The MDC-T led by Thokozani Khupe is forging ahead with its
preparations for the forthcoming elections, extinguishing any chances of
reconciliation with the mainstream party led by Nelson Chamisa.
Khupe’s party tried to launch its election manifesto in
Harare yesterday, but cancelled the event after a poor turnout.
Standard reporter Obey Manayiti (OM) spoke to Khupe’s
deputy Obert Gutu (OG) about the aborted manifesto launch and their dispute
with Chamisa’s group.
Gutu, who was suspended by the MDC-T before throwing his
lot with Khupe, ruled out any reunification with his former opposition
colleagues, declaring they had since moved on. Below are excerpts from the
interview.
OM: Your party was supposed to launch its manifesto in
Harare yesterday, but the event was cancelled at the last minute with some
citing fears of violence against your supporters. Can you tell us what
transpired?
OG: We are facing a lot of challenges, mostly financial.
However, the greatest obstacle was the fear factor among our legions of
supporters.
In areas such as Chitungwiza, Mabvuku, Dzivaresekwa and
Mbare, our cadres had gathered at pick-up points to be ferried to the Harare
Showground, but then they were violently dispersed by some political
malcontents.
We are a peace-loving political party and we don’t want to
risk people’s lives because of politics.
Our organisers on the ground promptly decided to call off
the Harare launch of the “BEST” election manifesto because we didn’t want to
put people’s lives at risk.
OM: Are you confident your party will pull a shocker in the
forthcoming elections?
OG: Our party is anchored on the values of
constitutionalism, respect for the rule of law, non-violence, peace and
solidarity.
We have been quietly mobilising on the ground and
definitely, we are going to pull a shocker at the elections.
We are going to win a significant number of both
parliamentary and local government seats. There is absolutely no doubt about
that.
OM: Are you going to field candidates in all the
constituencies?
OG: Right now, our national elections directorate, under
the leadership of our national chairperson Abednico Bhebhe, is busy organising
the template for candidate selection and we are pretty sure that with the work
that they have covered so far, we should be able to field candidates in not
less than 150 constituencies nationwide.
OM: Who is sponsoring the party as it is not getting any
funding from government so far?
OG: The party is self-sponsoring. President Thokozani
Khupe, myself and several other leaders are using our own individual and
personal resources to bankroll the party’s activities.
It’s not easy, but then we believe in principle, sacrifice
and commitment. After all, Rome wasn’t built in a single day.
OM: There are allegations that your party is being
sponsored by Zanu PF in order to stop a victory by the Nelson Chamisa-led
MDC-T. What is your response?
OG: Those allegations are beyond nonsense! It’s total and
absolute hogwash.
Whoever is making those false and malicious allegations is
obviously trying to hoodwink the people of Zimbabwe.
All my life I have never been a member of Zanu PF. I am an
extremely principled person.
I just don’t flow with the wind. Our party is determined to
show all Zimbabweans that principle, constitutionalism, peace and solidarity
are greater than mob psychology and populism.
The election results will vindicate us. Just wait and see.
OM: Chamisa’s group is claiming you want to form a
government of national unity with President Emmerson Mnangagwa. How far true is
this and would you accept an invitation from Zanu PF to join his government?
OG: It’s not proper for me to dignify nonsense and hogwash.
We are busy mobilising the people on the ground and the response has been
gratifying so far.
We would like to score a spectacular victory in the
forthcoming elections. How can we talk of an inclusive government before the
elections are even held?
May be it is the people who want to form an inclusive
government with President Emmerson Mnangagwa who are thinking that everyone
else thinks like them. It’s a total shame, really.
OM: Where exactly are you failing to find each other with
Chamisa?
OG: We have since moved on. There’s a snowball’s chance in
hell of us re-uniting with those other people. May be we will re-unite with
them when the sun rises in the west and sets in the east.
Put alternatively, it will take the second coming of the
Son of Man in order for us to re-unite with people who are intrinsically
violent, malicious, vindictive and thoroughly disorderly.
They think they are going to win the elections, yet the
reality is that they will suffer a crushing and humiliating defeat. Just watch
the space.
OM: There are allegations that your BEST manifesto is a
replica of the Zanu PF manifesto.
OG: If you peruse the BEST manifesto, you will no doubt
agree with us that it’s the best political party manifesto that has ever been
produced in Zimbabwe.
It is a realistic and well-thought-out piece of
intellectual work. We worked several days and nights to put together that
document.
We don’t have to mimic the failed and populist policies of
Zanu PF. Why should we?
OM: Are you in talks with other parties about forming a
coalition?
OG: We are a democratic political party that is always
exploring possibilities of working together with progressive, democratic and
similar-minded political parties in order to form a grand coalition to face the
corrupt Zanu PF regime in the forthcoming elections.
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