MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, has dismissed Western criticism of his drawn-out, and so far unsuccessful, bid to remove President Robert Mugabe from power but warned that his insistence on “non-violent change” should not be mistaken for cowardice.
Addressing party supporters at a rally in Chegutu on Sunday, Tsvangirai appeared to suggest he was under pressure to repeat the so-called Arab Spring mass protests which successfully toppled the leaders of Egypt and Tunisia before spreading to other countries in the region.
"Yes, those in Egypt might have gone to the city and toppled the Government while those in Libya had to take weapons; in Malawi they are in the streets,” the MDC-T leader said.
"(But) I want to tell foreigners who have been saying the MDC is this or that, they have to know that each struggle has its own milestones.”
Tsvangirai has, over the years, significantly shifted from his much-criticised declaration in 2000 that his party was prepared to use violence in its bid for power.
"(We want to say to Mugabe) if you don't want to go peacefully we will remove you violently," Tsvangirai told supporters then.
And on Sunday the MDC-T leader said it was unrealistic to expect a repeat of the tumultuous events in North Africa in Zimbabwe.
“The way we fight differs because the people and the conditions in that country define each revolution,” he said.
"People should not think that we are cowards for taking the path we have chosen. However, when the time and conditions are right, another tactic can be employed.
The MDC-T leader also threatened to boycott any elections called before the full implementation of substantive political reforms.
President Mugabe insists elections should be held this year to end the coalition government which he says is increasingly becoming unworkable.
But Tsvangirai said certain conditions need to be in place before elections can be held.
"The agreement is that there should be a new constitution before we go for elections,” he said.
“There must be an agreement that there is no violence as we go for elections and there should be a guarantee that whoever wins, will be respected.