News / National
Zanu-PF welcomes survey, MDC-T dismisses it
23 Aug 2012 at 12:59hrs | Views
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's formation of the Movement for Democratic Change has reacted angrily to an independent survey showing that its support has plummeted.
The survey by Freedom House, which is known to fund activities of the MDC formations, revealed that Zanu-PF's popularity among Zimbabweans was increasing.
The survey results are contained in a report entitled "Change and New politics in Zimbabwe.
But in a scathing rebuttal of the findings the MDC-T described the survey findings as 'unreliable'.
Addressing journalists in Harare, Douglas Mwonzora, and the party spokesperson said: "The party respects the right of individuals and institutions to carry out opinion surveys on the views of the people of Zimbabwe from time to time. However, we note that surveys carried out under current conditions are difficult to rely on due to the fact that they are held under conditions of major fluidity".
He said given the margin of terror acknowledged in the report, it is difficult to rely on the report to gauge the opinion of the people of Zimbabwe on their political choice.
"We note that a lot of people interviewed refused to disclose their political preferences. This is obviously for fear of intimidation and the violence they have been subjected to by Zanu-PF and its military junta. This margin of terror fundamentally impugns the conclusion that can be derived from this report," he said.
A political analyst, Pedzisai Ruhanya, told Radio VOP that the report was 'unrealistic."
"It was conducted under a post traumatic political environment in which citizens were not open enough and were still nursing political injuries associated with the election in which Mugabe allegedly won under conditions of repression."
"People were not free to openly declare their political preferences. So what Freedom House got was the opposite of the reality. They must turn it upside down and the opposite of that report is the truth," Ruhanya said.
The MDC-T has been mired by factionalism since it entered the government of national unity with President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF.
On Thursday state media went to town over the findings of the survey, claiming Tsvangirai's party was facing its waterloo at the next polls.
Meanwhile Zanu-PF has welcomed results of the Survey, saying it shows that the party represents real wishes of Zimbabweans.
The survey done in conjunction with the Zimbabwe Mass Public Opinion Institute revealed that the MDC-T had lost support over the past one and a half years. The survey sampled 1 198 people from the 10 provinces of the country.
Zanu-PF spokesperson, Rugare Gumbo, said: "We are a true representative of the people of this country, and this can be evidenced by our policies which are people oriented."
"The policies which I am referring to include the land reform programme which we embarked on a decade ago and the on-going indigenisation programme. What more do people need? Hence the results of the survey you are referring to which I have not yet seen but heard of," he told Radio VOP on Wednesday.
The survey by Freedom House, which is known to fund activities of the MDC formations, revealed that Zanu-PF's popularity among Zimbabweans was increasing.
The survey results are contained in a report entitled "Change and New politics in Zimbabwe.
But in a scathing rebuttal of the findings the MDC-T described the survey findings as 'unreliable'.
Addressing journalists in Harare, Douglas Mwonzora, and the party spokesperson said: "The party respects the right of individuals and institutions to carry out opinion surveys on the views of the people of Zimbabwe from time to time. However, we note that surveys carried out under current conditions are difficult to rely on due to the fact that they are held under conditions of major fluidity".
He said given the margin of terror acknowledged in the report, it is difficult to rely on the report to gauge the opinion of the people of Zimbabwe on their political choice.
"We note that a lot of people interviewed refused to disclose their political preferences. This is obviously for fear of intimidation and the violence they have been subjected to by Zanu-PF and its military junta. This margin of terror fundamentally impugns the conclusion that can be derived from this report," he said.
A political analyst, Pedzisai Ruhanya, told Radio VOP that the report was 'unrealistic."
"It was conducted under a post traumatic political environment in which citizens were not open enough and were still nursing political injuries associated with the election in which Mugabe allegedly won under conditions of repression."
"People were not free to openly declare their political preferences. So what Freedom House got was the opposite of the reality. They must turn it upside down and the opposite of that report is the truth," Ruhanya said.
The MDC-T has been mired by factionalism since it entered the government of national unity with President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF.
On Thursday state media went to town over the findings of the survey, claiming Tsvangirai's party was facing its waterloo at the next polls.
Meanwhile Zanu-PF has welcomed results of the Survey, saying it shows that the party represents real wishes of Zimbabweans.
The survey done in conjunction with the Zimbabwe Mass Public Opinion Institute revealed that the MDC-T had lost support over the past one and a half years. The survey sampled 1 198 people from the 10 provinces of the country.
Zanu-PF spokesperson, Rugare Gumbo, said: "We are a true representative of the people of this country, and this can be evidenced by our policies which are people oriented."
"The policies which I am referring to include the land reform programme which we embarked on a decade ago and the on-going indigenisation programme. What more do people need? Hence the results of the survey you are referring to which I have not yet seen but heard of," he told Radio VOP on Wednesday.
Source - radiovop
