MDC-T says Mugabe is too sickly to provide any solution to Zimbabwe’s woes when he addresses the nation tomorrow

The Morgan Tsvangirai faction of the Movement for Democratic Change today said President Robert Mugabe is a tired and sickly old man who is not likely to provide any solutions to the country’s economic problems when he addresses the nation tomorrow.

Mugabe is expected to address both houses of Parliament tomorrow at 3pm in his first State-of-the-Nation address since he won the elections in 2013 which the MDC-T insists he rigged.

“Mugabe is not going to proffer any sustainable and bankable solutions in his state of the nation address,” MDC-T spokesman Obert Gutu said today.

“We are dealing with a tired and sickly old man who has clearly seen better days in his political life. As such, the nation should expect the same old, tired and recycled story of so – called regime change agents working in cahoots with Western “imperialists” in order to force the collapse of the ZANU-PF government.

“We should expect a litany of insults and some other such unhelpful utterances to be made by Mugabe as he desperately seeks to hoodwink the nation into believing that his bankrupt and beleaguered regime will, somehow, manage to turn around the economic fortunes of Zimbabwe.”

Gutu said Mugabe’s government is “utterly and completely unable to lead Zimbabwe out of the prevailing socio – economic decay and financial doldrums”.

“To expect the ZANU-PF regime to successfully turn around the economic and political fortunes of Zimbabwe is just as delusional and fictional as expecting the sun to rise in the west and set in the east. The fact of the matter is that Robert Mugabe and his corrupt and bankrupt ZANU-PF regime are now beyond redemption. They are no longer fit for purpose.”

Gutu said his party, on the other hand, has what it takes to lift Zimbabwe out of its political and economic quagmire and would be soon unveiling its health, labour, mining, women and youth upliftment policies.

The party, he said, had already unveiled its local government blueprint.

Full statement:

Monday, 24 August 2015
Nothing meaningful to come from Mugabe tomorrow

The last harmonized elections in Zimbabwe were held on July 31, 2013; ushering in a hugely disputed and controversial outcome that has, ever since, set the country on the path of unprecedented economic decline coupled with a debilitating liquidity crunch.

Since Zanu PF successfully managed to rig the elections on July 31, 2013 no less than 150 000 workers have since lost their jobs as several companies and industries continue to close down, downsize or simply terminate employment contracts of thousands of desperate workers. The situation was made worse since that fateful day, Friday, July 17, 2015 when the Supreme Court handed down a drastic and draconian ruling that literally gave employers carte blanche to terminate their employees’ contracts of employment upon giving a mere three (3) months’ notice.

On the backdrop of this catastrophic court ruling, at least 25 000 workers have since lost their jobs in just over a month. It is against this background that the MDC, as the country’s largest and most popular political party, has to immediately rise up and provide workable and bankable alternative solutions to an otherwise clueless and visionless regime that is fronted by the nonagenarian, Robert Mugabe and his deeply fractured and faction – ridden Zanu PF party.

Robert Mugabe is scheduled to present his state of the nation address (SONA) during a joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament on Tuesday, August 25, 2015. Unfortunately, it would be unwise for the poverty – stricken and politically downtrodden people of Zimbabwe to expect anything meaningful and workable to come out of Mugabe’s SONA.

Mugabe is not going to proffer any sustainable and bankable solutions in his state of the nation address. We are dealing with a tired and sickly old man who has clearly seen better days in his political life. As such, the nation should expect the same old, tired and recycled story of so – called regime change agents working in cahoots with Western “imperialists” in order to force the collapse of the Zanu PF government. We should expect a litany of insults and some other such unhelpful utterances to be made by Mugabe as he desperately seeks to hoodwink the nation into believing that his bankrupt and beleaguered regime will, somehow, manage to turn around the economic fortunes of Zimbabwe.

The long and short of it, however, is that Mugabe’s regime is utterly and completely unable to lead Zimbabwe out of the prevailing socio – economic decay and financial doldrums. To expect the Zanu PF regime to successfully turn around the economic and political fortunes of Zimbabwe is just as delusional and fictional as expecting the sun to rise in the west and set in the east. The fact of the matter is that Robert Mugabe and his corrupt and bankrupt Zanu PF regime are now beyond redemption. They are no longer fit for purpose.

The people of Zimbabwe, against all odds, have shown their unwavering faith in and support for Morgan Tsvangirai and the MDC that he leads. Our outstanding performance during the inclusive government era proved, beyond a shadow of doubt, that the MDC has got what it takes to successfully govern this country and to take Zimbabwe out of the economic and political quagmire in which it finds itself trapped, thanks to three decades of unbridled corruption, thievery and misrule at the hands of Robert Mugabe and his crumbling regime.

The MDC is the de facto government – in – waiting in Zimbabwe. We have a raft of policies and measures that we have crafted in order to take the country out of the cul de sac of grinding poverty and economic deprivation in which we are currently trapped. Only a few days ago, we unveiled our Smart Cities concept document that is deliberately targeted at creating modern and properly administered cities and towns in Zimbabwe.

Our local government policy blueprint is a brilliant document that clearly and saliently articulates the local government policy that an MDC government will initiate when it comes into power very soon. We will work diligently to cleanse and chlorinate both the local government infrastructure and superstructure of years of Zanu PF – induced decay and endemic corruption.

Traditional leaders will be accorded the genuine respect and authority that they deserve and in this respect, an MDC government shall ensure that politicians are not allowed to bastardize and contaminate the very noble institute of chieftainship. Put differently, traditional leaders will assume their respectable and authoritative positions in their local communities. They will not be misused and abused like disposable political tools who have virtually no meaningful role to play in the socio – economic development of their communities.

In the coming few weeks, the MDC will be unpacking its policies on health, labour, mining, women and youth upliftment etc in order to give the people of Zimbabwe hope that everything is not lost because of years of misrule and misgovernance by Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF regime.

The MDC has a plan to comprehensively rectify the depressing economic misery and political repression that continues, unabated, to ravage the lives of millions of Zimbabweans living within the country and also in the Diaspora. We will ensure that millions of jobs are created as we stimulate the country’s macro – economic growth by adopting effective and sustainable policies that will breathe new life into our agro – based economy.

The small and medium enterprise sector should be given special attention by any patriotic government since this very important component of the country’s population can easily act as a viable factor in sustainable poverty reduction and alleviation. An MDC government shall ensure that endemic poverty is eliminated within a very short period of time. The prevailing state of affairs where in more than 85% of the people are living in abject poverty i.e. on less than US$2 per day, is simply unsustainable. Indeed, Zimbabwe is too rich to be poor.

The Constitution of Zimbabwe, unanimously adopted by the people in a referendum in February 2013 and coming into effect in May 2013, is a very progressive supreme law of the land that, unfortunately, the Zanu PF regime has never been very keen to respect and uphold. More than two years after the adoption of the new Constitution, we still have at least 400 pieces of legislation that are yet to be harmonized with the provisions of the supreme law of the land.

Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF regime have always had a very low appetite for respect of the rule of law as well as for the principle of constitutionalism. This, among other instances, was recently proven by the grossly unconstitutional manner in which the new Minister of Local Government has purportedly ‘dismissed’ two councillors and ‘suspended’ fourteen other councillors from the Gweru City Council. Thus, we demand that Robert Mugabe, in his forthcoming state of the nation address, should resolutely and unequivocally announce that his administration shall, henceforth, take all the necessary measures to ensure the urgent harmonization of all laws with the country’s Constitution.

In fact, we demand that Mugabe should provide a very short time frame of no more than ninety (90) days during which this long overdue harmonization program should be completed. The MDC demands that Robert Mugabe should announce clear and precise measures regarding how his bankrupt regime will raise the millions of United States dollars that are urgently required in order to import at least 800 000 metric tonnes of maize that are required to prevent the impending famine in most parts of the country, particularly in the southern provinces of Masvingo, Matebeleland South and Matebeleland North.

The chaotic and ruinous so – called ‘land reform’ program that was violently adopted by the Zanu PF regime from around February 2000 has to be immediately rectified and adjusted to ensure that all deserving Zimbabweans, regardless of race, colour, creed or political affiliation, can have access to land. Land should never, ever be used as a tool for political patronage.

The people of Zimbabwe have suffered enough. They are now weary, hungry and tired. It cannot continue to be business as usual. As patriotic Zimbabweans, it is incumbent upon us to unlock and unleash our full potential in ensuring that our beloved country turns the corner. This is our time. This is our destiny. Zimbabwe should immediately embark upon a new political and economic trajectory.

MDC : EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL

Obert Chaurura Gutu
National Spokesperson
Movement for Democratic Change

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