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MDC-T wants coalition with Zanu-PF, says Biti
04 Feb 2014 at 21:42hrs | Views
THE MDC-T has said it is open to a new dialogue with Zanu-PF to rescue the country's economy arguing the ruling party has proved it is unequal to the task over the six months since claiming victory in last year's elections.
MDC-T Secretary General and Shadow Finance Minister Tendai Biti told reporters in Harare at his second state of the country's economy address that the MDC-T was open to dialogue with Zanu-PF over forming another coalition administration.
Biti said because the Zanu-PF government had failed to honour promises which it made during the campaign period last year, the party should surrender the running of the country's affairs.
In its election manifesto Zanu-PF said it was going to review working conditions of services of government workers to be commensurate with the poverty datum line, which is currently at about $600.
But the government only managed to award a $79 salary increment to civil servants with now the least paid earning slightly above $300.
"All we can say as MDC is that the nation needs dialogue, It is clear that Zanu-PF is directionless, and clueless and there has to be dialogue in this country. It is very key that there has to be dialogue," said Biti.
"It is a very dangerous situation to have a country which is not talking to each other. It's a whole mark of instability the whole mark of a broken down society. So Zimbabweans have to talk to each other to come up with a solution.
"The starting point is on the side of Zanu-PF to accept that it has failed. To accept that they cannot lead us on their own; to accept that they are men of the past and to accept that problems are not solved by the same mind-set that created them - never mind that they are on the elderly side of life there has to be dialogue."
The MDC-T worked with President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party in a unity administration following the violent but inconclusive 2008 elections.
The coalition government is credited with helping ease political tensions, stabilizing a collapsing economy and forcing it onto some sustained if marginal recovery over the last five years.
The unity government, which was reviled by Zanu-PF, ended with the July 31 2013 election won by Mugabe but rejected by the MDC-T as fraudulent.
MDC-T Secretary General and Shadow Finance Minister Tendai Biti told reporters in Harare at his second state of the country's economy address that the MDC-T was open to dialogue with Zanu-PF over forming another coalition administration.
Biti said because the Zanu-PF government had failed to honour promises which it made during the campaign period last year, the party should surrender the running of the country's affairs.
In its election manifesto Zanu-PF said it was going to review working conditions of services of government workers to be commensurate with the poverty datum line, which is currently at about $600.
But the government only managed to award a $79 salary increment to civil servants with now the least paid earning slightly above $300.
"All we can say as MDC is that the nation needs dialogue, It is clear that Zanu-PF is directionless, and clueless and there has to be dialogue in this country. It is very key that there has to be dialogue," said Biti.
"It is a very dangerous situation to have a country which is not talking to each other. It's a whole mark of instability the whole mark of a broken down society. So Zimbabweans have to talk to each other to come up with a solution.
"The starting point is on the side of Zanu-PF to accept that it has failed. To accept that they cannot lead us on their own; to accept that they are men of the past and to accept that problems are not solved by the same mind-set that created them - never mind that they are on the elderly side of life there has to be dialogue."
The MDC-T worked with President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party in a unity administration following the violent but inconclusive 2008 elections.
The coalition government is credited with helping ease political tensions, stabilizing a collapsing economy and forcing it onto some sustained if marginal recovery over the last five years.
The unity government, which was reviled by Zanu-PF, ended with the July 31 2013 election won by Mugabe but rejected by the MDC-T as fraudulent.
Source - newzim
