Former MDC-T secretary-general Tendai Biti yesterday, for
the first time in almost five years, shared the stage with his ex-boss Morgan Tsvangirai
to address a political gathering at Harare’s Zimbabwe Grounds.
The two had just signed an agreement to form a coalition
known as MDC Alliance that also marked a reunion with former Industry minister
Welshman Ncube. Transform Zimbabwe president Jacob Ngarivhume and other leaders
of smaller opposition parties were also part of the cast.
After the historic event, Standard reporter Obey Manayiti (OM)
spoke to Biti (TB) to understand why he wants to work with Tsvangirai after
vowing never to support the former prime minister again.
Biti believes the time has arrived for Zimbabwean
opposition politicians to put the interests of long-suffering masses ahead of
their individual needs. Below are excerpts from the interview.
OM: What are your thoughts on the coalition deal that you
have just signed? Do you think these parties have the capacity to dislodge Zanu
PF in next year’s elections?
TB: I think that what we did today was to commit ourselves
to the idea of the grand alliance under the MDC Alliance and under the
leadership of Morgan Tsvangirai.
We had a meeting of principals yesterday and agreed that
the full negotiations should end in the next two weeks so we hope that those
negotiations will be concluded fully and there will be a full unveiling of the
agreement.
Today what was important is the symbolism that we want to
work together and we are committed to working together and that is in the best
interest of our country.
OM: Are you confident that within those two weeks you will
reach an agreement?
TB: We have to for the sake of our people. We have to put
our country first and put the people of Zimbabwe first.
OM: In your speech at the signing ceremony, you were
talking about the need to rebuild the original MDC. Do you think this will form
a strong alliance to defeat Zanu PF.
TB: I think the original MDC is a metaphor of resistance
and hope and our people need that at the moment. You and I know that on its
own, it is not sufficient, and we need everyone on board.
We need the youths, we need students, civil society, we
need the trade unions, business and everyone.
We also need reforms too. It is going to be critical that
we have some minimum modicum of reforms and if we have a combination of the
convergence of opposition parties plus the minimum of reforms, we can give our
people a chance.
But we also need luck on our side. In 2008 we had some luck
because of the internal fights in Zanu PF and at the present moment there is
total mess in our country created by [Finance minister Patrick] Chinamasa and
[President] Robert Mugabe.
We have never experienced a more brutal crisis than we are
experiencing now.
As I said, 91% of our people are unemployed, the majority
of our people are surviving on $0,35 a day, it’s a crisis and that crisis
requires that we as the opposition work together.
We have agreed to work together until the regime is gone
but most importantly, we continue to work together to rebuild and reconstruct
our country, that is very critical.
OM: You talked about reforms, but do you think the Zanu
PF-led government will bow down to your demands?
TB: They will not, but I think they don’t have much choice
just like in 2008, they didn’t have much choice than talking to MDC.
The nature of the crisis is also affecting them and we as
the opposition, we have to maximise the crisis, we have to weaponise the crisis
and if we do so they will have to talk to the opposition.
After all, it is the opposition that has the solution, we
are the ones who rebuilt and reconstructed this economy that they wasted.
We are the ones who rebuilt the new social fabric that they
totally squandered but we have a duty of finishing what we started in 1999, we
have a duty of completing the duty that we started when we went to the Women’s
Bureau at the national working people’s convention in 1999.
OM: When you talk of weaponising the crisis, what exactly
are you referring to? Are you saying you are going to take advantage of Zanu
PF’s factional fights?
TB: I am talking about maximising the crisis. I am talking
about amplifying their level of incompetence and amplifying our capabilities to
resolve the current national crisis that is arresting Zimbabwe.
I have no doubt that the team of opposition led by
Tsvangirai deserves to govern this country because we have the experience, we
have the intelligence and wisdom and the trust of the people of Zimbabwe.
We showed it during the government of national unity when
we stabilised this economy and gave hope and how we made many Zimbabweans feel
expectant again. We have a duty to do that again.
OM: In your coalition, are you still open to other parties
coming to join you at this stage?
TB: Of course, yes. The idea is that let’s all come
together. Joice Mujuru was not there and we would like to see her there. Dumiso
Dabengwa was not there and we would like to see him there.
Simba Makoni was not there, and we would like to see him
there the same with Gilbert Dzikiti and Farai Mbira, so all of us must get on
board because Zimbabwe is bigger than all of us and we are only as good as a
collective.
OM: As of now can you tell us the distribution of the
positions.
TB: We can’t be divided by positions, so it means if new
parties come we have to start the process and after all, the process is not
complete.
Tsvangirai made it clear that it is not about positions but
accommodating each other so that we form a formidable strong team.
That is why the door is not shut for those who didn’t come.
This is not a feeding party where you say we have shut down the doors because
the drunkards inside are enough.
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