PRIME MINISTER Morgan Tsvangirai says he is confident that he will win this year’s elections and end President Robert Mugabe’s 33 year-old grip on power.
NJABULO NCUBE/NQABA MATSHAZI
In an exclusive interview with Southern Eye, Tsvangirai said he has never doubted that he will the next elections, although he was keeping an eagle’s eye on “shenanigans” at the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
“I have never doubted that we will win the next election, but what is clear is that ZEC must be adequately prepared for the national elections,” he said.
“On our part, we continue to maintain an eagle eye on the shenanigans.”
Tsvangirai, speaking barely a week before the elections, said he had travelled across the country and he was certain he would garner an outright victory.
The Premier reiterated that the door was still open for a coalition with the MDC led by Welshman Ncube, although the Industry minister said he has not been approached.
On devolution, Tsvangirai said he was a fanatic of a devolved system of governance.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
“Let me tell you that if there was one issue which nearly broke the constitutional negotiations, it was devolution,” he said. “This was because we never gave up on it while our Zanu PF counterparts were hotly opposed to it.
“They favoured the more watered-down version called decentralisation which we believe has not worked for 33 years.”
Below are excerpts of the interview:
Southern Eye (SE): What is your response to the speculation that you will lose, not because you are unpopular, but because of the odds staked against you – for example the special voting? Morgan Tsvangirai (MT): We are going to win this election. An election is about the choices that voters make and I am confident that we have got the majority of the people on our side.
That is all that counts. Anything else that is outside the measurement of the people’s choices is not an election, but theft and subversion of the people’s will.
The chaos surrounding special voting does not in any way serve to show that the MDC-T will be losing the election. It in fact, shows not only that ZEC is not adequately prepared for the harmonised election, but also that the leopard has not changed its spots and there will be efforts to subvert the people’s will. For ZEC, the question remains whether they will be able to serve over six million people on July 31 when they failed to conduct an election of merely 80 000 people over a longer period of two days. I have never doubted that we will win the next election, but what is clear is that ZEC must be adequately prepared for the national elections.
On our part, we continue to maintain an eagle eye on the shenanigans. I have travelled in most parts of the country so far and the people of Zimbabwe are clear that they do not want another stolen election. I am certain that everyone, including those who are expected to rig, will not stand in the way of the people’s verdict.
But the signs so far point to the fact that we must all remain vigilant; from the MDC itself to ZEC and the guarantors of the inclusive government whose sole mandate is to ensure that we conduct a free and credible election that will provide a lasting solution to the country’s challenges.
SE: All parties are campaigning on Bulawayo’s perennial water woes, what practical steps will Tsvangirai take? MT: Water is not just the number one development challenge in this city, it is also a human rights issue. It is the most pressing issue that will be a key priority for us in our first 100 days in office.
It’s a matter that goes beyond electioneering and this is why our Water minister Samuel Sipepa Nkomo, has been seized with this matter during the inclusive government.
The minister has taken considerable steps to ensure that the Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project (MZWP) is not just an election issue, but that it becomes reality.
We specifically mention this project in our manifesto and we pledge to solve the water problem once and for all through the speedy finalisation of the Mtshabezi and the Zambezi water projects.
You may be aware that just to show our commitment to this project, the Mtshabezi pipeline was supposed to be commissioned last Friday after tenacious work by a ministry we control.
Zanu PF has been paying lip service to this project and I know they have been holding rallies to block the commissioning of the pipeline, after realising that Nkomo had succeeded in four years to do what they had failed to do for over three decades.
The MZWP project is a capital intensive project, which requires the involvement of strategic partners.
We have a plan to work with investors who can provide capital, expertise and technology and in turn we can leverage our natural resources to make this project a reality.
Not only will the construction provide jobs to the young people of this region upon completion, this project will fundamentally transform economic activity in Bulawayo and the surrounding regions.
SE: Can you guarantee a high calibre of councillors who can deliver the high expectations of the people of this region? MT: The question gives the impression that as Morgan Tsvangirai, I personally choose candidates who will stand as councillors, not only in this region, but in all parts of the country.
The point remains that the people choose their candidates who go through a primary election and then stand for the party as council candidates.
It is my hope that as people choose councillors, they will be looking for high calibre candidates who will represent their interests. Our party is a party of excellence and we believe that we have put together a high quality team that will continue the tradition of good governance, independence and service delivery long associated with the Bulawayo City Council (BCC).
BCC is a standard setter among local authorities and we expect our team of councillors to emulate and surpass the record of their predecessors.
We have shown as a party that we will not hesitate to root out corrupt councillors.
SE: What is your policy towards devolution? MT: I am a fanatic of devolution. We were the primary movers of devolution in the new Constitution. Let me tell you that if there was one issue which nearly broke the constitutional negotiations, it was devolution.
This was because we never gave up on it while our Zanu PF counterparts were hotly opposed to it.
They favoured the more watered-down version called decentralisation, which we believe has not worked for 33 years.
It remains one of the major victories in our Constitution. Devolution solves the national concern about centralisation of power in the capital and ensures that every region and every part of the country determines its priorities and spends its budget in a way that addresses its concerns.
We believe that people at the local level know best what they want and how it should be done. Devolution will give them the power to exercise authority at a local level.
But we have not stopped at devolution of power; we have gone a step further to ensure there is devolution of resources.
We want a percentage of the Budget to cater for previously disadvantaged regions, such as parts of Matabeleland, which have been marginalised in the provision of basic services such as health, education, water, etc.
The challenge is to ensure its speedy and smooth implementation in a way that ensures that no region and no specific group of people is marginalised.
As a party, we were tenacious during the Constitution-making process that both authority and resources need to be devolved. SE: A coalition with Welshman Ncube? They say you were personally serious about it, but it was scuttled from within the MDC-T? May you comment? MT: I do not believe that any one in our party does not want a coalition of like-minded political parties.
To this day, as a party and as a leadership, we say we must continue to find each other so that we canvass support across the country not only to deal with the authors of 33 years of misgovernance in our country, but to usher in democracy in the land of our birth.
A sober look at the bigger picture will show that the achievement of democracy in Zimbabwe and the riddance of the machinery of 33 years of pain and suffering is more important than the self-interest of any leader of a political party.
We will never give up in our search for common ground and unity of purpose, until the first ballot paper is cast. We remain optimistic. After all, it is what the majority of all our people want.
SE: Dumiso Dabengwa said he went into a coalition with Simba Makoni in 2008 to block your victory. How come you are in a coalition with the same Makoni, who in 2008 was against your victory? MT: I have no doubt in my mind that Makoni wants change in this country. I believe and I know that he is genuine. I have no reason to doubt his commitment to the coalition for change.
