The Herald
Herald Reporter
As the feuding MDC factions head for a final split with the election of a new president by one of the camps set for Sunday, the party’s secretary for legal affairs, Mr David Coltart has come up with what he calls a “five-point plan” to manage an amicable split.
Regarding his proposal, Mr Coltart, who has refused to align himself to either camp, indicated yesterday that he was still consulting with leaders of both factions but had proposed that both camps agree on:
– the addition of a suffix or prefix to their party names so that no group has an unfair advantage over another;
– how to share party properties;
– neither faction approaching the Speaker of Parliament seeking the removal of any MPs to precipitate by-elections;
– neither group using the MDC’s open palm symbol as that might give them an unfair advantage; and
– the groups reaching an agreement on the use of party slogans.
The troubled opposition party – whose long-simmering disagreements were brought to the fore by sharp differences over participation in last year’s Senate elections – was torn into two openly antagonistic camps that are scheduled to hold separate congresses over the next four weeks.
The rift is bound to widen as the camp led by deposed leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai is set to lose out on the $8 billion in State funds the party got under the Political Parties Finance Act since the Gibson Sibanda-led group is adamant that it is the bona fide MDC.
The development follows communication sent to party secretary general Professor Welshman Ncube by the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Cde Patrick Chinamasa, advising him of Government’s intention to release the MDC share to him.
Government allocated $20 billion this year to the two eligible parliamentary political parties – MDC and Zanu-PF – to be shared according to each party’s parliamentary representation.
Sources in the Sibanda camp said they would not release any money to the pro-Tsvangirai cabal.
“Why would we give money to people who have left the party? They have since ceased to be party members by virtue of them continuing to follow a leader who has been expelled from the party,” said a high-ranking official in the Sibanda faction in apparent reference to Mr Tsvangirai.
Prof Ncube was evasive on the issue of funds yesterday, referring questions to MDC national treasurer Mr Fletcher Dulini-Ncube, who could not be reached for comment.
Mr Tsvangirai’s spokesman, Mr William Bango, accused the Sibanda-led faction of looting party property, including the State funds.
He said the action his group would take would be determined by their congress set for next month.
“Mr Tsvangirai said when he formed the MDC with (Mr) Sibanda (who was elected party deputy president) and (Mr Isaac) Matongo (who became national chairman) in 1999, they had a capital base of $200 million and the view is that money is not the heart and soul of the party. The party will move ahead with or without the money from Government.
“He (Mr Tsvangirai) still maintains that the funds are from taxpayers’ money and that we, as a party, are entitled to it.
“However, the issue of party assets and other benefits that include the money would be dealt with at the congress,” Mr Bango said.
Meanwhile, the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) said it would attend both MDC congresses and would deliver solidarity messages to both.
In a statement, NCA chairman Dr Lovemore Madhuku pledged support for both factions.
“The NCA will treat each of the political parties in the same way it treats other political parties. Any Zimbabwean political party, whatever its history, is free to join and participate in the activities of the NCA as long as it shares the NCA’s beliefs,” said Dr Madhuku.
“However, it is the NCA’s experience that not every political party which joins the NCA puts the same effort in the struggle for a new constitution.
“The NCA will, therefore, work closely with those political parties who, by action on the ground, show a genuine commitment to the struggle for a new, people-driven constitution.”