MDC-T to outsource election manifesto

have harmonised elections, constitutionally due before the expiry of the life of the Seventh Parliament on June 29, postponed to September.

Highly-placed sources at Harvest House say the MDC-T was at sixes and sevens over a campaign message in the wake of the dismal failure of its Jobs, Upliftment, Investment, Capital and Environment or JUICE programme to counter Zanu-PF’s indigenisation and economic empowerment drive.

MDC-T insiders say JUICE, which was launched last year, had failed to measure up to Zanu-PF’s indigenisation and economic empowerment drive that has spawned 59 Community Share Ownership Trusts, and Employee Share Ownership Schemes countrywide, leaving Harvest House without a tangible message with the inclusive Government on its last legs.

The situation has been compounded by Zanu-PF’s announcement that it had finished working on its manifesto centred on empowering Zimbabweans to take control of their destiny.
Zanu-PF’s manifesto is now before MDC-T to outsource election manifesto the party’s Presidium.

The MDC-T has since announced plans to outsource its manifesto amid reports that the dip in western confidence in the party’s ability to unseat Zanu-PF had seen it fail to attract the western operatives that used to populate Harvest House, the likes of Andrew Chadwick and Charles Heatly.

The MDC-T has scheduled a policy crisis meeting set for May 17 at which it hopes foreign consultants will rescue the situation.

MDC-T spokesperson Mr Douglas Mwonzora confirmed his party’s predicament saying they were inviting foreigners to assist them in coming up with a manifesto during their May 17 conference.

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“We are going to come up with our election manifesto during a conference that we will hold on May 17. We have invited a number of our friends from abroad to assist us in crafting the policy although we cannot name them at the moment,” he said.

This is not the first time that the MDC-T, which westerners say would need massive handholding should it form a government, has sought the help of foreigners.

In 2009, the party invited Mr Heatly to draft a document titled “The Roadmap to the Elections”, which it attempted to pass as a Government policy document without success.

Mr Heatly was also behind the ill-fated 100 Days MDC-T policy document the party tried to smuggle into Government for implementation but which failed to see the light of day.

Zanu-PF spokesperson Cde Rugare Gumbo yesterday said the revolutionary party was raring to go and its manifesto was ready.

“Our election manifesto is ready and the Presidium is seized with the document. Soon, they will return it for debate in the Politburo and after that the President (Mugabe) will launch the document.”

“To us it is not surprising that the MDC-T does not have anything. They are a puppet party that takes advise from outsiders. Zimbabweans are definitely not going to attach any importance to their manifesto done by outsiders.

“As for Zanu-PF, we have done ours and it has taken a long time of serious debate. There are lots of issues the party looked at, including our goals on what we will be doing for the next five years. Our manifestos are always original and authentic, done by the party with the input of the key stakeholders and there is no foreign input,” he said.

The head of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Zimbabwe Bishop Trevor Manhanga, said the decision by the MDC-T to outsource their manifesto showed that the party had no confidence with it local secretariat.

“If the manifesto is going to appeal to Zimbabweans, the best people to craft the document are Zimbabweans in the MDC-T. We have enough Zimbabweans in the MDC-T who are capable of doing that job, even if it means members in the Diaspora.

“It’s sad to look forward to foreigners to craft a party’s manifesto. It means the MDC-T has no confidence with its local secretariat. If it’s true that they are getting money from foreigners, then it means there are strings attached that include foreigners working on the manifesto,” said Bishop Manhanga.

Political scientist and Tsholotsho North House of Assembly Member Professor Jonathan Moyo, yesterday said what the MDC-T said was an open admission that the party was attempting to delay the polls not because of the so called reforms, but because it did not have an election manifesto.

“The world now knows why they are doing everything unconstitutional to avoid the elections. They have been lying to the world that they want reforms before the elections, yet they want a manifesto.

Their party is in disarray and they are unable to come up with a manifesto or any programme in Government.

“They spent the last four years in Government thinking about themselves, they are buying expensive cars, houses and are doing nothing about the lives of millions of Zimbabweans. They are more concerned with salaries and positions for themselves. They came up with their programme JUICE and no-one is drinking it because it is poisonous,” he said.

Prof Moyo said the MDC – T would not achieve anything because it needed massive hand handling adding the time for Zimbabweans to decide their fate would be before June 29.

“They were elected into office five year ago and with or without the manifesto, that is going to end on June 29. Zanu-PF has its manifesto built on the people’s sovereignty over their resources, creation of employment and development. We can deliver to the people the benefit of our policies. We delivered land to the people through the land reform programme and using that experience we are delivering the economy to the people,” he said.

National University of Science and Technology dean Dr Lawton Hikwa, said although there was nothing wrong for a political party to hire some consultants to do some work for it, the critical matter was for people’s views to carry the day.

“The bigger picture is if a political party were to hire a consultant, the bottom line is the people who finally draw the document should be locals. Outsiders’ views should not sail through until they are domesticated,” he said.

Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn leader Dr Simba Makoni recently tore into the MDC-T saying the party brought nothing positive to the livelihoods of Zimbabweans since the inception of the inclusive Government in 2009.

He said Zimbabwe was running on Zanu-PF-initiated policies, while the MDC formations concentrated on corruption and grandstanding.

The former finance minister said the only new development was an announcement of a 100-day plan of Government programmes which never materialised.