MDC resolves to take the bull by horns

By Tichaona Sibanda
12 January 2007

The Movement for Democratic Change has resolved to raise the stakes in its fight against the autocratic rule of Robert Mugabe, party spokesman Nelson Chamisa said on Friday.

‘We have made earth shaking resolutions and 2007 will be a defining year for the party. We will be the first to admit that 2006 was a bad year for us because of teething problems but we are back on our footing,’ Chamisa said from Harare.

The Morgan Tsvangirai led MDC held two crucial meetings of its national council and executives to deliberate on the national crisis and to define the political framework for 2007.

Chamisa said the party President will hold a press conference on Monday where he will announce the resolutions that were adopted on Friday. Analysts told us that most delegates felt Robert Mugabe had given the MDC a window of opportunity to box him into a corner because of his plans to extend his presidential term.

‘This is the right time for the MDC to refocus its strategy against Mugabe. With the way the economy is performing now every Zimbabwean would want to see a change in the way the country is governed and not to see Zanu (PF) appointing Mugabe a life president,’ said one analyst.

A delegate who attended the meeting said one of the resolutions adopted was to ask national council members to go back to the grassroots and start mobilising people.

‘This is one way of strengthening our structures and many council members felt the party shouldn’t make the same mistakes it made last year of giving people a false sense of hope,’ said the delegate.

One issue that was also discussed was the consolidation of the unfinished democratic resistance agenda, a mass action plan that delegates said was a necessary tool to force the regime to accept the need for sweeping political reforms which include a new, people driven Constitution, free an fair elections under international supervision, a reconstruction and stabilization programme in a post-transitional era.