Yes to polls: MDC

[XXPANTHAXX]

Herald Reporter

THE MDC yesterday said it would now participate in the March
31 parliamentary elections, backtracking from its earlier
statement that it would not take part in any election in the
country.

Addressing journalists at Harvest House, the party’s head
office in Harare, spokesman Mr Paul Themba Nyathi said the
MDC national council, its supreme decision-making body,
resolved to participate in the forthcoming elections.

The party announced in August last year that it had suspended
participation in all elections, claiming that the Government
had not fully complied with the Southern African Development
Community (Sadc) principles and guidelines governing
democratic elections.

Mr Nyathi, who was flanked by Harare East legislator Mr
Tendai Biti, said the party would go into the general
elections under protest. He claimed that the Government had
not yet put in place a conducive environment that allows for
a free and fair election.

"This is a decision based primarily on the demands of our
people, the working people of Zimbabwe, who wish to exercise
their hard-fought and inalienable right of voting," said Mr
Nyathi.

"The participation is, therefore, a strategic decision to
recognise our internal democracy and sanctity of nationhood
and the right to vote."

Mr Nyathi made the unfounded claims of violence despite the
fact that the party’s president, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai,
recently acknowledged that calls by the Government and police
for a peaceful election have been heeded by many people as
there is peace in the country ahead of the polls.

In one of his weekly messages last month, Mr Tsvangirai said
incidents of political violence were minimal in the run-up to
the March elections.

"Through latter-day exhortations to its supporters to display
some form of political civility in the run-up to the next
election, the regime is at least sending out positive signals
to the people. I must recognise and record what appears to be
a change of rhythm within the police force, especially the
force’s public stance towards direct, physical violence," Mr
Tsvangirai wrote.

"Although pockets of rogue elements still exist here and
there, by and large, we have witnessed a decrease in cases of
open violence against political opponents. We are willing to
work with the police and Zanu-PF to open up Zimbabwe’s
political space."

President Mugabe, the Minister of Home Affairs, Cde Kembo
Mohadi, and Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri have said
there would be zero tolerance to violence and measures would
be taken to ensure violence does not mar the elections.

Police have said they would deal with violence whether intra-
party or inter-party.

Zanu-PF MPs Kindness Paradza (Makonde) and Phone Madiro
(Hurungwe West) have appeared in court charged with public
violence following clashes between their supporters and those
of their rivals ahead of the ruling party’s primary
elections, which have since been concluded.

Mr Nyathi said the party felt let down by Sadc, which, he
said, had not exerted enough pressure on Zimbabwe to comply
with the regional bloc’s principles.

Mr Tsvangirai has been on a whirlwind tour of Sadc member
states and some Western countries to garner political
sympathy ahead of the polls. He has travelled to South
Africa, Mauritius, Botswana and Zambia, among other
countries.

The MDC leader has also travelled to some European capitals
since he got his passport back after his acquittal on treason
charges last October.

"We note with regret the failure of Sadc to put the regime on
the spot and demanding the reproduction and implementation of
fair electoral standards in this country. Zimbabweans feel
betrayed and let down by the region," said Mr Nyathi.

However, the Government has since established the Zimbabwe
Electoral Commission, an independent body to run all
elections and referendums in line with the Sadc principles
and guidelines, which are just principles and guidelines and
not a protocol.

The guidelines are supposed to be implemented in terms of a
Sadc member’s national laws.

A number of changes in line with the guidelines will also be
introduced to the electoral system through the newly codified
Electoral Act.

Both Zanu-PF and the MDC participated in debate on the
Electoral Act and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission Act when
they were still Bills and passed them after agreeing on a
number of amendments.

Mr Nyathi said the MDC national council expressed concern
over the alleged violation of the one-man one-vote principle,
through "the continued disenfranchisement of Zimbabweans
because of their ancestry, place of residence and the flawed
voter registration and management regime".

The Government has said Zimbabweans not resident in the
country cannot vote because according to the laws of the
country, the elections are constituency-based.

Mr Nyathi said the MDC had not been under pressure from
anyone to take part in the election.

"We have not been pressured by President Mbeki or anyone to
contest these polls. The decision is solely from the MDC."

Following the announcement by the MDC that it had called off
its earlier stated boycott of the election, National
Constitutional Assembly (NCA) chairman Dr Lovemore Madhuku
reiterated that Zanu-PF would overwhelmingly win the March 31
polls because the MDC was a write-off.

Speaking at a seminar under the theme "Intra-Party Democracy
in Zimbabwe" last night, Dr Madhuku castigated MDC leaders,
whom he said were becoming more and more unreasonable as they
mistakenly imagine that they have a monopoly on democracy.

Dr Madhuku said the MDC would win fewer seats than it won in
2000 when it took more than 50 constituencies.

‘To us in the NCA, the decision (to participate) is fine,
though it is disappointing. But we appreciate the fact that
whether the MDC participates in the election or not, the
outcome will be the same as Zanu-PF will post a convincing
majority.’’

The NCA leader said the MDC would be a write-off after the
elections since the only hope it had to attain power was to
mobilise street protests.

"If MDC leaders fail to do this, then it will be over for
them.’’

Dr Madhuku repeated his call for civic groups to galvanise
and present a united front against Zanu-PF, though he was
quick to acknowledge that the NCA does not have the muscle to
take on the initiative alone.

His statement was a reaffirmation of the gist of the speech
he made during a presentation in Washington last week on
Thursday titled "Zimbabwe at a Crossroads" where he told his
audience that the MDC was no longer a formidable party.

He told last night’s gathering that after the publication of
his statement in The Herald yesterday, he received numerous
calls from opposition elements who wanted clarification.

"I told them that you cannot know me from The Herald, and I
repeat it here the MDC will not win the election in March."

Dr Madhuku said the MDC’s decision to contest, just like the
earlier boycott announcement, was just an indication of the
lack of democracy in the party as the rank and file of the
opposition was not consulted.

This is not the first time Dr Madhuku has castigated the MDC.
After the ill-fated "final push" in 2003, he took a swipe at
MDC leader Mr Tsvangirai on numerous occasions, accusing him
of lacking the capacity to unseat the Zanu-PF Government.

His statements were echoed by former Harare South MP Ms
Margaret Dongo, who told last night’s meeting that what
Zimbabwe needs was not the kind of change being advocated by
the MDC.

In apparent reference to Mr Tsvangirai, Ms Dongo said: "A
person who cannot make a decision is very dangerous,
muchenjere kufarira n’anga neinobata mai."

Ms Dongo took a swipe at Mr Raymond Majongwe, who had earlier
on referred to the Zanu-PF leadership as terrorists. She
reminded him that it was because of "the terrorists", both
living and dead, that he was able to attend a seminar "like
this one".

Mr Majongwe, who has been booed at previous seminars for his
statements, publicly distanced himself from the MDC.

The seminar, which had representatives from the NCA, Zanu-PF
and the Media Institute of Southern Africa, was organised by
the Crisis Coalition in Zimbabwe.

The MDC leadership was not represented, but its district
executive members for Harare attended.

Dr William Nhara, who represented Zanu-PF, reminded the
opposition groups that "March 31st will be payback time for
our democracy".

President Mugabe this week proclaimed March 31 as the day
when the elections would be held.

The Nomination Court would sit on February 18 in various
centres across the country to accept candidates for the
elections.