Hon Tendai Biti (MP) MDC Secretary General State Media has been trying hard to prise away from Morgan Tsvangirai by allerging numerous split conspiracies between the two confounded critics by voting in favour of CANO 19 passage
Contrary to the disinformation peddled by the Herald and State Television after the 26 January SADC Heads of State meeting that SADC had rejected all demands tabled by the MDC and ordered that the Inclusive Government be formed on the basis of Zanu PF demands, it now turns out that Zanu PF conceded to two key demands of the MDC paving the way for Prime Minister designate Morgan Tsvangirai to accept appointment to the Inclusive Government.
The MDC had set as preconditions to it accepting positions in the Inclusive Government the;
• Passage of Constitutional Amendment No 19 (CA No 19) into law
• Reversal of unilateral appointments of Provincial Governors by Robert Mugabe after misleading SADC that he was able to form a workable government in coalition with Professor Mutambara’s. This precondition had been extended to cover subsequent appointments of a similar nature by Mugabe to the offices of Reserve Bank Governor and Attorney General.
• Passage of legislation governing the National Security Council (NSC) into law
• The equitable and fair distribution of Ministerial Portfolios and
• Unconditional release all abductees being held in State captivity
Subsequently the MDC National Council met on 30 January 2009 and resolved to acknowledge that there has to be a settlement of and agreement on outstanding issues concerning:
i. The National Security Council Bill,
ii. Provincial Governors and;
Further restated the MDC position on issues as tabled before SADC surrounding;
iii. The equitable and fair distribution of Ministerial Portfolios be resolved before the 11th of February 2009
iv. All abductees be released unconditionally before the 11th of February 2009 and
v. Constitutional Amendment No. 19 be enacted before the 11th of February 2009.
State media rebutted these issues were still under SADC consideration and advanced that they had been largely ignored and or downgraded to resolution by Inclusive Government after it was consummated with or without the MDC-T.
Authoritative sources on in inter party negotiations have confirmed that the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee (JOMIC) which was constituted on 30 January 2009 to oversee implementation compliance with terms of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) was summoned by SADC Mediators to answer why it was dithering on ratifying and implementing concessions made by its principals on 26 January concerning allotment of Governors and passage of the National Security Council Bill drafted by the MDC-T.
Cocky Zanu PF lead negotiator Patrick Chinamasa whose delusional self importance and arrogant procrastination had forced other members of JOMIC to escalate disagreements to mediators was on the plane in a huff when wind filtered to Mugabe that he was using Mugabe’s failure to empower him to discuss the issues and resolve them as the excuse.
A furious Mugabe who was attending the AU Heads of State summit in Ethiopia at the time is said to have personally phoned Chinamasa to find his way to South Africa where other JOMIC members were waiting for his arrival to formalise agreed issues and discuss outstanding ones to pave way for passage of CA No 19 and open discussions on the draft NSC Bill.
Sources disclosed that Chinamasa was shocked by the uncompromising order from his Principal who had in the past seemed to go along with the delay and frustrate negotiation tactics employed by Zanu PF.
Little did he realise that procrastinating on resolving Provincial Governors allotments and agreement on the NSC Bill were not going to offend or frustrate MDC negotiators but rather infuriate SADC who had long been given assurances by Mugabe that these will be resolved before passage of CA No 19.
For all his reputed meanness Mugabe does not disappoint anyone who helps him retain power and when SADC Chairman and South Africa’s caretaker President sought an explanation as to why Zanu PF negotiators were not playing ball in JOMIC, Mugabe was not only embarrassed but infuriated to learn that he was being used as the alibi by Chinamasa.
He promptly picked up his mobile and ordered Chinamasa to present himself before mediators and resolve the issues pronto.
Chinamasa huffed and puffed his way to South Africa and in no time Zanu Pf had agreed to relinquish Governorship of Harare, Bulawayo, Manicaland and Masvingo to MDC-T and Matabeleland North to MDC-M leaving Zanu PF with five Governors in Mashonaland East, West and Central as well as the Midlands and Matabeleland South Provinces.
Further discussions produced consensus on the wording of the NSC Bill which is now expected to be tabled and fast tracked in Parliament on Tuesday 10 February 2009 t0 beat the swearing in deadline for the Prime Minister and his Deputies on 11 February 2009.
This vindicates the MDC-T National Council and leaves the State Media reports in a shameful heap of lies. Not that the media has any modicum of honesty to preserve to shame its managers about the blatant lies they peddle.
Discussions on the outstanding disputed Ministerial allotments, unconditional release of abductees and irregular appointments of Gideon Gono as reserve bank Governor and Johannes Tomana as Attorney general are still ongoing in JOMIC and may be settled before the 10 February deadline or immediately thereafter.
Another fallacy peddled by the State Media that MDC-T President and Prime Minister Designate Morgan Tsvangirai was at the tether in relations with Secretary General Tendai Biti over taking positions in the Inclusive Government that would split the party was disproved when voting on CA No 19 returned 100% support from the 184 MP’s present when it was put to vote.
Among those MP’s was none other than the MDC-T Secretary General Tendai Biti whom the State Media falsely reported was at the verge of leading the intra party revolt and scuttle passage of CA No 19.
There is nothing wrong with the State media promoting political conspiracies to induce despondency and mistrust among MDC-T functionaries but it must then go further and equally allow the party equal opportunity to rebut t or confirm allegations in its own words and with the same prominence it gives the allegations.
These are issues that will dog the Inclusive government and those fortunate enough or is it unfortunate enough to be appointed to its Cabinet must be prepared to confront these hitherto unchallenged deliberate distortions and misrepresentations peddled by the State media in favour of a political grouping as if the taxes used to prop its operations are exclusively from that party’s supporters.
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