News / National
Mnangagwa has problems, Chamisa has answers
17 Nov 2018 at 12:20hrs | Views
MDC leader Nelson Chamisa says the economic and political paralysis in Zimbabwe can be resolved through dialogue between his party and Zanu-PF.
Zimbabwe has been on edge since President Emmerson Mnangagwa won a disputed election on July 30. Chamisa maintains the election was rigged, and he says Mnangagwa is illegitimate.
In the impasse, the economy has suffered, with prices shooting up amid shortages of foreign currency.
"We have the answers, they have the problems," Chamisa told a news conference at the party's headquarters on Thursday.
Chamisa says Mnangagwa's problem is one of legitimacy, a key deficiency in his drive to attract international donor support to stabilise the economy.
"We are ready to engage anybody, including Mr Mnanagwa to resolve these issues. They need to sit down, calm down and engage," he said. "You go around the country talking about international re-engagement. What re-engagement are you talking about if you cannot re-engage nationally? You can't even talk to your brother Chamisa, who wants to give you ideas by osmosis. You don't want to say let's come together and resolve the issues affecting the people?"
Chamisa said post-election violence which killed at least six people when the military was deployed on the streets of Harare was being used by Mnangagwa to beat the opposition, with security chiefs this week wheeled out to accuse Chamisa and senior MDC leaders of instigating riots on August 1.
Chamisa says that threats to arrest him are designed to force him to concede to Mnangagwa, but he maintains that the problem is political and will require a political solution.
"You can arrest Chamisa, but that's not arresting the problem. This nation is deeply divided. We have a deep-seated division in this country that can't be resolved by the tomfoolery tactics being undertaken by our colleagues," he said.
"Mnangagwa is very lucky that he has a patriot and democrat across the aisle. We have taken our time to pursue democracy and not violence; we have taken our time to pursue circumstances of engagement not divisive and vindictive politics and that must be honoured. Why? Because we believe that our nation is far more important than any of us in our sectorial and individual considerations.
"Is it inciting people to be a candidate in a presidential election? Is it inciting people to be an alternative in a country? It only happens in banana republics, in rogue regimes."
He did not fear arrest, he said.
"An arrest in nothing. Our founding President (Robert Mugabe) was arrested on false and spurious charges many times (during liberation struggle). Even Jesus Christ, my role model, was persecuted on many occasions, for no apparent reason."
Chamisa, who has described as a "sham" a commission of inquiry chaired by former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe into the August 1 massacre, was asked by reporters how he would have wanted the matter handled.
Such inquiries, he said, required honest leaders. Accusations by security chiefs that the MDC was training youths in using guns were a discredit to the institutions they serve, he added.
"The first thing we have to restore in this country is integrity and the truth. There are people who have the audacity to go and lie under oath and pretend as if everyone else is not seeing. So, integrity is key. The first respondent, second respondent and the last respondent in this matter is the Head of State," he said.
"You can't tell me that there are people who are supposedly holding guns in a country and you don't do anything about it and it's normal business. The MDC has a military wing, they are training people at Harvest House and it's normal? You have a terrorist organisation in a country, you engage that terrorist organisation in parliament and you go to an election with that terrorist organisation. Is that normal?
"Mnangagwa must be able to account for everything that happens in a country. A commission of inquiry is not necessary. We need a commission of inquiry into other things, like Itai Dzamara. This is a straightforward matter. The key questions are: who instructed soldiers to shoot at people? Who deployed the soldiers?"
Zimbabwe has been on edge since President Emmerson Mnangagwa won a disputed election on July 30. Chamisa maintains the election was rigged, and he says Mnangagwa is illegitimate.
In the impasse, the economy has suffered, with prices shooting up amid shortages of foreign currency.
"We have the answers, they have the problems," Chamisa told a news conference at the party's headquarters on Thursday.
Chamisa says Mnangagwa's problem is one of legitimacy, a key deficiency in his drive to attract international donor support to stabilise the economy.
"We are ready to engage anybody, including Mr Mnanagwa to resolve these issues. They need to sit down, calm down and engage," he said. "You go around the country talking about international re-engagement. What re-engagement are you talking about if you cannot re-engage nationally? You can't even talk to your brother Chamisa, who wants to give you ideas by osmosis. You don't want to say let's come together and resolve the issues affecting the people?"
Chamisa said post-election violence which killed at least six people when the military was deployed on the streets of Harare was being used by Mnangagwa to beat the opposition, with security chiefs this week wheeled out to accuse Chamisa and senior MDC leaders of instigating riots on August 1.
Chamisa says that threats to arrest him are designed to force him to concede to Mnangagwa, but he maintains that the problem is political and will require a political solution.
"You can arrest Chamisa, but that's not arresting the problem. This nation is deeply divided. We have a deep-seated division in this country that can't be resolved by the tomfoolery tactics being undertaken by our colleagues," he said.
"Mnangagwa is very lucky that he has a patriot and democrat across the aisle. We have taken our time to pursue democracy and not violence; we have taken our time to pursue circumstances of engagement not divisive and vindictive politics and that must be honoured. Why? Because we believe that our nation is far more important than any of us in our sectorial and individual considerations.
"Is it inciting people to be a candidate in a presidential election? Is it inciting people to be an alternative in a country? It only happens in banana republics, in rogue regimes."
He did not fear arrest, he said.
"An arrest in nothing. Our founding President (Robert Mugabe) was arrested on false and spurious charges many times (during liberation struggle). Even Jesus Christ, my role model, was persecuted on many occasions, for no apparent reason."
Chamisa, who has described as a "sham" a commission of inquiry chaired by former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe into the August 1 massacre, was asked by reporters how he would have wanted the matter handled.
Such inquiries, he said, required honest leaders. Accusations by security chiefs that the MDC was training youths in using guns were a discredit to the institutions they serve, he added.
"The first thing we have to restore in this country is integrity and the truth. There are people who have the audacity to go and lie under oath and pretend as if everyone else is not seeing. So, integrity is key. The first respondent, second respondent and the last respondent in this matter is the Head of State," he said.
"You can't tell me that there are people who are supposedly holding guns in a country and you don't do anything about it and it's normal business. The MDC has a military wing, they are training people at Harvest House and it's normal? You have a terrorist organisation in a country, you engage that terrorist organisation in parliament and you go to an election with that terrorist organisation. Is that normal?
"Mnangagwa must be able to account for everything that happens in a country. A commission of inquiry is not necessary. We need a commission of inquiry into other things, like Itai Dzamara. This is a straightforward matter. The key questions are: who instructed soldiers to shoot at people? Who deployed the soldiers?"
Source - zimlive
