News / National
'Tsvangirai has brought nothing to the table,' says Makoni
24 Apr 2013 at 21:37hrs | Views
MAVAMBO/KUSILE/DAWN leader Dr Simba Makoni says MDC formations have not brought anything positive to the livelihoods of Zimbabweans since the inception of the inclusive Government in 2009.
He said Zimbabwe was running on Zanu-PF-initiated policies, while the MDC formations concentrated on corruption and grandstanding. Dr Makoni made the remarks while addressing journalists in Harare yesterday.
"We are still being led under Zanu-PF policies and programmes, five years into the inclusive Government. Where is the initiative . . . the new input that we expected from members of the inclusive Government?
"Where are the new policies of the inclusive Government that came from the MDC component of it? As I read it, practically, every major policy and programme we have implemented in the last four years can be traced back to Zanu-PF. So where is the contribution of the non-Zanu-PF members of the inclusive Government? I would like to be educated on that."
The former finance minister said the only new development was an announcement of a 100-day plan of Government programmes which never materialised. "If we are to be fair and kind, that could be attributed to the new members of our Government at the beginning of the inclusive Government, but what of the 100-day plan do you experience everyday in the kombi or in the streets? I haven't encountered it," said Dr Makoni, who is also a former Zanu-PF Politburo member.
Dr Makoni said MDC officials had become synonymous with corruption since coming into Government whose performance he described as "dismal and pathetic".
"Corruption continues unabated. In fact, it has grown during the time of the inclusive Government. Those people we expected to deal with it have themselves joined the gravy train.
"You hear unending stories about how new members of the new authorities, whether they are local authorities or national authorities, whether they are councillors or ministers, scrambled at the earliest opportunity to amass and accumulate for themselves (wealth) while the rest of us continue to languish," Dr Makoni said.
He also took a swipe at Prime Minister Tsvangirai for claiming that the economy had stabilised because supermarkets were full of goods.
Dr Makoni said most of the goods in supermarkets were imported while local factories were "growing weeds".
MDC president Professor Welshman Ncube shares similar sentiments.
Speaking on a Star FM radio programme on Tuesday evening, Prof Ncube, who is also Minister of Industry and Commerce, said the MDC formations continued to be separated by fundamental differences.
"There is absolutely no likelihood in the circumstances of any coalition or reunification because the fundamental core issues that divided us then remain and there is no willingness by anyone to even begin to address them."
Prof Ncube accused Mr Tsvangirai of having dictatorial tendencies.
"We have issues of the use of violence as an instrument of political organisation where in the united MDC we began to organise young people to beat party members who disagreed with us.
"We have issues relating to corruption. We have issues to commitment to the equality of all Zimbabweans regardless of place of origin.
"Those are the core issues that divided us. We are as far apart as we were in 2005. In fact we are further apart in respect of those issues . . . you can forget that in the remaining three-four months before an election you can bridge that gap," said Prof Ncube.
Several MDC-T councillors were fired by the Government and their party for corruption.
Corruption was picked up at most MDC-T-led local authorities.
However, PM Tsvangirai's spokesperson Mr Luke Tamborinyoka claimed that some of the positives of the Inclusive Government were because of the MDC-T's participation in Government.
"Our positive contribution is palpable for all to see because inflation has come down from 500 billion to 4.4 percent. Schools and hospitals that had closed are now open, thanks to the MDC-T.
"It is also wrong to allege that PM Tsvangirai is corrupt when he is the only political leader in this country who has fired a whole council for corruption.
"PM Tsvangirai remains open to re-unification and working together with like-minded democrats who want to see Zimbabwe prosper," said Mr Tamborinyoka.
Meanwhile, Dr Makoni said his party was pushing for a "grand coalition" that would be open for "all like-minded" people.
He said the coalition would not be against anyone adding that overtures were already taking place.
The coalition, he said, would not exclude any political party or individuals who want to see the country prosper.
He said Zimbabwe was running on Zanu-PF-initiated policies, while the MDC formations concentrated on corruption and grandstanding. Dr Makoni made the remarks while addressing journalists in Harare yesterday.
"We are still being led under Zanu-PF policies and programmes, five years into the inclusive Government. Where is the initiative . . . the new input that we expected from members of the inclusive Government?
"Where are the new policies of the inclusive Government that came from the MDC component of it? As I read it, practically, every major policy and programme we have implemented in the last four years can be traced back to Zanu-PF. So where is the contribution of the non-Zanu-PF members of the inclusive Government? I would like to be educated on that."
The former finance minister said the only new development was an announcement of a 100-day plan of Government programmes which never materialised. "If we are to be fair and kind, that could be attributed to the new members of our Government at the beginning of the inclusive Government, but what of the 100-day plan do you experience everyday in the kombi or in the streets? I haven't encountered it," said Dr Makoni, who is also a former Zanu-PF Politburo member.
Dr Makoni said MDC officials had become synonymous with corruption since coming into Government whose performance he described as "dismal and pathetic".
"Corruption continues unabated. In fact, it has grown during the time of the inclusive Government. Those people we expected to deal with it have themselves joined the gravy train.
"You hear unending stories about how new members of the new authorities, whether they are local authorities or national authorities, whether they are councillors or ministers, scrambled at the earliest opportunity to amass and accumulate for themselves (wealth) while the rest of us continue to languish," Dr Makoni said.
He also took a swipe at Prime Minister Tsvangirai for claiming that the economy had stabilised because supermarkets were full of goods.
Dr Makoni said most of the goods in supermarkets were imported while local factories were "growing weeds".
MDC president Professor Welshman Ncube shares similar sentiments.
Speaking on a Star FM radio programme on Tuesday evening, Prof Ncube, who is also Minister of Industry and Commerce, said the MDC formations continued to be separated by fundamental differences.
"There is absolutely no likelihood in the circumstances of any coalition or reunification because the fundamental core issues that divided us then remain and there is no willingness by anyone to even begin to address them."
Prof Ncube accused Mr Tsvangirai of having dictatorial tendencies.
"We have issues of the use of violence as an instrument of political organisation where in the united MDC we began to organise young people to beat party members who disagreed with us.
"We have issues relating to corruption. We have issues to commitment to the equality of all Zimbabweans regardless of place of origin.
"Those are the core issues that divided us. We are as far apart as we were in 2005. In fact we are further apart in respect of those issues . . . you can forget that in the remaining three-four months before an election you can bridge that gap," said Prof Ncube.
Several MDC-T councillors were fired by the Government and their party for corruption.
Corruption was picked up at most MDC-T-led local authorities.
However, PM Tsvangirai's spokesperson Mr Luke Tamborinyoka claimed that some of the positives of the Inclusive Government were because of the MDC-T's participation in Government.
"Our positive contribution is palpable for all to see because inflation has come down from 500 billion to 4.4 percent. Schools and hospitals that had closed are now open, thanks to the MDC-T.
"It is also wrong to allege that PM Tsvangirai is corrupt when he is the only political leader in this country who has fired a whole council for corruption.
"PM Tsvangirai remains open to re-unification and working together with like-minded democrats who want to see Zimbabwe prosper," said Mr Tamborinyoka.
Meanwhile, Dr Makoni said his party was pushing for a "grand coalition" that would be open for "all like-minded" people.
He said the coalition would not be against anyone adding that overtures were already taking place.
The coalition, he said, would not exclude any political party or individuals who want to see the country prosper.
Source - herald
