Tsvangirai vows not to fire security forces if elected

PRIME MINISTER Morgan Tsvangirai has assured soldiers and police that if elected into office, his government would not fire anyone of them if they operated professionally.

Addressing MDC-T supporters in Chiredzi on Saturday, Tsvangirai said if anything, his party was concerned about the welfare of soldiers.

"As MDC, we don't hate the army and our police force. We want them to be professional. We want to improve their welfare. MDC will not fire people from the army. We want them to be professional and not subvert the will of the people," Tsvangirai said.

Tsvangirai has had a protracted fight with security chiefs, accusing them of being partisan, especially in the run-up to elections.

So heated has the security sector issue been that Sadc, guarantors of the Global Political Agreement, has ordered its immediate realignment, saying it could no longer be postponed.

Tsvangirai said there was need to sanitise the judiciary system, the security forces and public media as the country surges towards elections.

Several senior army officers have publicly denounced Tsvangirai and threatened not to recognise any other leader except one from Zanu-PF.

Last year, a close Tsvangirai confidant told NewsDay that the Premier was prepared to offer the army chiefs amnesty to ensure a peaceful transition.

"We have to manage the transition and say let sleeping dogs lie. He (Tsvangirai) is ready to pardon them although he doesn't say what they did was good," the aide said.

Addressing the Chiredzi rally, Tsvangirai said he would never betray the people even in difficult situations.

"I will not betray you even when it is difficult. You know what I stand for and I will not betray you," Tsvangirai said.