Mutambara rejects Khama's call for fresh Zim poll

FRASER MPOFU
Correspondent | Thursday November 20, 2008 00:00

 

President Khama recently said the only way through which the political impasse in Zimbabwe could be broken would be by holding a new presidential election.

But Mutambara said President Khama's suggestion is unworkable, as election-weary Zimbabweans are not ready for another national election, having already endured two polls in March and June this year.

In addition, he said, no law provides for the holding of such an election.

'We have read remarks by President Khama before the SADC summit, where he was proffering an internationally supervised presidential poll as a solution to our crisis,' said Mutambara.

'This proposal has been repeated in many circles. First and foremost, as we have already explained, the people and the country are not election-ready.

Under what law do you call for a fresh presidential election? Who is going to call the election? 'So why impose such a futile exercise on our country?

A new election is a non-starter. We wish people like President Khama would talk to us before they proffer unimaginative and impractical solutions on our country.'

Mutambara said the political agreement, which he signed on September 15, together with President Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai is the best starting point to move forward.

'This Global Political Agreement is as good as it gets.

It is the best short-term answer that will allow us to extricate our country from its current morass,' he said.

Since the three parties signed the pact in Harare, amid pomp and fanfare, they have failed to form the inclusive government because of disagreements between President Mugabe and Tsvangirai over the control of certain ministries, particularly, that of home affairs.

But a full SADC summit, held in South Africa last week, called on President Mugabe's ZANU-PF party to co-manage the ministry with Tsvangirai's faction.

Initially, Tsvangirai's MDC said it would not be part of any government in which it does not control the Ministry of Home Affairs, but last Friday, said it would, only after certain conditions are met.

Mutambara implored Tsvangirai to drop his claim for sole control of the ministry.

'While we solidly support Tsvangirai in his efforts to get the Ministry of Home Affairs, we are not prepared to destroy Zimbabwe because he has not gotten that ministry.

We are saying let us set up this imperfect government and carry out the activities outlined above.

Not a single life should be lost in pursuit of Tsvangirai's presidency of Zimbabwe.

He is not worth it. Not a single Zimbabwean life should be lost in the MDC-T ascendancy to power.

We are sure our brother Tsvangirai and MDC-T agree with us on these observations. If they do not we are happy to vehemently disagree with them.

There is no political leader or political party in our country that is worth dying for,' said Mutambara.