News / National
Bennett, Tsvangirai clash
23 Mar 2014 at 07:09hrs | Views
MDC-T treasurer-general Mr Roy Bennett has blasted party leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai for the unconstitutional suspension of deputy treasurer-general Mr Elton Mangoma and has called on the embattled leader to return to the political outfit's founding principles.
Speaking to The Sunday Mail in an exclusive telephone interview from his base in South Africa, Mr Bennett said he was appalled by Mr Tsvangirai's departure from the party's "democratic processes".
"It is unfortunate that the party president has become power-hungry to such an extent that he is unwilling to listen to the majority and instead relies on his closest confidantes who are filling his head with untrue conspiracy theories.
"They have managed to convince him that we are out to get him, yet we are just calling for the democratic processes within the party to take precedence over our personal feelings," said Mr Bennett.
Mr Bennett said while it was true that several top officials within the party have called for "leadership renewal", the advocacy was informed by "genuine concern" that the party may never recover from the consecutive electoral defeats it has suffered.
"Those calls are not about Morgan Tsvangirai. The party is much bigger than Morgan Tsvangirai. All we are saying is maybe the people want a new face to take them to the next level," he said.
Mr Bennett spoke out against Mr Mangoma's suspension, describing it as unconstitutional. He commended party secretary-general Mr Tendai Biti for displaying courage by also disregarding the suspension.
"Mangoma was suspended unprocedurally. It was done unconstitutionally and I give credit to the secretary-general (Tendai Biti) for staying strong and upholding our constitution by rejecting the suspension.
"The president (Tsvangirai) should have sat down with all of his so-called opponents and asked them to back up their suggestions that the people wanted a renewal of leadership.
"His strong-handed approach has made him unpopular with the masses.
"According to our constitution, all of these suspensions are illegal . . . Instead of getting rid of people, we need to be pulling together to manage the problems we are facing."
Mr Bennett said the party had erred in suspending elected officials without the full backing of members from the provinces.
While confirming that he had met with Mr Biti in the company of some Western diplomats, Mr Bennett would not reveal the nature of the discussions.
"While I can't comment on what we discussed in the meeting, I can say that our partners are worried about what is happening in the party.
"Many of them are reconsidering their positions regarding the MDC," he said.
Speaking to The Sunday Mail in an exclusive telephone interview from his base in South Africa, Mr Bennett said he was appalled by Mr Tsvangirai's departure from the party's "democratic processes".
"It is unfortunate that the party president has become power-hungry to such an extent that he is unwilling to listen to the majority and instead relies on his closest confidantes who are filling his head with untrue conspiracy theories.
"They have managed to convince him that we are out to get him, yet we are just calling for the democratic processes within the party to take precedence over our personal feelings," said Mr Bennett.
Mr Bennett said while it was true that several top officials within the party have called for "leadership renewal", the advocacy was informed by "genuine concern" that the party may never recover from the consecutive electoral defeats it has suffered.
"Those calls are not about Morgan Tsvangirai. The party is much bigger than Morgan Tsvangirai. All we are saying is maybe the people want a new face to take them to the next level," he said.
Mr Bennett spoke out against Mr Mangoma's suspension, describing it as unconstitutional. He commended party secretary-general Mr Tendai Biti for displaying courage by also disregarding the suspension.
"Mangoma was suspended unprocedurally. It was done unconstitutionally and I give credit to the secretary-general (Tendai Biti) for staying strong and upholding our constitution by rejecting the suspension.
"The president (Tsvangirai) should have sat down with all of his so-called opponents and asked them to back up their suggestions that the people wanted a renewal of leadership.
"His strong-handed approach has made him unpopular with the masses.
"According to our constitution, all of these suspensions are illegal . . . Instead of getting rid of people, we need to be pulling together to manage the problems we are facing."
Mr Bennett said the party had erred in suspending elected officials without the full backing of members from the provinces.
While confirming that he had met with Mr Biti in the company of some Western diplomats, Mr Bennett would not reveal the nature of the discussions.
"While I can't comment on what we discussed in the meeting, I can say that our partners are worried about what is happening in the party.
"Many of them are reconsidering their positions regarding the MDC," he said.
Source - Sunday Mail
