Opinion / Columnist
'Why we suspended Tsvangirai'
29 Apr 2014 at 06:18hrs | Views
Statement issued by the MDC (Tendai Biti faction), April 26 2014
WE the delegates of our people, being members of the MDC National Council, so lawfully constituted, met (Saturday), 26 April 2014 and noted the following about our Party and the State of our country;
(1) On 26 February representatives of the working people of Zimbabwe met in Hillside, Harare, at the National Working People s Convention and mandated the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions to establish whether or not the working people of Zimbabwe were ready for the formation of a political movement. Out of that consultative process the MDC was born at a colorful launch at Rufaro Stadium in Harare.
2) Right from the onset the MDC was bound by certain values and principles. The MDC was being formed to address the mischief of a system of false values created and fostered by Zanu-PF which included patronage, corruption, lack of internal and external democracy, violence, disrespect of the rule of law, abuse of power, intolerance, impunity, disrespect of the Constitution and the tyranny of personalised and privatised leadership.
(3) Article 3 of the MDC Constitution made it clear that the MDC would be a Social Democratic Party whose core values were solidarity, justice equality liberty, freedom, transparency accountability and servant leadership.
4) The same Constitution went on to define the character of the MDC, which included a strong objection to the use of violence, sexism, racialism, factionalism, frontisicm whilst promoting the values of free speech, diversity, democracy and gender equality.
5) Over the years, the MDC has developed tendencies and a culture that has led to the deviation from its core values. That culture has included the following: the use of violence as a way of settling disputes, corruption, disrespect of the constitution, a culture of impunity, the existence of parallel structures including a Kitchen Cabinet and vigilante groups associated with the leader.
6) These contradictions inevitably led to the split of the Party in October 2005.
(7) Despite the split and the revival of the Party between 2006 and 2008, the downward spiral to self-destruction did not stop. The old challenges of violence, abuse of the rule of law, disrespect of the rule of law, a weak, flip flopping leadership have remained a permanent infrastructure.
8) The spilt eliminated many of the original leaders of the party and, regrettably, this led to a consolidation of the leader's sole grip on same. The party transformed into a fiefdom of the Leader, where decision making, policy direction or lack thereof, have been monopolized and privatized. The artistic voice of the party, in song and poetry, the name and symbols of the party have been so personalised through the deified Leader.
9) Equally over the years the Party has become exclusive and has delinked from the working people of Zimbabwe, has totally isolated itself from its labour and civic society roots and the genuine aspirations of the working people.
10) The GNU totally exposed the permanent failures of the Party and those of the Leader. A systematic equalization and demobilization occurred in Government which in fact led to a serious moral and political devaluation of the movement and a serious de-branding of the same.
11) The Leader was clearly outsmarted by his co-principal in Government Robert Mugabe and miserably failed to push the Reform agenda, which was the primary reason of joining Government. The result was that of a party entering an election before the reform agenda was completed.
12) Very sadly the Leader's own personal indiscretions, lack of restraint, lack of judgment and an extravagant taste of high seas and high life, all done in the public glare regrettably brought the Party into disrepute.
13) The abuse by the Leader of dubious millions of dollars that came his way in questionable expenditure lines at a time when millions of Zimbabweans were starving and hundreds of victims of political violence were homeless or leaving in dire poverty marked a rupture of the leader and his working class roots.
14) The Party and leader that went into the election of 2013 was not the same as that which fought the elections of 2008. Despite the fact that the election was massively rigged, the large part of the original MDC base felt betrayed and disappointed by the people's movement. Many did not vote and the Party polled more or less the same votes it had in 2008.
15) In any event the massive and unmitigated internal election rigging during our primary elections executed crudely and naively by the Organising Secretary divided the party and seriously demobilized many of our people.
16) The election result and the post-election period has been a period of pain for the Party and the people of Zimbabwe. Internally questions about broad leadership and organizational renewal were at the fore. Externally the country entered into a period of unprecedented political, social, moral and economic crises.
17) Regrettably the Party has failed to respond to the national crises, has failed to offer an alternative genuine and credible vision to the crises.
18) Very significantly the Party has failed to proffer a genuine road map to the country on how deliverance and salvation from the Zanu-PF clutches of poverty, suffering and dictatorship can be achieved.
19) There has been a remarkable failure of leadership. The leader has been chasing shadows, including the shadow of another GNU, his endless personal issues, his hoped for pension and package, including ownership of the State mansion he is residing at.
20) As it became irrelevant nationally, the Party has entered into a new sustained phase of destruction.
21) On 23 January 2014 Deputy Treasurer General Elton Mangoma wrote a private and personal letter to the Leader raising the principal issues of his untenable position as leader of the party, his financial dishonesty and his indiscretions and his failure to lead.
22) The leader was incensed and saw this letter as a coup or attempt at a hostile corporate take-over. The values of freedom of speech and internal party democracy were exposed as non-existent.
23) Since then violence has become the order of the day, perpetuated by vigilantes created by the leader and his comrades in the Standing Committee against anyone aligned to the Democratic Renewal Campaign (DRC). The violence has gone unchecked and not a single individual has been censored or disciplined. The party's national spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora is in fact the standing lawyer of these vigilantes.
24) Unconstitutional activities have also become the order of the day. These include;
Unlawful dissolution of party structures, in particular the provinces of Matebeleland North and South.
Unlawful purges from structures of individuals perceived to be aligned to the Renewal Movement.
Unlawful and unconstitutional meetings including the meeting of District Chairs held at Harvest House on 15 February 2014.
The unlawful suspension of Elton Mangoma on 7 March 2014
The unlawful expulsion of Jacob Mafume, Eton Mangoma, Last Maingehama, and Promise Mkwananzi on 10 April 2014
The unlawful suspensions of Pishayi Muchauraya and Julius Magarangoma in March 2014.
The unlawful reconfiguration of membership of the National Council and the manipulation of the party membership list.
The suppression of internal debate, with meetings being turned into lynch mobs and rallies being churches of hate and denouncement of all members aligned to the DRC.
The unleashing of threats, duress and fear against anyone thought to be aligned to the DRC, in particular the threat of expulsion against Members of Parliament.
The total break-down of trust in the Party with those in the DRC thought to be enemies, traitors and rebels.
In short the complete Zanufication of the party and the emergence of a fascist element led and leading the leader.
(2) HAVING NOTED AND OBSERVED THE ABOVE, WE THE DELEGATES OF OUR OWN PEOPLE RESOLVED AND DECLARED AS FOLLOWS:
B. ON THE PARTY
1) The MDC as we know it has abandoned its original founding values and principles of social democracy, justice, equality, liberty, transparency, non-violence, constitutionalism and humble and obedient leadership.
2) The Party has been hijacked by a dangerous fascist clique bent on destroying the same and totally working against the working people of Zimbabwe
3) We as genuine democrats will remain in this Party, reinstating our commitment to the Party's original values, the rule of law and constitutionalism.
4) Our principled stand has created a total breakdown of relations with the fascist elements, which breakdown can now longer be retrieved .The basis of our difference is
The use of violence
The abuse of power and patronage system in the party
The use of and all other intimidatory tactics which have always been associated with Zanu-PF.
The use parallel structures including vigilantes, kitchen cabinets and other informal channels.
The culture of malice, rumours and gossip
The abuse and disrespect of the constitution
The personalization and privatization of the Party
The suppression of free speech and internal democracy in the Party.
The tyranny of impunity in the party and the selective application of rules in the Party
The abuse of the rule of law and the lack of restraint, caution of fear of public scrutiny
The dishonesty, lies and manipulation of facts and certain sections of the media
Tribalism, factionalism and unabated and n*ked power hunger
The descent of the party into a sycophantic, unthinking blood thirsty mob.
The absence of personal accountability and restraint
Disrespect for women and abuse of the same
5) We restate of commitment to a depersonalized and peaceful struggle for democratic change in Zimbabwe and the total victory over Zanu-PF and the system it represents
6) The Leader Morgan Tsvangirai can no longer be considered as a democrat or comrade in this struggle, is clearly unsuitable and has disqualified himself as a fit and proper patriot with the legitimacy, credibility, ability, decency or honesty of leading and executing the democratic struggle in Zimbabwe.
7) We the democrats gathered here no longer recognize him or his associates in the Standing Committee any capacity, therefore exercise our right to freedom of dissociation and will now pursue our struggle with genuine credible fellow Zimbabweans until real victory over Zanu-PF and its dictatorship is achieved and attained in this country.
8) As such we believe that the Party must immediately be placed under the control and curatorship of Party elders and veterans in the Guardians Council who must run the party and prepare for Congress where members should be free to elect new leadership.
10) We undertake to rebuild our beloved movement and restore the same to its former position as a leading post liberation movement on the African continent.
C. RETURN TO LEGITIMACY
1) We hereby reverse all the unlawful purges, suspensions and expulsions of party members effected since the 31 January 2013
2) We therefore reinstate Honorable Mangoma, Mafume, Last Maengahama and Promise Mkwananzi.
3) We reassert the party's control of its assets and confirm the directors of Laphonic enterprises Pvt Limited and ask them to protect and control party assets.
D. MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT
1) We are aware of threats of expulsion made by the leader and his vile lieutenants.
2) Members of Parliament were elected by the people and in the absence of a direct recall clause in our constitution, the people's will should be respected and upheld to the end of their term.
3) Equally Members of Parliament have a right to express their own views and to choose and associate with any values and views that are consistent with democracy, the rule of law and social justice.
4) To this extent we resolve to protect all MPs against unlawful fascist actions by the Leader's Fascist faction and our Secretary General is directed and ordered to write to Parliament in fulfilment of this resolution.
E. Ideology
1) We restate our social democratic values and our commitment to work with for the genuine upliftment of the working people of Zimbabwe.
2) We state categorically that we are African first of all and therefore shall be guided by pan Africanist world outlook and shall work with other African Governments.
WE the delegates of our people, being members of the MDC National Council, so lawfully constituted, met (Saturday), 26 April 2014 and noted the following about our Party and the State of our country;
(1) On 26 February representatives of the working people of Zimbabwe met in Hillside, Harare, at the National Working People s Convention and mandated the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions to establish whether or not the working people of Zimbabwe were ready for the formation of a political movement. Out of that consultative process the MDC was born at a colorful launch at Rufaro Stadium in Harare.
2) Right from the onset the MDC was bound by certain values and principles. The MDC was being formed to address the mischief of a system of false values created and fostered by Zanu-PF which included patronage, corruption, lack of internal and external democracy, violence, disrespect of the rule of law, abuse of power, intolerance, impunity, disrespect of the Constitution and the tyranny of personalised and privatised leadership.
(3) Article 3 of the MDC Constitution made it clear that the MDC would be a Social Democratic Party whose core values were solidarity, justice equality liberty, freedom, transparency accountability and servant leadership.
4) The same Constitution went on to define the character of the MDC, which included a strong objection to the use of violence, sexism, racialism, factionalism, frontisicm whilst promoting the values of free speech, diversity, democracy and gender equality.
5) Over the years, the MDC has developed tendencies and a culture that has led to the deviation from its core values. That culture has included the following: the use of violence as a way of settling disputes, corruption, disrespect of the constitution, a culture of impunity, the existence of parallel structures including a Kitchen Cabinet and vigilante groups associated with the leader.
6) These contradictions inevitably led to the split of the Party in October 2005.
(7) Despite the split and the revival of the Party between 2006 and 2008, the downward spiral to self-destruction did not stop. The old challenges of violence, abuse of the rule of law, disrespect of the rule of law, a weak, flip flopping leadership have remained a permanent infrastructure.
8) The spilt eliminated many of the original leaders of the party and, regrettably, this led to a consolidation of the leader's sole grip on same. The party transformed into a fiefdom of the Leader, where decision making, policy direction or lack thereof, have been monopolized and privatized. The artistic voice of the party, in song and poetry, the name and symbols of the party have been so personalised through the deified Leader.
9) Equally over the years the Party has become exclusive and has delinked from the working people of Zimbabwe, has totally isolated itself from its labour and civic society roots and the genuine aspirations of the working people.
10) The GNU totally exposed the permanent failures of the Party and those of the Leader. A systematic equalization and demobilization occurred in Government which in fact led to a serious moral and political devaluation of the movement and a serious de-branding of the same.
11) The Leader was clearly outsmarted by his co-principal in Government Robert Mugabe and miserably failed to push the Reform agenda, which was the primary reason of joining Government. The result was that of a party entering an election before the reform agenda was completed.
12) Very sadly the Leader's own personal indiscretions, lack of restraint, lack of judgment and an extravagant taste of high seas and high life, all done in the public glare regrettably brought the Party into disrepute.
13) The abuse by the Leader of dubious millions of dollars that came his way in questionable expenditure lines at a time when millions of Zimbabweans were starving and hundreds of victims of political violence were homeless or leaving in dire poverty marked a rupture of the leader and his working class roots.
14) The Party and leader that went into the election of 2013 was not the same as that which fought the elections of 2008. Despite the fact that the election was massively rigged, the large part of the original MDC base felt betrayed and disappointed by the people's movement. Many did not vote and the Party polled more or less the same votes it had in 2008.
15) In any event the massive and unmitigated internal election rigging during our primary elections executed crudely and naively by the Organising Secretary divided the party and seriously demobilized many of our people.
16) The election result and the post-election period has been a period of pain for the Party and the people of Zimbabwe. Internally questions about broad leadership and organizational renewal were at the fore. Externally the country entered into a period of unprecedented political, social, moral and economic crises.
17) Regrettably the Party has failed to respond to the national crises, has failed to offer an alternative genuine and credible vision to the crises.
18) Very significantly the Party has failed to proffer a genuine road map to the country on how deliverance and salvation from the Zanu-PF clutches of poverty, suffering and dictatorship can be achieved.
19) There has been a remarkable failure of leadership. The leader has been chasing shadows, including the shadow of another GNU, his endless personal issues, his hoped for pension and package, including ownership of the State mansion he is residing at.
20) As it became irrelevant nationally, the Party has entered into a new sustained phase of destruction.
21) On 23 January 2014 Deputy Treasurer General Elton Mangoma wrote a private and personal letter to the Leader raising the principal issues of his untenable position as leader of the party, his financial dishonesty and his indiscretions and his failure to lead.
22) The leader was incensed and saw this letter as a coup or attempt at a hostile corporate take-over. The values of freedom of speech and internal party democracy were exposed as non-existent.
24) Unconstitutional activities have also become the order of the day. These include;
Unlawful dissolution of party structures, in particular the provinces of Matebeleland North and South.
Unlawful purges from structures of individuals perceived to be aligned to the Renewal Movement.
Unlawful and unconstitutional meetings including the meeting of District Chairs held at Harvest House on 15 February 2014.
The unlawful suspension of Elton Mangoma on 7 March 2014
The unlawful expulsion of Jacob Mafume, Eton Mangoma, Last Maingehama, and Promise Mkwananzi on 10 April 2014
The unlawful suspensions of Pishayi Muchauraya and Julius Magarangoma in March 2014.
The unlawful reconfiguration of membership of the National Council and the manipulation of the party membership list.
The suppression of internal debate, with meetings being turned into lynch mobs and rallies being churches of hate and denouncement of all members aligned to the DRC.
The unleashing of threats, duress and fear against anyone thought to be aligned to the DRC, in particular the threat of expulsion against Members of Parliament.
The total break-down of trust in the Party with those in the DRC thought to be enemies, traitors and rebels.
In short the complete Zanufication of the party and the emergence of a fascist element led and leading the leader.
(2) HAVING NOTED AND OBSERVED THE ABOVE, WE THE DELEGATES OF OUR OWN PEOPLE RESOLVED AND DECLARED AS FOLLOWS:
B. ON THE PARTY
1) The MDC as we know it has abandoned its original founding values and principles of social democracy, justice, equality, liberty, transparency, non-violence, constitutionalism and humble and obedient leadership.
2) The Party has been hijacked by a dangerous fascist clique bent on destroying the same and totally working against the working people of Zimbabwe
3) We as genuine democrats will remain in this Party, reinstating our commitment to the Party's original values, the rule of law and constitutionalism.
4) Our principled stand has created a total breakdown of relations with the fascist elements, which breakdown can now longer be retrieved .The basis of our difference is
The use of violence
The abuse of power and patronage system in the party
The use of and all other intimidatory tactics which have always been associated with Zanu-PF.
The use parallel structures including vigilantes, kitchen cabinets and other informal channels.
The culture of malice, rumours and gossip
The abuse and disrespect of the constitution
The personalization and privatization of the Party
The suppression of free speech and internal democracy in the Party.
The tyranny of impunity in the party and the selective application of rules in the Party
The abuse of the rule of law and the lack of restraint, caution of fear of public scrutiny
The dishonesty, lies and manipulation of facts and certain sections of the media
Tribalism, factionalism and unabated and n*ked power hunger
The descent of the party into a sycophantic, unthinking blood thirsty mob.
The absence of personal accountability and restraint
Disrespect for women and abuse of the same
5) We restate of commitment to a depersonalized and peaceful struggle for democratic change in Zimbabwe and the total victory over Zanu-PF and the system it represents
6) The Leader Morgan Tsvangirai can no longer be considered as a democrat or comrade in this struggle, is clearly unsuitable and has disqualified himself as a fit and proper patriot with the legitimacy, credibility, ability, decency or honesty of leading and executing the democratic struggle in Zimbabwe.
7) We the democrats gathered here no longer recognize him or his associates in the Standing Committee any capacity, therefore exercise our right to freedom of dissociation and will now pursue our struggle with genuine credible fellow Zimbabweans until real victory over Zanu-PF and its dictatorship is achieved and attained in this country.
8) As such we believe that the Party must immediately be placed under the control and curatorship of Party elders and veterans in the Guardians Council who must run the party and prepare for Congress where members should be free to elect new leadership.
10) We undertake to rebuild our beloved movement and restore the same to its former position as a leading post liberation movement on the African continent.
C. RETURN TO LEGITIMACY
1) We hereby reverse all the unlawful purges, suspensions and expulsions of party members effected since the 31 January 2013
2) We therefore reinstate Honorable Mangoma, Mafume, Last Maengahama and Promise Mkwananzi.
3) We reassert the party's control of its assets and confirm the directors of Laphonic enterprises Pvt Limited and ask them to protect and control party assets.
D. MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT
1) We are aware of threats of expulsion made by the leader and his vile lieutenants.
2) Members of Parliament were elected by the people and in the absence of a direct recall clause in our constitution, the people's will should be respected and upheld to the end of their term.
3) Equally Members of Parliament have a right to express their own views and to choose and associate with any values and views that are consistent with democracy, the rule of law and social justice.
4) To this extent we resolve to protect all MPs against unlawful fascist actions by the Leader's Fascist faction and our Secretary General is directed and ordered to write to Parliament in fulfilment of this resolution.
E. Ideology
1) We restate our social democratic values and our commitment to work with for the genuine upliftment of the working people of Zimbabwe.
2) We state categorically that we are African first of all and therefore shall be guided by pan Africanist world outlook and shall work with other African Governments.
Source - MDC
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