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Mashudu Netsianda Senior Reporter
MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai yesterday said he will set up a ministerial committee tasked with “revamping” the public media to dance to his tune in the event that his party wins the harmonised elections. Addressing party supporters at Tokwe Business Centre in Nkayi District yesterday, Mr Tsvangirai accused the public media of biased reportage against his party ahead of the elections.
“We need media reforms before elections are conducted as per Sadc guidelines. ZBC, Chronicle and Herald are not offering us space that is free and fair. When MDC-T comes into power, we will set up a ministerial committee to look into how the State media is operating so that it is revamped,” he said.
Ironically, despite lamented lack of coverage by the public media, MDC-T has of late been unleashing attacks on journalists from both private and public media houses covering its meetings.
In a clear attempt to win the hearts of people in Matabeleland, Mr Tsvangirai tried to use the political disturbances that affected people in the region and Midlands in the early 1980s as a launch pad to win their votes.
“We have the Gukurahundi issue, which cannot be ignored for without truth there is no justice. As MDC-T, we are saying once voted into power, we will compensate all victims so that people don’t continue to harbour the pain of the past.
“As a matter of principle, the State must compensate those who were affected by Gukurahundi so that they are able to move on with their lives,” he said.
Mr Tsvangirai also continued with his rhetoric attacking security forces. He said his party was opposed to an early election arguing that there was need for media and security sector reforms.
However, analysts described the reforms mantra as a deliberate ploy by the MDC-T leader to delay the elections which are scheduled for end of next month.
Surprisingly the MDC-T leader told his supporters that his party was ready for elections anytime despite earlier threats to boycott the polls.
“Our party is strong and we are the only party with a national agenda and capable of giving hope to the people of Zimbabwe. We are going for elections to win because we are ready for them even if they are held today, tomorrow or any other day, we have made our decision.
“As MDC, we have no problems with the election dates but what we want are laws such as the Public Order and Security Act (POSA) and Access to Information, Protection and Privacy Act (AIPPA) to be repealed before the next election,” he said.
Mr Tsvangirai said the 30-day mandatory voter registration provided for in the new constitution must be completed without any interference.
Mr Tsvangirai claimed to have won the 2008 elections, which he boycotted after failing to get a majority vote in the first round of the presidential race.
He promised that once in power, the MDC-T government had a five-year plan to improve the country’s economy and create jobs. He, however, could not explain how he would implement it.
“Our economy shrunk by 50 percent and most of our people are poor especially in the rural areas. We will come up with a rural transformation strategy and we are going to roll out 10 percent of the budget to address the issue of food security through the introduction of drip irrigation schemes in every ward.
“As MDC-T, we have a massive unemployment strategy and we will also woo foreign investors,” he said.
The party has come under attack for lacking concrete economic policies when compared to Zanu-PF’s indigenisation and empowerment programmes that seek to make ordinary Zimbabweans owners of the means of production.
In an effort to draw support from the elderly, Mr Tsvangirai claimed that his MDC-T government would introduce special grants for pensioners as well as scrapping school fees in primary schools.
“We will also address the issue of decentralisation and marginalisation and in Matabeleland region through a devolved state,” he said.
Mr Tsvangirai also claimed that once in power, he would speed up the National Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project (NMZWP). Ironically, his party has for the past five years been running the Ministry of Water Resources Development and Management under the inclusive Government.
Online Reporter