News / National
Welshman Ncube reveals push for a united MDC
30 Aug 2017 at 08:08hrs | Views
OPPOSITION leader Welshman Ncube, who broke ranks with Morgan Tsvangirai in 2005, has hinted at the possibility of factions that emerged out of the main labour-backed MDC coming together to form a stronger, united party.
Speaking during an interview with Skyz Metro FM here last week, the former secretary-general of the then united MDC party, who now leads the smaller MDC formation, said conversations were already in full swing to revert to the original MDC, formed in 1999.
"The principle of an MDC Alliance implies that the coming together is work in progress. (The) first prize is to see the various components that were once a united MDC coming together," he said.
"There will continue to be conversations to create a single MDC, trying to put the humpty dumpty together.
"Hopefully, we will succeed in doing that," Ncube said.
Ncube, along with Tsvangirai's then deputy, Gibson Sibanda, led the first split of the MDC in 2005, accusing the former prime minister in the inclusive government of between 2009 and 2013 of being a dictator.
In 2014, the party split again, this time with secretary-general Tendai Biti packing his bags, along with other senior party officials, as they also accused Tsvangirai of having dictatorial tendencies.
Fears are that the party could split once again, with leaders in the southern part of the country breaking ranks with Tsvangirai over his alleged unilateralism.
For long, Thokozani Khupe has been unhappy with being sidelined by Tsvangirai after the MDC leader handpicked Nelson Chamisa and Elias Mudzuri to deputise him, along with Khupe.
With Tsvangirai going into bed with seven other leaders in the MDC Alliance consummated on August 5 to confront Zanu-PF and its leader, President Robert Mugabe in the 2018 polls, a bloated coalition with three vice presidents or deputy presidents could be in the offing as Tsvangirai tries to accommodate all the influential figures who are part of the pact.
In the event that the alliance proceeds to form the next government after the 2018 polls, Khupe, Moyo and Bhebhe could be pushed further down the pecking order to accommodate MDC Alliance principals.
In their letter to Tsvangirai, the trio argued that the MDC leader should urgently have dialogue with them as well as the party's membership in the spirit of devolution of power as enshrined in the Constitution.
"We accordingly implore you to provide the structures with the copies of the alliance agreement coupled with the detailed explanation of the contents of the alliance agreement," reads part of the letter.
"So stark are the differences in the MDC that they are snubbing party functions and urging the structures in the southern region to snub the weekend rally citing safety concerns, raising fears that the party could disintegrate once more."
The former Industry minister in the inclusive government said while they had their own differences as opposition parties, they could not forever live in the past.
"That we have had disagreements in the past is a matter of public record and the details of those disagreements are equally in the public domain but we cannot be forever be prisoners of history.
"We need to be able to move forward, we need to address the challenges that confront us as a nation, which demand that we not only learn from the past but unite in order to address the future," he said.
Ncube said having worked together on various platforms like the inclusive government and the constitution-making process, among others, was enough to prove they can successfully reunite.
"The very fact that we have been able to work together during the inclusive government tells me that we have sufficient common ground to work together and more importantly, the fact that we managed to have conversations, which resulted in the MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) which now has resulted in the Alliance agreement.
"I think we are in agreement that we made our mistakes and could have done things differently," Ncube said, while he acknowledged "we now need to do those things differently".
However, the respected lawyer said while forming a single MDC was something under serious consideration, the issue of a grand coalition was on top of the agenda at the moment.
"The alliance is more than the original components of the MDC. It has other players and partners who were not part of the original MDC and deliberately, we are trying to be as broad as possible and as inclusive as possible trying to bring all the parties we believe have something to add to the MDC alliance," he said.
Tsvangirai was selected to lead the MDC Alliance on August 5.
The pact includes the People's Democratic Party, led by Biti; the MDC led by Ncube; Transform Zimbabwe, headed by Jacob Ngarivhume and the Multi-Racial Christian Democrats led by Mathias Guchutu.
Speaking during an interview with Skyz Metro FM here last week, the former secretary-general of the then united MDC party, who now leads the smaller MDC formation, said conversations were already in full swing to revert to the original MDC, formed in 1999.
"The principle of an MDC Alliance implies that the coming together is work in progress. (The) first prize is to see the various components that were once a united MDC coming together," he said.
"There will continue to be conversations to create a single MDC, trying to put the humpty dumpty together.
"Hopefully, we will succeed in doing that," Ncube said.
Ncube, along with Tsvangirai's then deputy, Gibson Sibanda, led the first split of the MDC in 2005, accusing the former prime minister in the inclusive government of between 2009 and 2013 of being a dictator.
In 2014, the party split again, this time with secretary-general Tendai Biti packing his bags, along with other senior party officials, as they also accused Tsvangirai of having dictatorial tendencies.
Fears are that the party could split once again, with leaders in the southern part of the country breaking ranks with Tsvangirai over his alleged unilateralism.
For long, Thokozani Khupe has been unhappy with being sidelined by Tsvangirai after the MDC leader handpicked Nelson Chamisa and Elias Mudzuri to deputise him, along with Khupe.
With Tsvangirai going into bed with seven other leaders in the MDC Alliance consummated on August 5 to confront Zanu-PF and its leader, President Robert Mugabe in the 2018 polls, a bloated coalition with three vice presidents or deputy presidents could be in the offing as Tsvangirai tries to accommodate all the influential figures who are part of the pact.
In the event that the alliance proceeds to form the next government after the 2018 polls, Khupe, Moyo and Bhebhe could be pushed further down the pecking order to accommodate MDC Alliance principals.
In their letter to Tsvangirai, the trio argued that the MDC leader should urgently have dialogue with them as well as the party's membership in the spirit of devolution of power as enshrined in the Constitution.
"We accordingly implore you to provide the structures with the copies of the alliance agreement coupled with the detailed explanation of the contents of the alliance agreement," reads part of the letter.
"So stark are the differences in the MDC that they are snubbing party functions and urging the structures in the southern region to snub the weekend rally citing safety concerns, raising fears that the party could disintegrate once more."
The former Industry minister in the inclusive government said while they had their own differences as opposition parties, they could not forever live in the past.
"That we have had disagreements in the past is a matter of public record and the details of those disagreements are equally in the public domain but we cannot be forever be prisoners of history.
"We need to be able to move forward, we need to address the challenges that confront us as a nation, which demand that we not only learn from the past but unite in order to address the future," he said.
Ncube said having worked together on various platforms like the inclusive government and the constitution-making process, among others, was enough to prove they can successfully reunite.
"The very fact that we have been able to work together during the inclusive government tells me that we have sufficient common ground to work together and more importantly, the fact that we managed to have conversations, which resulted in the MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) which now has resulted in the Alliance agreement.
"I think we are in agreement that we made our mistakes and could have done things differently," Ncube said, while he acknowledged "we now need to do those things differently".
However, the respected lawyer said while forming a single MDC was something under serious consideration, the issue of a grand coalition was on top of the agenda at the moment.
"The alliance is more than the original components of the MDC. It has other players and partners who were not part of the original MDC and deliberately, we are trying to be as broad as possible and as inclusive as possible trying to bring all the parties we believe have something to add to the MDC alliance," he said.
Tsvangirai was selected to lead the MDC Alliance on August 5.
The pact includes the People's Democratic Party, led by Biti; the MDC led by Ncube; Transform Zimbabwe, headed by Jacob Ngarivhume and the Multi-Racial Christian Democrats led by Mathias Guchutu.
Source - dailynews
