MDC Alliance leader Douglas Mwonzora stands accused of delaying the party’s elective congress. NewsDay (ND) chief reporter Taurai Mangudhla interviewed MDC Alliance presidential spokesperson Lloyd Damba (LD) on the party’s delayed congress, finances and strategy for 2023.
ND: You have recalled councillors and legislators
effectively dividing the party. What is the strategy behind the recalls?
LD: Looking at the issue of recalls, we are not recalling
councillors and MPs who are bona fide members of the MDC Alliance but those
members who left to form or join another political party. Under the laws of
this country if one joins or forms a political party other than the political
party that sponsored them into office automatically they would have recalled
yourself. So, there is no division since
individuals have a constitutional right to form or join political parties of
their choice.
The issue of strength in numbers must be referred to those
that have chosen to leave the party that sponsored them into Parliament and
form a new party.
On the issue of regret, we do not because it is the law and
secondly, it’s not the first time that the MDC has recalled rebellious MPs and
councillors. Under the leadership of (the late) president Morgan Tsvangirai,
the party recalled Tendai Biti, Solomon and Paul Madzore and 19 others after
forming what they called MDC Renewal Team. Then under the leadership of Nelson
Chamisa, the party recalled Thokozani Khupe and 4 others in 2018 and under
president Thokozani Khupe the party recalled Thabita Khumalo, Chalton Hwende
and several others.
ND: A lot has been said about congress, with some accusing
you of delaying out of fear or until you get government funds to fight
perceived enemies?
LD: It's funny that the people who make the accusations of
fear in delaying the congress also provide the correct answer of non-availability
of funds to transport 10 000 delegates for the congress!
ND: How material is
the government funding to the welfare of your party and 2023 election campaigns
given that some insiders claim the MDC is broke?
LD: Government funding is not adequate for any political
party and parties have to resort to subscriptions and donations from their
membership to run on a day-to-day basis going towards 2023.
ND: Has there been any indication when this government
funding will be disbursed?
LD: I have no precise date at the moment but it’s any time
soon.
ND: Related to that, when is your congress?
LD: We will hold our congress as soon as all our structures
are in place and the resources are available to transport congress delegates to
the venue. At the moment we cannot afford to have a seamless congress process.
ND: The media has been awash with news that the party
secretary for projects Norest Marara wants to challenge the current MDC leader
at congress. Is there any truth to it and what is your response?
LD: It has never been our culture for any single individual
to nominate themselves to any particular position in the party. I saw on social
media that he declared his candidature for the position of party president, but
I doubt if he is qualified to stand for that position or any other position in
the national standing committee because one needs to have been in the party
structures for a continuous period of five years.
The current structures are those built on the remnants of
the 2014 congress structures which we used at our extraordinary congress on
December 27, 2020, but Marara was not part of these structures, only that he
was sympathetic to the MDC through his friendship with our late leader Morgan
Tsvangirai.
Now if friendship with our late leader is the
constitutional qualifying factor then definitely he is qualified.
ND: When did Marara officially become a party member?
LD: It was only in October 2020 that he volunteered to join
president Mwonzora's campaign team which was called the Donkies and that is how
many people, myself included, got to know him in political circles. From the
records he has produced on social media for everyone to see, he only applied to
be a member on August 16, 2022, and he paid his backdated subscriptions. On
January 10, 2022, when he wanted to be allowed by his Harare Central District
to contest for Parliament he had to pay a candidate fee to the National
Elections Directorate of US$100.
Now if you go by his narrative, then it means he is not
even supposed to be spoken of as a candidate because he is not qualified. One
can only become a member after he has been admitted into the party and his
admittance into the party as per his records is August 16, 2022, and for the
past 22 years, he has not been a member but a sympathiser. We will be happy to
invite you, members of the media, to inspect the records because they are still
in our vaults and the same was used for the 2020 extraordinary congress.
ND: Besides Marara, other names have been thrown around,
including national chairpereson, Morgan Komichi. Has there been any formal
interest? What is the attitude of the MDC leadership on Mwonzora being
contested?
LD: We have read that in the media, but Senator Komichi has
experience in our congress processes hence the reason why he might be waiting
for the congress to nominate him and kick-start his challenge which he may
accept or reject. Anything outside this is alien to our way of conducting a
congress.
As for the attitude of the majority of people of the party,
having a congress is positive and it’s not just focusing on president Mwonzora
because our party organs and leadership are not narrow-minded to focus on an
individual but they are focusing on rejuvenating the party by coming up with
people and pro-poor policies as we focus on the 2023 general elections. Newsday
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