OPPOSITION MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa has challenged President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration to stop politicking and admit that it cannot have a solo fight against COVID-19.
BY MOSES MATENGA
In a Facebook media conference yesterday, Chamisa said his party was ready to offer assistance during this period and beyond.
He said his party had temporarily shelved its fight over Mnangagwa’s illegitimacy until the “fight” against coronavirus is won because the country was in a desperate situation, which does not need a partisan approach.
“We face a monumental national crisis that is beyond what we ever imagined and it requires a national team response, a national team approach,” Chamisa said.
“We can’t afford a partisan approach, we can’t afford point-scoring and looking at the scoreboard in terms of political points. There are no points to be scored; there is only Zimbabwe to save.”
Chamisa has been challenging Mnangagwa’s legitimacy since August 2018 when the Zanu PF leader was declared winner in the July watershed poll.
He also refused to be part of a dialogue series between Mnangagwa and leaders of fringe parties that participated in the July 2018 presidential polls.
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Chamisa said his party was ready to deploy its vast skills and expertise to assist the government in the fight against COVID-19.
“We are ready because we have had ministers in government — our esteemed former ministers, engineers, economists, doctors, researchers and experts in various fields are ready to assist.
“We don’t want polarisation in the context of the pandemic. We have chosen to put politics aside and we want to assist government to craft those measures, then we can deal with the issue of legitimacy after defeating what is affecting all of us.”
Chamisa said government had been found wanting in combating the spread of COVID-19 and failing to roll out massive screening and testing during the lockdown. “We are urging government to make sure we are already preparing for a back-to-life programme — back to our work, back to our normal day-to-day activities,” he said.
Chamisa called for complete dollarisation of the economy and the need for a US$5 billion stimulus package to take Zimbabwe out of the woods and ensure businesses that would have fallen are put back to life.
