MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai says the party should be known more for its programmes rather than personalities as it moves to rebuild after suffering two splits in nine years.
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Addressing delegates at the party’s congress at the City Sports Centre in Harare yesterday, Tsvangirai said party-driven programmes would carry MDC-T forward.
“The party should be known for its programmes. Tsvangirai can never been the alpha and omega of the party. Personality-driven [parties] create problems if that person dies,” he said.
Tsvangirai said members would, after congress, select candidates for the next elections. He said the selection of candidates had been a source of grievances within the party.
“Members of the party in that constituency will choose its candidate, whether there are 2 000 or 5 000,” he said.
In previous elections, MDC-T suffered after the imposition of candidates backfired.
Meanwhile, two breakaway factions of the MDC held a “confidence-building” meeting in Harare to formulate modalities for uniting forces against President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF and MDC-T.
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Welshman Ncube’s MDC and the MDC Renewal Team led by former Finance minister Tendai Biti met yesterday ahead of formal unity on November 30.
“I think every journey begins with one step, and it was the feeling of the meeting on our side that after a meeting like this, we should allow the Press to come and see that we are here and that we have started the process after the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing by the two secretary-generals,” MDC Renewal Team interim president Sekai Holland said.
Ncube’s group broke away from the main wing of MDC after a fallout with Tsvangirai over the decision to contest in Senate election.
MDC Renewal Team broke ranks with Tsvangirai in March this year following calls by former deputy treasurer-general Elton Mangoma’s for leadership renewal.
National executive members from both parties including Samuel Sipepa Nkomo, Lucia Matibenga, Goodrich Chimbaira, Tendai Biti, Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga, Last Maengahama and Rita Ndlovu attended yesterday’s meeting after separate meetings by both camps.
Speaking at the same event, Ncube said: “What I can say is that we were having a joint national executive meeting of the two parties as part of the terms and conditions of the MoU.
“It provided that we shall meet separately and then jointly discuss, then the negotiators will discuss and they will have to sign to that later on.”
Ncube added: “There is a broader coalition and you might be aware that the last meeting of that broader coalition which involved the two parties you see today (MDC and MDC Renewal Team) here, Zapu, NCA (National Constitutional Assembly) and Mavambo took place on August 15.
“It was broadly agreed that the draft document we had prepared at that stage should be taken to the parties for further discussions and that this month or next will regroup and think again about the feedback comments and hopefully we will be able to continue to build that bigger coalition.”
He added: “But ourselves as the MDC formations, we felt that given our common history and objectives, there was really no need for us to continue to fight from separate corners, we had so much in common and, while we work on the bigger picture, we should work also on the reunification of the two MDC formations and this is part of that process.”
“We want to bring in all democrats who share values and principles together so that we can work together, put our minds together and find common solutions to the challenges the problems that face our nation that is the general idea.”
