Mbeki says Tsvangirai is a western puppet
Former South African President Thabo Mbeki has accused the MDC of being a spoiler obsessed with criticising President Robert Mugabe, in an ugly spat that has overshadowed fresh talks to rescue the country’s troubled power-sharing deal.
In a surprisingly bad-tempered letter, Mbeki – who is the regional SADC grouping’s mediator in the Zimbabwe crisis – told the Morgan Tsvangirai-led opposition MDC party to get on with the business of rebuilding Zimbabwe in a unity government with the ruling ZANU PF party.
The opposition party did not need to wait for approval from its “external supporters” to join the unity government Mbeki said, closely echoing claims by Mugabe that the MDC is a puppet of Britain and the West.
The letter said to have been written by Mbeki in reply to a letter by MDC secretary general Tendai Biti complaining about the ex-president’s impartiality as mediator confirms the bad blood known to exist between Tsvangirai and Mbeki.
However, its tone and thrust seems over the top coming from one in Mbeki’s position where as mediator he is expected to be impartial and moderate in his conduct.
“The MDC-T like the other Zimbabwe parties, must within an inclusive government, take responsibility for the future of Zimbabwe, rather than see its mission as being a militant critic of President Mugabe and ZANU PF,” Mbeki said in the letter.
He added: “All that is now required is that these leaders must remain true to their word. They must implement the Agreement they signed.
“In this regard they (MDC-T) have absolutely no need to refer to their external supporters for approval, whoever they might be, and however powerful they might seem, including any and all South African formations.
“Realistically, Zimbabwe will never share the same neighbourhood with the countries of Western Europe and North America which have benefited especially from the migration of skilled and professional Zimbabweans to the North.”
Mugabe has often labelled the MDC a puppet party of Western governments opposed to his leadership and says the opposition is being used by the West to undermine Zimbabwe’s sovereignty and sweep him from power. MDC denies the charges.
Biti, who is the opposition party’s chief representative to talks, was not immediately available for comment on the matter while Mbeki’s spokesman Mukoni Ratshitanga could also not be reached.
Negotiators from ZANU PF, MDC and a breakaway faction of the opposition led by Arthur Mutambara have since Tuesday been meeting with Mbeki to review a draft constitutional amendment Bill that would allow Mugabe to form a unity government outlined under a September 15 power-sharing agreement.
The power-sharing agreement has stalled as the Morgan Tsvangirai-led opposition MDC party and ZANU PF fight over control of key ministries, distribution of gubernatorial posts, ambassadorships and other top government posts.
Referring to Tsvangirai as “Sir and dear brother” Mbeki accused the opposition leader and his party of contemptuously repudiating serious decisions made by SADC heads of states and other regional leaders.
Mbeki wrote: “Because leaders in our region did not agree with you on some matter that served on the agenda of the SADC Extraordinary Summit Meeting, you have denounced them publicly as cowards.
“It may be that, for whatever reason, you consider our region and continent as being of little consequence to the future of Zimbabwe, believing that others further away, in Western Europe and North America, are of greater importance.”
SADC leaders at an emergency summit in Johannesburg on 9 November ruled that Zimbabwe’s rival political leaders form a power-sharing government “forthwith” to end a debilitating political stalemate gripping the country since Mugabe’s controversial re-election last June.
They also ruled that the MDC and ZANU PF co-manage the ministry of home affairs, in charge of the police and whose control had been an obstacle to the formation of a unity government.
But Tsvangirai – who wants the MDC to have sole control of home affairs that oversees the police after ZANU PF retained control of the army – rejected the ruling and accused SADC of siding with Mugabe.
Mbeki added: “All of us will find it strange and insulting that because we do not agree with you on a small matter, you choose to describe us in a manner that is most offensive in terms of African culture, and therefore our sense of dignity as Africans, across our borders.”
Mbeki said because of the delay in forming a new government, southern Africa and Zimbabwe’s neighbouring countries have an unavoidable obligation to carry much of the weight of the burden of the Zimbabwe crisis.
“You know that among other things, various countries of our region host large numbers of economic migrants from Zimbabwe, who impose particular burdens on our countries. None of our countries and governments has spoken publicly of this burden, fearful that we might incite xenophobia,” he said.
-ZimOnline
Posted by Wellington Chadehumbe
on November 27, 2008. Filed under Local News,Politics.
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