News / National
Tsvangirai's US trip causes a storm
05 Sep 2012 at 05:41hrs | Views
Movement for Democratic Change leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai has come under fire for abandoning a critical meeting of Principals on Monday to attend the Democratic Party Convention in the United States.
The Constitution-making process is now at the level of principals who were expected to, among other things, discuss amendments made to the Copac draft Constitution by the Zanu-PF Politburo in the wake of recent admissions by Copac that it deviated from people's views.
Copac co-chair Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana (Zanu-PF) made the admission last week.
Mr Tsvangirai hurriedly left for the US, leaving his written response on the Zanu-PF amendments to other principals.
MDC-T spokesperson Mr Douglas Mwonzora confirmed his boss was in North Carolina, at the invitation of the Democratic Party that he said shared the ''same interests and principles" with MDC-T.
"He is there with the full mandate of the party as he is on a drive to strengthen our international relationship with other countries.
"The Constitution-making process was completed and we now have a draft Constitution.
"It is President Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party who are trying to rewrite the Global Political Agreement and refusing that document to go the Second All Stakeholders' Conference."
Mr Mwonzora said there was no need for Principals to meet to discuss the Copac draft.
"The GPA is clear on what should be done. Before he (Mr Tsvangirai) left, he wrote to President Mugabe about the party's position on the Zanu-PF draft Constitution.
"President Mugabe must by now be making considerations on the submissions made by president Tsvangirai," he said.
However, Presidential spokesperson Mr George Charamba said it was clear the MDC-T leader favoured foreign interests ahead of national issues.
"It is clear where the priority of the MDC-T president lies. He values his spectator status in front of the mini drama of the Democratic Party than he does issues to do with the future of his country.
"His interest is always outward, it is never inward. There is also a compelling reason for him to do so. He is going to assure the Americans after the Freedom House survey, which projected him as a bad political investment for the Americans," he said.
Mr Charamba said it was baseless for MDC-T spokesperson Mr Mwonzora to compare President Mugabe's participation at the recent Non Aligned Movement Summit in Iran where 120 world leaders attended to Mr Tsvangirai's attendance at a function of an American political party.
Zanu-PF secretary for administration, Didymus Mutasa, said Mr Tsvangirai confirmed the widely-perceived view that he was a loyal servant of the West.
"This confirms what we have always been saying that his (Mr Tsvangirai) interests are not here. He is a servant of those countries that used him and this is where my uncle Morgan Tsvangirai has gone to.
"It is a shame and people should put a clear distinction between politicians with good leadership qualities and those politicians who are occupying public offices without substance," he said.
Mutasa, who is also the Presidential Affairs Minister, said Constitution-making process was a critical issue that Mr Tsvangirai was not supposed to ignore.
He, however, said Mr Tsvangirai's trip to the US did not come as a surprise to Zanu-PF.
Mutasa said Zanu-PF was aware of Mr Tsvangirai's character and political background.
Zanu-PF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo said Mr Tsvangirai was just pandering to the whims of his Western handlers.
"He is not his own man. He thinks that the convention was more important than solving his political problems.
"He has gone to get fresh instructions on how to deal with the Constitution-making process and the whole political situation in the country," he said.
Professor Arthur Mutambara, who is the other principal to the GPA, could not be reached for comment at the time of going to press.
Ever since he was appointed Prime Minister, Mr Tsvangirai has visited many Western capitals meeting his party sponsors.
The Democratic Party Convention in North Carolina is expected to endorse Mr Obama as its presidential candidate for the elections set for November.
In May this year, the MDC-T leader rushed to the US after his party's secretary-general Mr Tendai Biti mesmerised Americans with a charming presentation at the Atlantic Council of the US.
The Constitution-making process is now at the level of principals who were expected to, among other things, discuss amendments made to the Copac draft Constitution by the Zanu-PF Politburo in the wake of recent admissions by Copac that it deviated from people's views.
Copac co-chair Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana (Zanu-PF) made the admission last week.
Mr Tsvangirai hurriedly left for the US, leaving his written response on the Zanu-PF amendments to other principals.
MDC-T spokesperson Mr Douglas Mwonzora confirmed his boss was in North Carolina, at the invitation of the Democratic Party that he said shared the ''same interests and principles" with MDC-T.
"He is there with the full mandate of the party as he is on a drive to strengthen our international relationship with other countries.
"The Constitution-making process was completed and we now have a draft Constitution.
"It is President Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party who are trying to rewrite the Global Political Agreement and refusing that document to go the Second All Stakeholders' Conference."
Mr Mwonzora said there was no need for Principals to meet to discuss the Copac draft.
"The GPA is clear on what should be done. Before he (Mr Tsvangirai) left, he wrote to President Mugabe about the party's position on the Zanu-PF draft Constitution.
"President Mugabe must by now be making considerations on the submissions made by president Tsvangirai," he said.
However, Presidential spokesperson Mr George Charamba said it was clear the MDC-T leader favoured foreign interests ahead of national issues.
"It is clear where the priority of the MDC-T president lies. He values his spectator status in front of the mini drama of the Democratic Party than he does issues to do with the future of his country.
"His interest is always outward, it is never inward. There is also a compelling reason for him to do so. He is going to assure the Americans after the Freedom House survey, which projected him as a bad political investment for the Americans," he said.
Mr Charamba said it was baseless for MDC-T spokesperson Mr Mwonzora to compare President Mugabe's participation at the recent Non Aligned Movement Summit in Iran where 120 world leaders attended to Mr Tsvangirai's attendance at a function of an American political party.
Zanu-PF secretary for administration, Didymus Mutasa, said Mr Tsvangirai confirmed the widely-perceived view that he was a loyal servant of the West.
"This confirms what we have always been saying that his (Mr Tsvangirai) interests are not here. He is a servant of those countries that used him and this is where my uncle Morgan Tsvangirai has gone to.
"It is a shame and people should put a clear distinction between politicians with good leadership qualities and those politicians who are occupying public offices without substance," he said.
Mutasa, who is also the Presidential Affairs Minister, said Constitution-making process was a critical issue that Mr Tsvangirai was not supposed to ignore.
He, however, said Mr Tsvangirai's trip to the US did not come as a surprise to Zanu-PF.
Mutasa said Zanu-PF was aware of Mr Tsvangirai's character and political background.
Zanu-PF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo said Mr Tsvangirai was just pandering to the whims of his Western handlers.
"He is not his own man. He thinks that the convention was more important than solving his political problems.
"He has gone to get fresh instructions on how to deal with the Constitution-making process and the whole political situation in the country," he said.
Professor Arthur Mutambara, who is the other principal to the GPA, could not be reached for comment at the time of going to press.
Ever since he was appointed Prime Minister, Mr Tsvangirai has visited many Western capitals meeting his party sponsors.
The Democratic Party Convention in North Carolina is expected to endorse Mr Obama as its presidential candidate for the elections set for November.
In May this year, the MDC-T leader rushed to the US after his party's secretary-general Mr Tendai Biti mesmerised Americans with a charming presentation at the Atlantic Council of the US.
Source - TH
