Biti Open To Coalition With Mujuru, Ncube, Makoni, Madhuku, Dabengwa But Not Tsvangirai

FORMER Finance Minister Tendai Biti literally slammed the door in the face of his erstwhile comrade MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai but indicated he was willing to work with former Zanu PF second in command Joice Mujuru and her People First project.

In his address to his MDC-Renewal now People’s Democratic Party congress in Harare Thursday, Biti said he would also revive re-unification talks with former industry minister Welshman Ncube’s MDC as well as coalition talks with Zapu, Simba Makoni’s Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn and Lovemore Madhuku’s NCA.

“We want to operate on the principles of working together with like-minded, value driven political players in our country,” he said.

“So yes we will talk to Welshman Ncube and complete the unfinished business of our re-unification agreement signed in November last year; we will talk to Simba Makoni, Zapu and Lovemore Madhuku finish the unfinished business of the coalition agreement signed in August last 2014.”

The PDP congress was also attended by representatives of the embassies from Tanzania, Nigeria, Australia, Britain, Zambia, Vice Presidents of Zapu and MDC.

The former finance minister said his party is aware that the democratic struggle has for the past 15 years failed to dislodge President Robert Mugabe because it lacked the liberation component.

“We are aware that the coalition we seek should include the past and the present to come up with the future. Heritage plus the new wave of post-independent democrats equals the future,” he said.

“We will work with the generation of the past, not on the terms of the past in order to create a new and better Zanu PF. But on the agenda of the young and new democratic generation to create a Zimbabwe in which citizens can live happy and prosperous lives.”

But Biti did not mince his words when it came to Tsvangirai who he had a nasty fall-out following the electoral humiliation in 2013 at the hands of Mugabe and Zanu PF.

“We have engaged in a physical battle for democratic change for 15 years. We have marvelled at the numbers at stadia and other spaces,” he said.

“On July 28 2013 50 000 of us crammed into that open space just outside the magistrates courts here in Harare. We though two days later Zimbabwe would come but alas it did not.

“We need to change tact and work together but only on principle. We must all be bound by values and principles. It is no use massing thousands of Zimbabweans together when there are no common values binding people.”

“Some of our colleagues believe that some are more equal than others or some are bigger than others, and if that is your mind-set we will leave you with your leaking ‘big tent,” said Biti in a remark directly pointed at Tsvangirai’s own policy of coalition under the former Prime Minister.

The former treasury chief accepted responsibility for the failure of the opposition movement to remove Mugabe from power.

“We have walked a long road before and after the formation of the MDC in 1999. You have witnessed the various contradictions in the democratic movement.

“You have been disappointed by our own collective idiocy, the various splits in the democratic movement.

“You saw our nakedness in the inclusive government and you see our stupidity in the policies we implement in the various local authorities that we control.

“For all those mistakes and faults in the democratic movement I want to apologise and say sorry,” Biti added.  source-newzimbabwe

see more at www.newzimbabwevision.com

Leave a Comment