Tsvangirai threatens to quit government

News, Statements — By on September 15, 2009 12:30 pm

MDC President, Morgan Tsvangirai has said he is not going to stand by and let Zanu PF continue to violate the law.

Addressing over 40 000 people at White City Stadium in Bulawayo on Sunday to mark the party’s 10th Anniversary Celebrations, President Tsvangirai vowed that he would see to it that Zanu PF committed itself to good governance principles.

“I am not going to stand by while Zanu PF continues to violate the law, persecute our members of parliament, spread the language of hate, invade productive farms, ignore our international treaties and continue to loot our national resources. I am not going to stand by and watch this happen,” he said.

He said while the MDC had played its part in implementing the provisions of the Global Political Agreement (GPA), the party was concerned that the GPA had not been fully implemented over seven months after the formation of the inclusive government.

He said the party will soon go back to the people to hear their views on the MDC’s participation in the inclusive government.

“That is why the people should be given an opportunity to express their views on what they think about the performance of the inclusive government and we are going to respect the people’s views,” said President Tsvangirai.

“The coalition government requires certain compromise on policy.  However, the MDC has never, and will never, compromise on issues of principle.

“For the past seven months we in the MDC have shown respect, conciliation and understanding of Zanu PF and what did we get in return? Nothing,” he said.

He said Zanu PF continued to violate the law, persecute the people, spread language of hate, and invade productive farms and ignoring international treaties.

“This must stop now. The MDC wants partners in this Government but ultimately our mandate is to deliver good governance to the people – and for this all we need is the trust and support of the people,” said President Tsvangirai.

He also told the people that the MDC remained committed in ensuring that real change had been brought to Zimbabwe.

 “The real change that we undertook to deliver still awaits the people and we shall not lose sight of their dreams and desires and nor will we stop the struggle until every Zimbabwe can live in peace, prosperity and freedom.

“The MDC remains committed to ensuring access to food, jobs, quality education and professional health care for you and your children,” he said.

Turning to the MDC’s 10 years of existence, President Tsvangirai said the party had faced enormous challenges but had stood up and denounced a regime that was intent on impoverishing Zimbabwe in order to retain its brutal grip on power.

“We have overcome enormous challenges with the minimum amount of resources and maximum amount of courage and conviction.  We have seen comrades fall in the struggle and others walk away wearied or disheartened.

“We have seen political greed reduce our beautiful, bountiful nation to the status of a beggar no longer able to feed its own children.

“Through all this, we have remained united by the principles of democracy, by the principles of peaceful change and by the pride in our Zimbabwe and its peoples,” he said.

He also said it was important for the country to go through a national healing process.  However, he said it was important for those who had perpetrated acts of violence across the country to be brought to book.

President Tsvangirai also paid tribute to thousands of MDC supporters and officials who perished in the last 10 years in their fight for a democratic Zimbabwe.

The MDC was formed on September 11, 1999 at Rufaro Stadium, Harare after a coalition of human rights groups, churches and civil society agreed to launch a party to fight for democracy.

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