MDC faction sets conditions for reuniting party

MDC faction sets conditions for reuniting party

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By Staff Reporter

PROFESSOR Welshman Ncube, one of the leaders of the pro-Senate faction of the MDC appeared to offer prospects of bringing together the two sides.

He said: "We know that many people across the country are upset by the division in the party. From Gokwe, to Nkayi to Mutoko people have told us their anguish. They have said the MDC was our only hope. The MDC was our only way out of the Mugabe madness.

"Men and women have come to us literally in tears. We have agonised long and hard over the division. But we found that if we support peaceful, democratic change in Zimbabwe, how do we make accommodation with what Morgan is saying?"

Ncube then outlined three conditions for reuniting the two sides. They say that Tsvangirai must agree to: abide by the party¹s democratic constitution and accept collective decision-making; embrace non-violence as a core principle and refuse to use the coercion of militia; and consult with the party elected officials when making decisions, not seek the opinions of a kitchen cabinet of unelected officials and then overrule decisions of the National Executive and announce the decision as a fait accompli.

Ncube said: "We need to demonstrate democracy to regain the confidence of the people. We cannot accept an all powerful president of the party who does what he likes. That is like Mugabe. We still hope to reach an accommodation."

But he appeared to send a different signal when he said their faction had tentatively set 25 February as the date for their congress. He did not indicate the venue. Tsvangirai's faction is reportedly planning its congress for 18 and 19 March.

On Thursday, Ncube and Gibson Sibanda, Tsvangirai's deputy, accused their longtime leader of condoning violence, undermining democracy and adopting the authoritarian style of the man they once hoped he would unseat, President Robert Mugabe.

The withering critique of Tsvangirai came during interviews with reporters in South Africa.

Ncube and Sibanda charged that Tsvangirai's office coordinated violent attacks in May on party staff members viewed as loyal to Ncube. In October, they said, Tsvangirai violated the party's constitution when he ignored a vote by its ruling council to participate in national senate elections, which he wanted to boycott. Ncube, who is secretary general of the party, said that after years of opposing Mugabe, Tsvangirai began to "admire the monster" and emulate his ruthless ways.

Sibanda, who was Tsvangirai's vice president but is now acting president of the faction that opposes him, said that if Tsvangirai were ever elected president of Zimbabwe, he would become a "serious" dictator.

"This is a clash of values," Ncube said. "It is a direct clash over the soul of the party." The two leaders also said Tsvangirai's inner circle has been infiltrated by at least one officer of Zimbabwe's feared Central Intelligence Organization, which has fomented dissension within the party.

Tsvangirai, speaking from Zimbabwe's capital of Harare, declined to respond to the allegations about his leadership style or his alleged role in attacks on party staffers.

The rise of the Movement for Democratic Change six years ago heralded the arrival of vigorous two-party politics in Zimbabwe after years of unchallenged autonomy for Mugabe, 81. Just a few months after forming, the opposition successfully blocked constitutional changes favored by Mugabe. The movement narrowly lost elections in 2000 and 2002 that were marred by state-sponsored violence and judged by most outside observers to be rigged.

In March elections, also denounced by many outsiders as fixed, Mugabe's ruling party won by a wide margin. But in recent months, the opposition has crumbled into rival factions, with Tsvangirai and others battling each other rather than Mugabe. "Any party goes through these kinds of turbulences, but it's not the end of the world," Tsvangirai said.

He admitted that he had failed to organize protests against Mugabe, as he has repeatedly promised in recent months, but said that would begin after the party's national congress in March. The side led by Ncube and Sibanda also plans to have its own party congress, in a separate location and at a separate time, the men said.

Ncube and Sibanda, meanwhile, said the infighting has paralyzed both factions of the opposition, making it impossible to mount any challenge to Mugabe. "All that is suffering at the moment while we are bickering," Ncube said - additional reporting Washington Post
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