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Nkomo must zip his mouth, thank the MDC
Movement for Democratic Change
November 16, 2010

The MDC dismisses statements by Zanu PF's John Nkomo in Esigodini, Matabeleland South recently, as reckless, irresponsible and misbegotten. Mr Nkomo should count himself lucky for being the country's vice president following the thwarting of his party in the 2008 general election. It was through the magnanimity of the MDC and the people of Zimbabwe that people like Nkomo are still occupying offices in Government. For the unelected people to then try and deceive the people in the rural areas saying it was out of Zanu PF's benevolence that the GPA came into existence is regrettable, much as it is dishonest.

Such utterances are tantamount to creating divisions in a nation that is nursing bruises inflicted by Zanu PF functionaries during a reign of terror that sought to silence any dissenting voice following their landslide defeat to MDC in 2008, from which Zanu PF refused a smooth transition from dictatorship to a full democracy. Instead of being an agent of national healing, the unelected Nkomo has chosen to be a purveyor of acrimony.

The MDC calls on Zanu PF and John Nkomo to fulfill their side of the bargain in order to resolve outstanding issues and move Zimbabwe ahead. Nkomo should have made use of the platform to inspire and instill confidence in the people by talking about fertilizers and agricultural inputs, what the government is doing to try and improve the lives of the people. He should have talked about bread and butter issues that are of significance to the people.

As the situation stands today, the Inclusive Government is a temporary power sharing agreement whose sole purpose is to pull Zimbabwe out of the political and economic quagmire. The GPA is expected to put in place essential building blocks for a return to order, help the people craft their own home-grown constitution and to put Zimbabwe back onto the rails after Zanu PF bungling. The people of Zimbabwe deserve better. The national sentiment on the inevitability of change and total transformation has never been in doubt. The sooner Zanu PF and its agents, including Nkomo, comprehend that the better realisation of a national destiny that meets the people's aspirations.

It is therefore reckless that Nkomo would suggest that the formation of the inclusive government was a grave political mistake as the only mistake that the people of Zimbabwe ever made, and regrettably so, was to allow Zanu PF's shadow to dance within the frames of the Zimbabwe portrait. The MDC remains committed to the agreement and calls on Zanu PF, Nkomo included, to desist forthwith from inflaming political tensions, poisoning the people's mind and polluting ordinary citizens' heart through misguided and ill-thought statements issued to people especially in rural areas.

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