Tsvangirai vows to beat Mugabe
Gweru -At his party’s first annual conference at the weekend, defiant opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai vowed to unseat President Robert Mugabe in elections, despite the violence he claimed his opponent has unleashed.
The former trade unionist, who is expected to be endorsed as the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) candidate for presidential elections in March, poses the greatest threat to Mugabe’s 21 year grip on power. Tsvangirai told about 1000 MDC delegates at the party congress in Gweru he would welcome targeted sanctions against Mugabe and his government.
“We don’t want sanctions against the country. We want sanctions against the perpetrators of the violence, of which Mugabe is the captain,” he said.
Mugabe’s government has accused the MDC of campaigning for the imposition of sanctions because of what the opposition claims is government-backed lawlessness in the country. On Friday, US President George Bush signed into law the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act, which allows travel bans on the government elite and restrictions on their business dealings in the US.
“We never campaigned for comprehensive sanctions that would hurt the people of this country, but for sanctions against the leader,” said Tsvangirai. He vowed that his party would win next year’s elections. “You cannot stop us, even if you threaten to crush us you will not succeed.
The people will speak and their will shall prevail.” He compared Mugabe to former white minority leader Ian Smith, saying the only difference between the two men was their skin colour as both passed laws to stifle dissent. “The proposed Public Order and Security Bill will allow police to hold somebody for seven days before bringing them before the courts,” said Tsvangirai.
Tsvangirai condemned what the MDC believes is a selective use of the law against its members. “Lawlessness must not be condoned, the law cannot be applied selectively,” he said. The MDC claims its supporters have been victimised by violent supporters of Mugabe and his ruling Zanu PF.
Despite the violence, Tsvangirai said his party now has 2 million members, compared to 750 000 two years ago when the party was launched. He also criticised a recent Southern African Development Community (SADC) endorsement of Mugabe’s controversial land reform programme. “The SADC nations have to be on the side of the people and not on the side of a dictator,” he said.
Posted by Wellington Chadehumbe
on December 24, 2001. Filed under Politics.
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