Chamisa promises after-congress ‘fireworks’

By Obey Manayiti | NewsDay |

MDC president Nelson Chamisa has described next week’s elective congress as the defining moment for the party, saying it will usher in a radical shift in their way of doing business, moving away from personality-based politics to solution-based and strong institutional politics.

Despite a recent High Court ruling compelling the party to go for an extraordinary congress, the party is pressing ahead with its ordinary congress slated for Gweru next weekend.

In an interview on Wednesday, Chamisa said the party will emerge stronger because they are changing the culture of politics from strong individuals to strong institutions.

“We are introducing a new culture, a radical shift and dynamic change to the politics that we have known,” Chamisa said.

“No more shall we be a slogan-chanting organisation, but we shall be a solution-churning organisation. We must have a radical departure from the politics of personalities to the politics of ideas, from the politics of strong individuals to the politics of strong organisations.”

Chamisa said they had set up seven committees that are gathering views from the grassroots, whose feedback will shape their way forward and future.

The committees are ideology and policy review, constitutional review, leadership culture and ethics, international relations and diplomacy, organisational and structural transformation, administrative and fundraising reforms and lastly the strategies and tactics committee.

These committees, headed by senior party members, are also moving around provinces gathering views that will be refined at congress.

Party spokesperson Jacob Mafume said the congress resolutions will come from the committees and will be binding going forward.

“As we go to congress, we have to relook at the organisation itself. The congress is more than elections, it is where we review and think about the direction of the organisation, where we are going as a party, where we have been as a party,” Mafume said.

“Those are the broad themes that will shape the party and the organisation, that will re-oil it and place it at the centre of being a solution to the problems that Zimbabwe is facing.

“What we need to do is to put the organisation at the forefront as a thinking organisation, an organisation that will come up with solutions.

“Now that the nominations are over we have now come to the thinking part of the congress where there will be resolutions and the resolutions will come from the consultations under those broad terms.”