MDC leaders protest Mugabe’s plan to block Tsvangirai’s leadership


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Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has today ruled out pulling
out from the coalition government- at least- for now, but endorsed
his ministers’ action of boycotting cabinet meeting on Monday.

Ministers from the MDC on Monday refused to atteded a hastily
arrangend cabinet meeting that was meant to pave the way for President Mugabe to attend an African Union meeting in Libya today.

Cabinet traditionally meets every Tuesday, but MDC ministers boycotted
saying it was meant to deny Tsvangirai from chairing while Mugabe is
away in Libya.

“I endorse the actions and statement by Deputy Prime Minister
Thokozani Khupe that the greateset challange Zimbabwe faces is one of
old attitudes that refuse to accept the new order. I stand by my
minister not to attended cabinate on Monday as they where espressing
their frustrations” said Tsvangirai at a press briefing.

Tsvangirai returned to Harare on Monday in ther afternoon after
cabinet had met. Only Zanu PF ministers attended. Khupe on Monday said it was their constitutional right to consider disengagement from government as nobody is bound by it.

Khupe, the party’s deputy leader said MDC was fundamentally committed to the global political agreement (GPA) but “for a long time we have remained the polite and subservient upholders of the GPA against clear evidence of the absence of a reliable and honest partner.”

Tsvangirai said when he arrived on Monday he met Mugabe and told him
that his ministers’ actions “represent deep frustration of Zimbabweans
due to his (Mugabe) stubborn stance on reneging on agreed principles”

He said there is no thinking within the MDC of withdrawing from the
frigale inclusive goverment but that “can be considered”.

“Zimbabweans do not want a half implemented agreement that brings
with it more dissapointment than hope and more frustration than
progress. Those residual elements in our midst must decide whether or
not they are going to honour the commitments they made or whether they are going to conitinue to attempt to obstruct and impede the progress of our nation” he said.

Meanwhile, Tsvangirai has said his three-week tour of United Stetes and
Europe yielded pledges totalling more than $500 million. “The amount of assistance that was raised on my visit to Europe and the United States does not reflect the enormous support we will be able to utilise if we are to fulfil all our political obligations,” he said.

But he said promises of aid would be fulfilled only when Zimbabwe
created a democracy and improved human rights. “If we want outside assistance, we must first prove that we are able to fulfil the obligations we have undertaken within the agreement that was brokered by SADC,” he said..

“Actions speak louder than words and while I was away there were
instances of peaceful protestors being beaten by our police, innocent
individuals arrested on trumped up charges and continued vilification
of the MDC by the state media.”

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