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| Mutasa blames MDC for Mugabe's decision to hang on |
| By Our Correspondent HARARE, May 6, 2007 - Ruling Zanu-PF party secretary for administration, Didymus Mutasa has blamed the opposition Movement for Democratic Change and Non-Governmental Organizations for having contributed to President Robert Mugabe's decision to back down on an earlier decision to step down from active politics at the end of his current term of office next year. Mugabe was supposed to step down at the end of March next year and pave way for the election of a new party leader who would face the opposition MDC in the 2008 presidential plebiscite. However, the 83-year old leader appears to have changed tack and indicated that he wants to stand again for another six-year term in office. Until last week, two factions within the party, one led by retired army general Solomon Mujuru and another led by former political strongman, Emmerson Mnangagwa, have been locked up in an internecine battle to push for Mugabe's ouster. According to sources, Mugabe arm-twisted his party's central committee into implementing provisions of the party's ruptured constitution that give him the powers to stand in case there was a leadership crisis in the party. Mutasa told a state-run Sunday paper that Mugabe was to the current Zanu- PF situation a strong firefighter, out to stamp the divisions and stand-off amongst top party officials. He said that through Mugabe's intervention, the two rival politicians had closed ranks and offered to rally behind Mugabe in 2008. Should he win the election, Mugabe could be in the office until 2014 when he will have turned 90. Two months ago, The Zimbabwe Times reported that Mujuru and Mnangagwa had joined forces in efforts to dislodge Mugabe from power - a story that Mutasa confirmed at the weekend although he said the unity was to help the party rally behind Mugabe for 2008. Mutasa said in the interview: "The political situation, which was generated by the MDC and the NGOs, made it absolutely difficult for the President to leave Zanu-PF at a time when Zanu-PF needed him most. So it was quite right of him to say, 'Sorry, I am not going away. I cannot be running away from a burning house. I should stay and put out the fire. "This is what has happened and many people are very pleased about it. Moreover, his staying has put out the fire. There is absolutely nothing to talk about the succession issue any more for the next six years because we shall have the President as our leader. He is not going to be succeeded for that period." Mutasa however admitted that the party could have been in the most difficult of circumstances, including suffering a deadly 2008 presidential election blow, had Mugabe decided to step down as required by the country's constitution-adding that the move would give the two factions the time to put their house in order. Said Mutasa: "But our President rightly felt that going out of office during that time like what he had promised would have actually left the party in difficult circumstances and it was only right that he stayed. We were all pleased that he stayed because there is now the need to think of these two groupings and these two groupings are naturally brought together by the President and we will follow him as we have followed him over more than the last 27 years. "He has led us in this country for 27 years and before that he led us during the liberation struggle for many years. There is absolutely for me no fear that the succession issue was dividing the party or ruining the party." He claimed that while Mnangagwa had expressed interest in the coveted presidency, it was Vice President Joice Mujuru who had been earmarked by Mugabe for succession. "As far as I know and speaking as secretary for administration of our party, the President said we should discuss succession. He encouraged us to discuss it and so it was discussed. During the discussions, I think it was quite clear to a number of people that the recently appointed Vice-President, Cde Mujuru, would rise up, because that is what the President had said that you are the Vice-President and you are not going to end there. You must rise up and the sky must be the limit." However, indications on the ground show that the game plan has since changed, with Mugabe expected to choose his successor not necessarily between those currently jockeying for the post. It appears Mugabe is now is increasingly casting his eye at the ranks of the so-called Zanu-PF Young Turks for a successor. Mugabe made it clear that he had lost faith in Vice-President Mujuru during his annual February 21 interview when he publicly castigated Mujuru and her husband, Solomon for having used Edgar Tekere's book, A lifetime of Struggle, to denigrate him and distort his history in the liberation struggle for Zimbabwe. At the time, Mugabe was quoted as saying: "I think the Mujuru's have lost it. They cannot rise to the presidency through a book and through rubbishing me in that book. One cannot rise to the presidency through a book. They need to be chosen by the people." |
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