THE Thokozani Khupe-led MDC-T has plunged further into chaos with Elias Mudzuri, one of the party presidential hopefuls, rubbishing calls by some of the party bigwigs to hold a virtual extraordinary congress.
Mudzuri yesterday described the decision by some of the
presidential hopefuls to hold a virtual congress as “unacceptable and
impossible”.
MDC T secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora last week said the
party was mulling a virtual extraordinary congress to elect a replacement of
the late former party leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who succumbed to colon cancer
in February 2018.
He argued that the congress should be held virtually as it
was now difficult to assemble over
4 000 delegates for the congress due to strict COVID-19
lockdown regulations that prohibit gatherings.
Mwonzora said another option would be to decentralise the
congress. But Mudzuri told NewsDay that the move was a ploy to disenfranchise
thousands of potential delegates, a position that has exposed deep-rooted
divisions in the battle to replace Tsvangirai.
The extraordinary congress is scheduled for December 12 to
20. “The proposed virtual voting at the MDC’s extraordinary congress is
unacceptable and is not an option. It disenfranchises many delegates who don’t
have appropriate phones,” Mudzuri said.
“Virtual voting cannot happen because of obstacles. We
don’t have technology that can sustain that virtual process. We need something
that is workable for the rural and urban structures to work with,” he said.
“People cannot afford data costs right now and the worst
problem is who is responsible for running that virtual process? Who can run
that? Who is independent?”
Mudzuri said there was need for comprehensive debate on the
matter to deal with all issues that may affect the running of the extraordinary
congress.
“It is something that came for debate and we are talking of
a national election to choose a leader of the opposition so this is subject for
debate.”
The party has been hard hit by internal conflicts since
March on how best to proceed with the congress.
Accusations have been made against Mwonzora of late over
his handling of the process, but the party secretary-general has on several
occasions rubbished the claims.
The party was forced to set aside provincial nominations
for candidates ahead of congress. The four candidates are Khupe, Mwonzora,
Mudzuri and Morgen Komichi.
Abednico Bhebhe, the party national organising secretary,
who had thrown his hat in the ring ahead of the extraordinary congress, was
fired for allegedly challenging the processes leading to the extraordinary
congress in the courts. Newsday
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