MDC set for crucial party meeting Friday

By Tichaona Sibanda
13 November 2008

All is set for Friday’s national executive and national council meeting of the MDC in Harare, in what has been described as ‘the most important and crucial’ gathering of the party’s top bodies since its formation nine years ago.

Analysts predict it is almost certain that the two bodies will endorse the position expressed by the negotiating team and party leader Morgan Tsvangirai, after the SADC summit in Johannesburg on Sunday.

Tsvangirai, after consultations with his negotiating team Tendai Biti and Elton Mangoma, had rejected SADC’s ruling that ZANU PF and the MDC should share the leadership of the Home Affairs ministry. The MDC leader said he was ‘shocked and saddened’ by the SADC decision, charging that the summit had missed a great opportunity to bring an end to the crisis in Zimbabwe.

Cape Town based political analyst Glen Mpani told Newsreel the two top bodies of the MDC were likely to back Tsvangirai’s position, that they cannot enter into a government where they would be treated as juniors.

‘I don’t see them supporting any other view than the one already suggested by their leader, that they reject the co-sharing of the Home Affairs ministry,’ Mpani said.

The MDC has insisted it wants an equitable and fair inclusive government, that is able to deliver on the immediate and long term legitimate demands of the people of Zimbabwe. It views the unilateral grab of powerful ministries by Robert Mugabe as showing his complete lack of sincerity in the power-sharing deal. An advisor for the MDC told us the deal should be about the will of the people of Zimbabwe, as made clear on 29th March. He said they were disappointed by SADC’s ruling, but still respected the regional body.

‘We respect African institutions and we hope that they will realise that the people of Zimbabwe have made it clear that they want a truly equitable and fair, all inclusive government - and Home Affairs is the bare minimum and non-negotiable,’ the advisor said.

On the way forward, the MDC believes that the current talks are now ‘a corpse.’

‘We can’t continue to raise people’s hopes on these talks, we have to be honest and inform them that these talks are dead -- the people must then tell the leadership on how best to proceed. We have to confront the challenges head-on,’ the MDC advisor added.