Financial Gazette
3 February 2011
The Financial Gazette’s Political Editor, Clemence Manyukwe (CM), had a conversation with Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) president, Welshman Ncube (WN), on the ongoing saga regarding his party’s decision to recall Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Arthur Mutambara. Below are excerpts of the interview in which Ncube also offered his views on the recently formed Mthwakazi Liberation Front, among other issues:
CM: Since when have you harboured ambitions to occupy this top party post?
WN: I am not sure whether one talks of ambition to occupy any position as the appropriate nomenclature. I think what is important is to recognise that if you have worked in any organisation for a long time and if you are called upon by your party members to assume a certain position of leadership and when you have repeatedly declined, you get to a point where you feel that you have been through all the learning curves, that you understand the national political dynamics better and that you have acquired sufficient experience to accept the leadership challenge at the highest level.
You think, look, not only have I acquired a lot of experience, but in the process, I have developed a vision of where you like to see your country in 20-30 years and looking around you, you realise that you have the capacity, the knowledge; you have the vision to make your country a better place for its citizens.
You say, look, maybe you can play a role in ensuring that, as a country, we can stop looking to the past in order to justify the present and explain why we cant have a better future. You don’t believe that after 30 years, President (Robert) Mugabe can take us to the promised land, you do not believe that the MDC-T can take us there.
We believe we are the leaders with the capacity, the skills to take us there. It is not about ambition. One is answering a calling because you think you can do it.
CM: Since taking over from Mutambara as the leader of the MDC, what are the immediate changes you have effected in the party?
WN: We do not think it’s a question of effecting change for the sake of being different. It is about ensuring that the party is properly organised, membership and leadership is properly motivated.
What we have been doing and what we are doing is that you stay in constant touch with the party leadership and membership in order to keep them motivated in our efforts to rebuild our party through recruiting new members and ensuring our structures are strong in every part of the country. Ever since congress, we have not had one moment’s rest.
CM: What do you consider as DPM Mutambara’s greatest blunder and greatest success during his time as MDC president?
WN: I am not aware of any great blunders that he made. What I am aware of is: He was our president at a time when the obituaries of our party were being written, in particular, during the aftermath of the 2008 elections.
The fact that as president of the party he led us to where we are today — even our most ardent enemies accept that we did not die and certainly we were never buried and that, as a party, we are much more visible today, much clearer of where we want to take this country . . . he held us together throughout the dark, doubtful days. In government, he led us notwithstanding our small numbers in Cabinet, to a performance which equalled those who have three, four times more people in Cabinet than us. In my view, this is not a mean achievement.
CM: Any comment to criticisms that the majority of your party members who lost in the 2008 general polls are the ones occupying influential government positions as opposed to those who were elected to Parliament?
WN: That criticism comes from our opponents and enemies. We know we put forward into government the best team that we could master from among our ranks, the most capable, the talented, the most hardworking. We had a task 10 times than that of other members in the coalition.
We, therefore, chose to project the best strength we had in the party; that is why so many of our opponents were offended. We certainly believe that we have a healthy mix between our elected leaders and the non-elected. David Coltart, Moses Mzila, Tapela, Makhuda and we mixed that with the three who did not get directly elected — Mutambara, (Priscilla) Misihairabwi-Mushonga and myself.
CM: Since there is a recommendation for you to take over Professor Mutambara’s position as DPM, some people wonder why the party could not deploy Prof Mutambara to your current portfolio as the Industry and Commerce Minister, instead of the regional affairs one.
WN: The prerogative of deploying party cadres to government is that of the standing committee of the party. The standing committee is aware of the strengths and weaknesses of each of one of us. These strengths and weaknesses were considered and the 24 members of the standing committee felt that the skills and talents that Prof Mutambara has will be best suited for the job.
Minister Misihairabwi-Mushon-ga’s talents were better suited working with the local business community. That was the judgment of the standing committee and I, as president of the party, respects that collective opinion.
CM: Since your party recalled DPM Mutambara, have you spoken to him to get his views regarding his possible stepping down from that post?
WN: Firstly, yes, I spoke to Prof Mutambara during and after the meeting of the standing committee. He expressed his views which he wanted communicated to the standing committee, which I did and equally the standing committee wanted me to communicate to him its collective opinion and decision, again which I did.
Having done that, we await Prof Mutambara’s official opinion on the decision of the standing committee. Here, we must always understand that loyal party cadres obey the instructions of the party when they are given.
Finally, let me say that in our view as a party, it’s never about an individual stepping down from this or that post, it’s always about accepting the deployment, the command or the instruction of the party.
CM: What did the DPM request you to communicate to the standing committee?
WN: Obviously, I am not at liberty to disclose the contents of a private conversation. It would be unprofessional to do so.
CM: What is your comment on President Mugabe’s stance that there are legal complications on Mutambara’s recalling and only him will make a decision on whether or not to step down?
WN: The first point is that I will not speak to President Mugabe through the media. I am yet to hold a meeting with him to convey the position of my party. Until such time that I have had that conversation with him, it will be improper for me to comment on a matter that I have not yet presented to him.
CM: What if you communicate with him and he maintains his present stance?
WN: We do not believe he can have any official position before he has heard us. If you were a lawyer, you would understand that. A judge cannot make a determination before the case has been formally placed and argued before him. The President must hear our case first. We will not therefore engage in any speculative debate. We cannot cross the bridge we have not arrived at.
CM: Should Mutambara opt not to resign, would he be representing your party in meetings with the other principals?
WN: The foundation of your question is problematic. We do not believe that Professor Mutambara has to opt to resign. All that is required of him is not resigning, but accepting deployment.
CM: What if he declines the redeployment?
WN: Again, I refrain from crossing bridges I have not arrived at.
CM: Divisions have emerged since your congress, how do you intend to manage the crisis?
WN: We do not believe there is a crisis. There is a group of half a dozen people out of 4 500 delegates who were entitled to attend a congress. Out of the 4 500 people, we have a dozen people who are unhappy with the outcome. And they are unhappy because congress refused to re-elect them.
Surely, can we say there is a crisis? Remember, these are 12 people who failed to get any nomination from the party structures. I do not believe it constitutes a crisis.
CM: Whom do you think is funding the so-called MDC renegades?
WN: I do not know, but all I know is that virtually all of these individuals — during the last five years in the party, where unable to raise bus fare for themselves. They certainly cannot afford legal fees in this country — that is obvious.
The only clue that you might have as to who maybe funding them is the choice of their lawyers (Mbizo, Muchadehama & Makoni law firm). That may give us a clue or it might be a coincidence. If it is a coincidence, it’s a curious coincidence. The lawyers representing them are the same lawyers to one of the two parties in the inclusive government.
CM: Any chance of your party maintaining or exceeding the number of seats you have in Parliament or better still taking over power in the next elections?
WN: We have no doubt that we are the party to vote for in the next elections and therefore, that we will do better than we did in the 2008 elections, is a foregone conclusion.
CM: What is your view on the recently formed party Mthwakazi Liberation Front and its agenda of secession of Matabeleland provin-ces?
WN: We are a democratic country. Every group is free to form such political party as they believe will represent their interests. We are not privy to the ideological underpinnings of this new party. I do not know what they stand for. Let them place themselves before the people for judgment at the next election.
CM: What is your personal view on the issue of secession?
WN: We believe in Zimbabwe as one indivisible whole and that Zimbabwe is one country for all: Zimbabweans who are equal before God and before themselves and who have and should have equal political rights and opportunities.
If you can achieve this, Zimbabwe, where all of us, regardless of places of origin are treated fairly and justly and equally, there would be no foundation for secession arguments.