News / National
Chamisa barred from MDC-T Congress
06 Oct 2020 at 20:23hrs | Views
MDC Alliance president Nelson Chamisa and other party members are not welcome at the MDC-T's extraordinary congress, reinstated secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora has said.
The MDC-T is set to hold an extraordinary congress before November 30 after the party was ordered by the Supreme Court to elect a leader who will replace founding president Morgan Tsvangirai.
Tsvangirai died in February 2018.
Speaking on New Zim TV's The Agenda Monday, Mwonzora said the MDC-T would not allow Chamisa to determine his competitor at any election by taking part in their congress as he already led a separate political party.
In its ruling, the Supreme Court said the MDC-T should use its 2014 structures to attend the congress. In 2014, Chamisa was the secretary for policy and eligible to be part of the congress.
However, Mwonzora's comments follow recent developments in the MDC-T that have seen a dramatic acceptance of the Supreme Court ruling by close associates of Chamisa.
Mwonzora said by staying within the MDC Alliance party after the March Supreme Court ruling, Chamisa, and all recalled MPs and councillors had expelled themselves from the MDC-T.
"Why does it take seven months for people to realise that they are wrong. From day one Senator Morgen Komichi and I spoke at the Supreme Court that we must honour this judgment, they refused," he said.
"They went further to say they are no longer members of the MDC-T. They renounced their membership and in terms of Clause 5.10.a, of our constitution they automatically terminated their membership.
"If you terminate your membership of the MDC-T and you want to come back there are ways to do that. You make your application and your application is processed, considered by the national council and the decision is communicated to you by the secretary-general.
"Here are people who left the party, formed their outfit and their project is crumbling, everything that they are doing they are doing it wrong.
"Right now, the legal position is that everybody who was recalled is no longer a member of MDC-T. Everybody who is a member of the Standing Committee of another political party cannot be a member of our political party.
"If you are a member of the national executive of another political party, you cannot be a member of our political party. If you are a member of the national council of another political party, you cannot be a member of our party.
"If you are a member of the congress of another political party, you cannot be a member of our congress, because it stands to reason, because you have your own political party, you have your own political project, you cannot be allowed to have a say on who your opponent is going to be.
"In this case, we are going to be electing a president. That person is likely to be our presidential candidate versus their candidate. How can they come to determine who their opponent is?
"Nelson Chamisa has said it himself; he is a lawyer; he is an advocate. He knows the constitution of the MDC and through his own mouth, he said he was no longer a member of the MDC-T and he went on to say he will never come to our congress, it is there.
"He said it is a Zanu PF congress and, therefore, he is not interested. Since when then Mr. Advocate has this ceased to be a Zanu PF project?"
The MDC-T is set to hold an extraordinary congress before November 30 after the party was ordered by the Supreme Court to elect a leader who will replace founding president Morgan Tsvangirai.
Tsvangirai died in February 2018.
Speaking on New Zim TV's The Agenda Monday, Mwonzora said the MDC-T would not allow Chamisa to determine his competitor at any election by taking part in their congress as he already led a separate political party.
In its ruling, the Supreme Court said the MDC-T should use its 2014 structures to attend the congress. In 2014, Chamisa was the secretary for policy and eligible to be part of the congress.
However, Mwonzora's comments follow recent developments in the MDC-T that have seen a dramatic acceptance of the Supreme Court ruling by close associates of Chamisa.
Mwonzora said by staying within the MDC Alliance party after the March Supreme Court ruling, Chamisa, and all recalled MPs and councillors had expelled themselves from the MDC-T.
"Why does it take seven months for people to realise that they are wrong. From day one Senator Morgen Komichi and I spoke at the Supreme Court that we must honour this judgment, they refused," he said.
"They went further to say they are no longer members of the MDC-T. They renounced their membership and in terms of Clause 5.10.a, of our constitution they automatically terminated their membership.
"If you terminate your membership of the MDC-T and you want to come back there are ways to do that. You make your application and your application is processed, considered by the national council and the decision is communicated to you by the secretary-general.
"Here are people who left the party, formed their outfit and their project is crumbling, everything that they are doing they are doing it wrong.
"Right now, the legal position is that everybody who was recalled is no longer a member of MDC-T. Everybody who is a member of the Standing Committee of another political party cannot be a member of our political party.
"If you are a member of the national executive of another political party, you cannot be a member of our political party. If you are a member of the national council of another political party, you cannot be a member of our party.
"If you are a member of the congress of another political party, you cannot be a member of our congress, because it stands to reason, because you have your own political party, you have your own political project, you cannot be allowed to have a say on who your opponent is going to be.
"In this case, we are going to be electing a president. That person is likely to be our presidential candidate versus their candidate. How can they come to determine who their opponent is?
"Nelson Chamisa has said it himself; he is a lawyer; he is an advocate. He knows the constitution of the MDC and through his own mouth, he said he was no longer a member of the MDC-T and he went on to say he will never come to our congress, it is there.
"He said it is a Zanu PF congress and, therefore, he is not interested. Since when then Mr. Advocate has this ceased to be a Zanu PF project?"
Source - newzimbabwe
