that unity of purpose.
“Genuine war veterans, who for years used to brutalise and fight the common man and woman, have now seen the light and have come out in the open that they will never engage in another crusade against fellow citizens,” Tsvangirai told his supporters at the Bulawayo bash.
“At a personal level, I have had fruitful discussions with the leadership of these heroes and heroines of our struggle. We all realised that we share so much in common in terms of our vision and aspirations for our country.
“Morgan Tsvangirai meeting with veterans of the liberation struggle was inconceivable a few years ago because of misconceptions and Zanu PF’s propaganda. Indeed, we must welcome them for their bold move to come to the side of the people that they liberated 36 years ago.
“There is one Zimbabwe that we all love and we are all patriotic sons and daughters of this land, regardless of our different social and political stations.
“So, the nation is slowly coming together. Citizens, war veterans, vendors, civil servants, political parties and civil society are all speaking the same language. That convergence must be encouraged and celebrated,” Tsvangirai added.
“When as a party we met for our 4th Congress in Harare in November, 2014, we adopted a road-map in which we called for national convergence and a big tent of diverse Zimbabweans so that we could sculpt the future of the country together.
“This is the convergence we are seeing across the nation today and as we celebrate our 17th birthday we must congratulate ourselves as a party for having realised the intrinsic value in unity and togetherness.
“Indeed, together we are better, stronger and more formidable. The past is another country and together we shall build on this emerging convergence and poise our country for unity, growth and prosperity,” he said.
Tsvangirai went on to savage Mugabe, saying the increasingly frail nonagenarian was no longer fit to continue holding office.
“We are aware that it all has to start with Mugabe moving out of the picture. We owe it to the people to table our plan, well aware of course that all signs point to Mugabe wanting to die in office. The grim reality is that given his age and his crimes of omission and commission, he must set the stage for national recovery.
“For the sake of his legacy, he needs to send out a message that the country is more important than individuals. He must retire and set the stage for a new course for the country. If he truly loves this country, his departure will be the first positive sign to set the country on a new trajectory for recovery and growth.
“However, we are aware that it is one thing to have a road-map and quite another to have it implemented. Given the complexity of our situation, we as a party and others will continue to put pressure on this regime to steer the nation towards far-reaching reforms that would return us to legitimacy,” the former prime minister said.
Speaking earlier on, Tsvangirai had raised the political stakes when he bluntly told Mugabe to heed the growing calls for him to quit power now peacefully, to save Zimbabwe and to avoid the risk of being removed from office violently.
“There are two options to the end-game. The first option of the end-game is a violent end and the second option is a peaceful transition.
“Mugabe must choose one of these two options, a violent option where we get to a point where someone is shot because he or she is simply demonstrating, or the stage where Mugabe chooses to install his wife Grace as president, at which point it becomes gloves off and people confront the regime,” he warned.
This was not the first time that the former prime minister in the government of national unity had warned Mugabe about the risks of a violent end to his rule.
Addressing his supporters at Rufaro Stadium in Harare in September 2000, as the MDC was celebrating its first anniversary, Tsvangirai also told Mugabe that he risked being removed violently from office as Zimbabweans were fed up with his misrule.
Mugabe and his government are struggling to fend off restive ordinary citizens who are reeling from the current economic rot which they blame on the nonagenarian and his colleagues.
But the nonagenarian has not taken lightly to the challenge to his power, unleashing the country’s security apparatus on the restive populace with devastating consequences — amid fears that the government may effect a State of Emergency to foil further protests.
In recent weeks, there has been a resurgence of violence across the country, including a savage crackdown on the opposition and pro-democracy activists by authorities, as civil unrest continues to escalate in tandem with Zimbabwe’s dying economy.
On Tuesday last week, suspicious riots rocked Harare, as police fought running battles with supposed protesting street vendors in the capital’s central business district — amid stunning claims that the troublemakers in fact belonged to factions within the warring Zanu PF.
Analysts warn that there could be more protests in the coming weeks if government fails to adhere to its promise that the introduction of the bond notes will not signal the end of the use of United States dollar which has been credited with stabilising the wobbly economy.
Zimbabwe will be introducing the much-distrusted bond notes at the end of the month amid serious concerns that government could flood the market with the surrogate currency which has already attracted two lawsuits.
Source: Daily News
No comments:
Post a Comment