Mutambara,Ncube backtrack as 7 MPs threaten to quit
Before the ink was dry,MDC Secretary General Welshman Ncube was forced to deny that his faction had signed a power-sharing deal on Tuesday with President Robert Mugabe after seven MPs from the faction threatened to cross parties.
“No deal has been signed by anyone. Dialogue is still continuing.”,said Ncube as the state newspaper The Herald reported Wednesday that indeed a deal was signed.
Last night Emmerson Mnangagwa,the Joint Operations Command Chairman had said they will go ahead and sign a power sharing deal with leader of an MDC faction Arther Mutambara and will be appointed Prime Minister.
“Tsvangirai is not special,we will go ahead and rule with Mutambara”, he was overhead saying as the ZANU PF delegation left Rainbow Towers on Tuesday night.
The Tsvangirai led MDC has flatly declined ZANU PF ‘s proposal that as Prime Minister Tsvangirai would control only the finance,local government and home affairs portfolios in the cabinet,while all executive power will vested on the president, including appointing the cabinet, powers to dismiss the Prime Minister,dismissing a cabinet member and chairing the cabinet.
MPs Threaten to quit
Seven MPs threatened to leave the faction if its leadership goes ahead and signs the deal, as rumours spread yesterday evening an MDC MP in the faction,Edward Tshotsho Mkhosi,MDC-Mangwe told Metro that if any such deal is made he will quit the faction.
“No I will not watch history being repeated,we have seen ZANU PF’s strategy of divide and rule in the past and this time it will not work,not this time.”,he said.
Another MP told the Telegraph,”If this has happened I don’t agree,” said Abednico Bhebe,MDC-Nkayi South. “This will be disastrous. None of us will go with him. He would be committing political suicide.”
Sen.David Coltart,MDC-Khumalo, said: “If that happened I don’t agree and I doubt the majority of our executive would support that decision.”
Another MP who requested that his identity be withheld said,”How do you explain that kind of deal to your constituency,beside there is no way we can turn things around without our erstwhile colligues”,he said.
Metro also spoke to three other MPs who also said they will not be part of such a deal and would not feel comfortable betraying their voters.
The only MP who sounded receptive of the deal was Moses Mzila Ndlovu,MDC-Bulilima who was one of the negotiators in the power sharing talks in South Africa.
Mutambara and Ncube lost parliament bids in Zengeza West and Makokoba respectively to candidates from the faction led by Morgan Tsvangirai.
It has since emerged that during the talks the Mutambara MDC faction pushed for an amendment of No. 19 so as increase appointed senators from five to 21.
“Morgan Tsvangirai is the main opposition leader, and any agreement that doesn’t include his party will not work for the country. It actually just complicates issues,” said John Makumbe a University of Zimbabwe Professor.
Meanwhile Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith says any power-sharing arrangement in Zimbabwe that does not include Morgan Tsvangirai would be a farce.
“We know that Mr Mutambara has a small breakaway group of the MDC, they have been involved in the talks as well, but any outcome which emerged which did not involve Mr Tsvangirai would effectively be a farce.”,he said.
(Report by Philip Mangena,bulawayo/@/metrozimbabwe.com)
Posted by Philip Mangena
on August 13, 2008. Filed under Local News.
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