http://tendaijoe.wordpress.com/
MDC threatens to pull out of GNU
February 24, 2009
Nelson Chamisa
HARARE - The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) will hold emergency meetings today to consider pulling out of the government of national unity after learning that President Robert Mugabe had reassigned all the permanent secretaries’ posts to members of his own party.
The MDC has described this latest development in the short life of the troubled new government as a serious breach.
MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said last night what made the latest episode unfortunate was the fact that that it came on the back of a series of acts of bad faith by their partners in the GNU.
“Half the permanent secretaries appointed should be taken out of Zanu-PF’s hands, otherwise the MDC will walk away from the GNU,” Chamisa said.
A meeting of the MDC standing committee was scheduled for this Wednesday morning to discuss the appointment of permanent secretaries and coordinate a response.
State television announced that the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda had reassigned some permanent secretaries and appointed new ones.
However, all the 34 permanent secretaries, including the so-called new ones, are all members of President Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party. Zimbabwe now has 41 Cabinet ministers. This means that seven vacancies are still outstanding.
Sibanda told ZTV in a statement that appointments in the remaining ministries and departments in the Office of the President and Cabinet, the offices of the Vice Presidents, the Office of the Prime Minister and the offices of the Deputy Prime Ministers will be made in due course.
He also announced senior appointments in the President’s office.
Dr Ray Ndhlukula has been re-assigned as deputy chief secretary for Policy Co-ordination and Administration in the Office of the President and Cabinet while Retired Colonel Christian Katsande has been promoted to deputy chief secretary in the department of Economic Research and Policy Analysis in the Office of the President and Cabinet.
Chamisa said Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai was not consulted about the appointments of permanent secretaries as the global political agreement clearly prescribes. He said the lack of good faith and the absence of a paradigm shift by Zanu-PF and, more importantly, the lack of trust and respect Zanu-PF had exhibited towards the other parties to the GNU threatened the inclusive government.
“This is not a stand alone issue,” Chamisa told The Zimbabwe Times. “It’s coming on the back of other serious violations. We have always known we are dealing with a dishonest partner. But their dishonesty is now becoming encyclopaedic. It’s a serious breach.”
SADC chairman and South African President, Kgalema Motlanthe, who helped mediate the power-sharing deal between the MDC and President Mugabe’s Zanu (PF) party last month and leads a body that is a guarantor of the GNU, was due to be alerted of this latest breach and will be called in to try and salvage the agreement, which was meant to break the country’s long political impasse.
Chamisa said the latest episode echoes the ministerial grab by Mugabe in October. Mugabe allocated to Zanu-PF every important ministry, including defence, home affairs, justice, foreign affairs and local government, and only surrendered the finance ministry to the MDC. Mugabe refused to equitably share the ministries until the MDC backed down and accepted his unilateral appointments.
He also attempted to grab all the 10 gubernatorial posts for his party but regional leaders persuaded him to relent and share. Eventually MDC got five governors, Zanu-PF four with one post reserved for the breakaway MDC faction led by Prof Arthur Mutambara.
Chamisa said Mugabe and Zanu-PF had continued to undermine the agreement by kidnapping and arresting party supporters, senior officials and civil society allies. He said the arrest of the MDC treasurer, Roy Bennett, just as he was set to join government as deputy Minister of Agriculture and the latest grab of all permanent secretary posts was the last straw to break the camel’s back.
“Zanu-PF is pushing its luck too far,” he said. “Also they are taking the MDC for granted. It’s not supposed to be a Zanu-PF government. It’s supposed to be an inclusive government.”
Ideally, said Chamisa, the appointments of permanent secretaries and all senior civil servants should have been handled by the Prime Minister working with Mugabe, “not this appalling unilateralism”.
“It’s the same with what they did with governors, same thing with ministers of State,” Chamisa said. “It was unilateral action without the input of the MDC. Just like what they are doing, continuing to invade farms, arresting Bennett, keeping (Reserve Bank governor Gideon) Gono and Attorney General Johannes Tomana in their jobs.”
The MDC, which won the parliamentary elections and the most votes in the first presidential ballot in March last year, said the issue of permanent secretaries was not negotiable.
The permanent secretaries appointed are:
Judith Kateera - Department of Economic Research and Policy Analysis in the Office of the President and Cabinet
Ngoni Masoka - Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development
Margaret Chiduku - Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs
Martin Rushwaya -Defence
Dr Desire Sibanda - Economic Planning and Investment Promotion
Dr Stephen Mahere - Education, Sport, Arts and Culture
Justin Mupamhanga - Energy and Power Development
Florence Nhekairo - Environment and Natural Resources
Willard Manungo - Finance
Joey Bimha - Foreign Affairs
Dr Gerald Gwinji - Health and Child Welfare
Dr Washington Mbizvo - Higher and Tertiary Education
Melusi Matshiya - Home Affairs
Abigail Shonhiwa - Industry and Commerce
Dr Samuel Kundishora - Information Communication Technology
David Mangota - Justice and Legal Affairs
Lancaster Museka - Labour and Social Services
Sylvia Tsvakwi - Land and Land Resettlement
Killian Mupingo - Local Government, Rural and Urban Development.
George Charamba - Media, Information and Publicity.
Thankful Musukutwa - Mines and Mining Development.
David Munyoro - National Housing and Social Amenities.
Constance Chigwamba - Public Service.
Engineer George Mlilo - Public Works.
Tadeous Chifamba - Regional Integration and International Trade.
Prof Francis Gudyanga - Science and Technology.
Elizabeth Ndlovu - Small and Medium Scale Enterprises and Co-operatives.
Partson Mbiriri - Transport and Infrastructural Development.
Ringson Chitsiko - Water Resources Development and Management.
Dr Sylvia Utete-Masango - Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development.
Prince Mupazviriho - Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment
2 Comments
Only TVSA members can reply to this thread. Click here to login or register.