MDC-T on course

... as nation gears for free and fair elections

As the country glides towards the historic election period which will mark an end to the inclusive government, President Tsvangirai has said the MDC's struggles with Zanu PF within the inclusive government (IG), and his determination to ensure that the upcoming elections are held in a free and fair environment.

He believes that the past four years have brought improvements and that it is now time for the world to see that the country's political and economic reforms are taking shape.

President Tsvangirai said the main objective of entering into the inclusive government was to respond to political and economic crisis that had engulfed the nation, against the background of a disputed election – the first round of which he had won.

The President further highlighted the trials and tribulations that the ordinary people of Zimbabwe were going through as a result of severe economic environment arising principally from mismanagement by the Zanu PF government.

"We were driven by the need to restore political stability, as a precursor to economic stabilisation, which we have achieved in the IG. If one makes a comparison between the period immediately preceding the IG, when circumstances were dire, and the period during the IG, the difference is plain," said the president.

President Tsvangirai pointed out that it was necessary to join the Inclusive Government as this provided opportunity to occupy space within the state and use that space to influence reform from inside.

"We had spent all the previous years of the democratic struggle outside the state structures and we were aware that our rivals had the advantage of incumbency," he said.

The President further castigated the situation which was obtaining before the inclusive government in which Zanu PF confused, state and party functions saying this situation was untenable and a serious threat to the achievement of the democratic struggle. "We had a situation where the state was synonymous with Zanu PF, that is, where the state was Zanu PF and Zanu PF was the state. That situation was untenable and a serious threat to the achievement of our democratic struggle.

"Our task was to occupy key spaces within the state and break Zanu PF's monopoly and hold on the state structures. We have managed to do that to a considerable degree" the president implored. President Tsvangirai added that, despite challenges in breaking barriers within various state structures, they had managed to find common ground with the rival Zanu PF.

"We also had the challenge of breaking barriers between ourselves and various state structures. While there is still work to do in some cases, we believe we have broken barriers and built bridges even with our rivals as a result of working together in the IG.

Those who did not trust us through misunderstanding are now able to deal with us with a fair level of confidence and respect," the President said.

He intimated that the inclusive government presented opportunity to demonstrate to the people of Zimbabwe that the MDC had the ability to govern and run affairs of this country once it is in full control of government.

"We have key social delivery ministries, including health, water, social services as well as the finance ministry, where we have managed to improve service delivery which had virtually ground to a halt before the inclusive government," he added.

He paid tribute to the invaluable experience the party had gained from participating in the Inclusive government saying this had certainly horned their skills and ability to tackle national issues. The President further reckoned that the

The inclusive government had opened up opportunity to revive the stalled constitution making adding that the exercise had enabled Zimbabweans to have a new constitution.

He reiterated that the new constitution was an "MDC baby." Another positive development as a result of the MDC's entry into government has been the remoulding of the country's image which the president said had allowed Zimbabwe to move from international isolation back to community of nations.

He said the process leading to full integration was important in order to ensure that there was access to economic, political and social facilities that have hitherto been unavailable to the state.

The president however bemoaned the slow pace in implementation of the Global Political Agreement owing to Zanu PF's intransigence and total refusal to adhere to the full terms of the GPA.

"We still see signs of resistance to change through attempts to politicise the security sector – a circumstance that can be fatal to the realisation of a credible and legitimate election," president Tsvangirai said. President Tsvangirai paid tribute to the regional body SADC for its patience, consistence and insistence on the full implementation of the Global Political Agreement (GPA), saying the body through its facilitator President Jacob Zuma had remained fair, consistent and steadfast in facilitating dialogue on the implementation of the GPA and in particular the completion of the constitution-making process and preparation of the road map towards elections.

"He and his team have been excellent in their role and we hope they continue to demonstrate the same kind of leadership going forward," he said

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