Jane Mlambo| Information deputy minister, Energy Mutodi who yesterday scoffed at MDC President Nelson Chamisa’s demand for dialogue could be misfiring as the state of affairs in the country needs collective effort to take the country forward.
Mutodi who spoke to a local publication said, “The country does not move on the basis of dialogue between winners and losers, rather it moves because the institutions of the State are in place. I can tell you these are already in place and working. The President recently appointed his Cabinet that will help him formulate and implement government policy over the next five years.
“He doesn’t need legitimacy from a losing presidential candidate. Chamisa is only one of 22 candidates who lost in the election. He is desperate for a Government of National Unity (GNU) kind of arrangement, but the President is on record saying it is not necessary at the moment. President Mnangagwa is busy running the country, he has respect for the opposition, but honestly, he has no time to waste,” Mutodi said.
Mutodi said Chamisa should use his party’s legislative representation to push for reforms.
The Donald Trump-led United States government enacted Zidera in 2003 to force then President Robert Mugabe to reform and respect human rights.
A few months ago, the law was amended to add signposts that Mnangagwa’s administration must meet before the sanctions are removed.
Foreign Affairs minister Sibusiso Moyo last week indicated the amendment was a “step in the right direction” and Zimbabwe will continue to engage the US in order to have the restrictive measures removed.
Chamisa called for help at home and abroad to bring the political protagonists to the negotiating table.
“I am calling on the international community and the church to help resolve the political crisis. I am not saying Mnangagwa must hand over power to me right away, but I am saying he cannot ignore a party that has 112 representatives in the legislature, controls 81% of all urban local authorities, challenging the result of the presidential election as well as the two-thirds majority claimed by Zanu PF,” the opposition leader said, arguing talk of a GNU was premature.
“There has to be a discussion on the fundamental issues affecting Zimbabwe. The idea of a Government of National Unity should be a result of dialogue. Any talk of this now will be a case of putting the cart before the horse.”
Zimbabwe’s economic and social problems seem to have deepened after the disputed election exacerbated by a devastating cholera outbreak.
-Newsday