It is Biti not Mbeki who is lying, MDC sold-out on implementing reform! By Wilbert Mukori

In a follow-up radio interview to President Thabo Mbeki letter “SA policy on Zimbabwe” with Redi Thlabi on 702 Cape Talk Tendai Biti said a lot of things, I would like to take him up one the one issue – Did MDC sell-out in failing to implement the GPA reforms, he was asked?

 

“President Mbeki should just shut up! He should not blame the victim.  ….. MDC fought for reforms but Zanu PF refused,” replied Biti. He was lying because there evidence proves the exact opposite, that MDC leaders sold-out!  

 

The process of implementing the reforms was that an MP will submit the proposed democratic reforms on the Police, say, to parliament. Parliament will then debate and refine the proposals and then pass the final proposals to President Mugabe for approval. Once the proposals are approved they will then be implemented and the law changed to suit.

 

Tendai Biti who is lying in saying Zanu PF blocked the reforms because MDC never submitted any substantive reforms in parliament. The two MDC factions had the majority of MPs in parliament and therefore would have had no problems in getting the proposals passed. There were no proposed reforms passed or rejected by parliament throughout the GNU because none were ever submitted.

 

There is no doubt that left to his own devices President Mugabe would have rejected all democratic reforms put before him but he was not left to his own devices, by signing the GPA he committed himself and his party Zanu PF to the democratic reforms. So if parliament submitted proposed reforms for his approval and he refused then MDC was expected to take the matter to SADC as the guarantor of the agreement for arbitration.

 

The truth of the matter is MDC never complained to SADC about Mugabe refusing to approve any proposed reforms; they complained about other things but not reforms; because Mugabe never refused to approve any reform proposals, none were ever submitted to him for approval.

 

By the same token, SDAC never failed to take Mugabe to task on refusing to approve proposed reforms because MDC never complained to SADC on that matter. Never! If anything it was SADC who complained to MDC for doing nothing about implementing the reforms.

 

It is a matter of historic fact that SADC leaders, amongst others, reminded MDC leaders on a number of occasions to implement the reforms and then warned them against taking part in the elections without implementing the reforms first and MDC paid no heed. Former GNU MDC Minister Samuel Sipepa Nkomo and Tendai Biti's own colleague in the break-away PDP has since confirmed that SADC leaders warned MDC. See http://www.theindependent.co.zw/2014/05/02/tsvangirai-power-hungry-nkomo/

 

SADC leaders said MDC leaders "were busy enjoying themselves and forgot why they were in the GNU!" in sheer frustration soon after the rigged July 2013 elections.

 

There is no doubt that MDC leaders were enjoying themselves in the GNU and forgot the important task of implementing the reforms. Tendai Bit joined the other MDC leaders in praising Mugabe calling him the “unflappable father of the nation” in an interview with The Sunday Mail in July 2012. Hardly the thing one would say about someone “refusing” democratic reforms.

 

MDC leaders were cocksure Mugabe had accepted them in the exclusive ruling elite club that there did not see the need to implement the democratic reforms designed to end this elitist system and force all those in public office to be democratically accountable to the people. They were members of this elitist group so why end the system.

 

Even after the rigged July 2013 elections which saw many MDC members lose their public office it is interesting to note how many MDC leaders still continued to hang on to the belief that they were still members of the country’s ruling elite and Mugabe would treat them accordingly as Dr Misheck Sibanda, the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet has revealed.

"Some (MDC leaders after losing the elections) said, 'If we are needed, even if it's a Zanu-PF Government, talk to the President. Possibly we can come and serve because we want to serve.' (They said they wanted roles) in any capacity. You could tell that it was because of how they had been handled. To me, it was amusing," Dr Sibanda said.  See more at: http://bulawayo24.com/index-id-news-sc-local-byo-82991.html#sthash.8hrRrzAq.dpuf

 

It is a great pity that the GNU failed to deliver on the single most important issue - free, fair and credible elections because MDC leaders sold-out. Zimbabwe would not be stuck in this political and economic hell-on-earth still if they had implemented the reforms.

 

Zimbabweans can blame SADC and God knows who else besides for many things but not for the GNU’s failure to delivery free, fair and credible elections; we must own up and take the blame for that one! Morgan Tsvangirai, Tendai Biti, Welshman Ncube, David Coltart and all the other MDC leaders in the GNU sold-out; they must apologize to the nation and resign, en mass, from public life. They should have done so a long time ago!

 

Whilst still on the subject of apologizing; Tendai Biti should apologize to former President Thabo Mbeki for accusing him of lying when it was he (Biti) who is lying and should shut up!