NATIONAL People’s Party (NPP) president Joice Mujuru has locked horns with MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai over the identity of their proposed coalition deal, with the former Vice-President saying she was uncomfortable with the name MDC Alliance, which she claims portrays the most prominent player.
BY BLESSED MHLANGA/NQOBANI NDLOVU
Mujuru, through her party’s secretary-general, Gift Nyandoro, yesterday wrote to Tsvangirai’s chief negotiator, Jameson Timba, expressing her misgivings over the terms of the deal and the name given to the coalition pact.
“NPP remains firm and clear that the formation of a genuine and democratic coalition should be done under an all-embracing common name and logo.
“For the record, the NPP would never advocate for other parties to join a coalition going by the name NPP Alliance,” Nyandoro wrote.
“You expressed willingness in assisting NPP on how they can join the MDC Alliance given that any desire to join the same is no longer a matter to be decided by MDC-T alone, but it’s now a process to be subjected to the MDC Alliance political grouping.”
Mujuru further challenged Tsvangirai to primary elections to decide the proposed coalition leadership question, saying she did not believe in the allocation of positions in the boardroom.
“The question of how seats are to be allocated between parties is also a matter that can be easily resolved by both parties having to involve participation of leadership at constituency level so that comprehensive and all-inclusive consensus is built instead of boardroom seats allocation,” the letter read.
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Mujuru said her party was not going to go back on its demands.
“These are reasonable democratic demands and we will not accede to anything other than our position. Our national executive met and made that resolution and we are now bound by it,” he said.
MDC-T secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora chided NPP, saying if they had any complaints they should bring them to the negotiating table.
“I have read the statement by Nyandoro, and my own impression is that he is negotiating in the Press.
“We do not negotiate in the Press, but at the negotiating table,” he said.
