Opposition leader appeals to donors

One of Zimbabwe’s most prominent opposition figures has said the European Union, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), other international donors and lending agencies must get tougher with the government of President Robert Mugabe. Morgan Tsvangirai, secretary-general of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) on Friday urged donors to ensure that any further aid grants or loans are conditional on good governance, transparency, the rule of law and human rights. Zimbabwe, he said, was witnessing a growing “militarisation” through the appointment of army generals to senior civilian public positions in the administration, widespread corruption, a lack of accountability, and rule by a presidency which had vested itself with too much power. It was “wasting” millions of dollars of taxpayers money on an “unpopular and unwanted military adventure” in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In an interview with IRIN, Tsvangirai said: “The trouble is that after 20 years of rule under President Mugabe, we have no idea where the country is going or what there is to show for it. We are dealing with a government which rules by force and fraud. Corruption is now the biggest scourge.” Tsvangirai, 47, is a father of six and one-time nickel miner who rose to become the leader of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU). He formed the MDC in February this year, and is widely considered by Western diplomats and analysts the most popular opposition leader, even if the MDC still lacks the organisational and financial clout needed to bring the government down in elections scheduled next year. He said he had told officials during a visit to Europe earlier this month that if they contributed funds towards a commission currently reviewing the country’s constitution, “they will be sending President Mugabe the message that they approve of his policies”. He urged them to release funds instead to independent, non-governmental organisations, such as the ZCTU. He said he had found himself explaining to officials in Britain, The Netherlands, the EU’s executive commission and the German parliament that “Mugabe’s government is simply trying to hold onto power”. “It is time for the generation of liberation war leaders to move over now. They have lost the support they enjoyed in their earlier years. I find myself travelling around the country telling communities they should not be afraid of the ruling ZANU-PF party which buys votes with maize seed handouts,” he said. “We are dealing with a government that relies on fear and intimidation. They have lost the confidence of people everywhere.” He said the country’s economy was not simply in a state of crisis, but in a free fall, with 75 percent of Zimbabwe’s 12 million people living below the poverty line and 55 percent unemployment. He said “social anxiety and despondancy” was showing itself in the form of strikes, such as the current five-week stoppage by public health doctors, frequent labour actions and no job prospects for young people. He also said there was a growing “militarisation” of government in Zimbabwe which had manifested itself through the appointment of army generals to public office positions such as the head of police and the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO). The army too, was being used, instead of riot police, to quell public protests. He also accused Mugabe, 74, of using the CIO and state institutions to try and undermine the MDC. “The man loves power, he won’t give it up. Now that Nelson Mandela has stepped aside, and Julius Nyeyere has passed away, he no longer feels eclipsed by them and is more concerned about his destiny as the ‘grand old man of Africa than the interests of this country. These are things I tell him when we meet. I have told him he is betraying this country, that the small ruling elite has betrayed the hopes of the liberation movement in Zimbabwe which overthrew colonial rule.”