Tendai Biti contradicts himself

Dear Editor

I wish to comment on the recent contradictions by former Minister of Finance in Zimbabwe’s inclusive government, Tendai Biti. 

Biti told the press conference on Saturday that they were practicing their “constitutional right of disassociation” not to deal with Tsvangirai, Khupe, Chamisa, Mwonzora, Komichi  because they had violated the founding principles of the party, but the same “Council” meeting goes to suspend the very same people that they no longer want to associate with. Suspending people means you still have to deal with them, and associate with them in the process.

One article published on 29 April 2014 reports that “MDC-T secretary general Tendai Biti Monday defiantly declared he was the only person now in legal control of the beleaguered opposition party in the aftermath of a palace coup that purportedly deposed leader Morgan Tsvangirai at the weekend,” but he goes on to say in the same article:

“The party itself is now clearly divided between the faction of fascists led by the suspended Morgan Tsvangirai and the renewal democratic team that met at Mandel Training Center of the 26th of April 2014.

“Effectively, there are now two national councils and that if none of these has more authority than the other one, if anything, the one with the secretary general is the superior.”

According to a media release issued by (Douglas) Mwonzora, there were only 2 members of the Guardian Council who attended Biti’s Council meeting, giving an impression that the majority of the Guardian Council are with Tsvangirai-led group.

So in one breath, Biti says he is in charge, and then says the Guardian Council are in control, while at the same time admitting that 2, and if the party had split into two, what authority does his splinter group have to suspend the leadership of the main party? “In any event, the MDC national council on Saturday 26th April 2014 suspended Tsvangirai and his accomplices and placed the party under the curatorship of the Guardian Council.”

Fortunately, Biti acknowledges “right of recall by the citizenry” – isn’t he digging his own grave? At least he has done well to remind the grassroots that they have the power in their hands to recall him and his colleagues from parliament.

It should be noted that all the confusion that is taking place is of Biti’s own making. He had been very evasive.

He attends a Council meeting which suspends Mangoma, does not speak his concerns in the meeting, but runs to his offices after the meeting to call a press conference to say that proper voting procedures had not been followed, hence Mangoma’s suspension was a nullity.

Another Council meeting is called, and when the voting is about to be taken to expel Mangoma, he excuses himself saying he has a court case to attend – was that true?

That Biti has a hidden agenda is very obvious, and time will tell what exactly he is up to. Those who are being misled by this spineless, deceptive character must start to analyse his contradictions.

Kennedy Kaitano