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By
Dr. Mavis Chidzonga, Ph.D. (Biography)
International
Peoples Assembly on Zimbabwe
(IPAZ) –
London
17 May 2003
Now
for my brothers that are here that have any connection or
might want to know why Mugabe
and his people do not understand our fellow MDC members, the
opposition. We have nothing against an opposition party that
comes genuinely because South Africa
is working very well with opposition parties in their Parliament.
Even
if I bring my brothers and sisters who are black who are in
the MDC Party (Movement for Democratic Change) and are working
with the whites, if you were to ask them, they also want the
land because that is our base and our root.
Our
problem with the MDC is that they have come like a ‘wolf in
sheep’s clothing’. We are saying to them if you want to be
an opposition party, come let us criticise
each other, grill each other. An opposition party is very
healthy because it makes the ruling party run. They will make
the ruling party stay in power longer if the ruling party
listens to the opposition.
From
the year 2000 the MDC they came in – I was running for parliament
as well, but what I saw for the first time in my life with
my own eyes was white women and men coming with their trucks
to feed black political polling agents. Coming with pots of
rice and stew to dish out to the black polling agents and
I said what’s happening because normally we do not eat together
and we do not walk together.
If
you happen to visit Zimbabwe go to our Parliament and
please do not miss the sessions from Tuesday to Friday. Just
walk into our Parliament and there is a public gallery where
you can sit and you will quickly notice the opposition and
the ruling party.
But
what you will also notice is that you will have a white man,
constantly, everyday of the sitting of parliament in the gallery,
with his book writing.
And
what you will have is on the side of our so-called opposition
party, whenever a black member of parliament from the MDC
wants to speak they will turn around and look at the white
MDC parliamentarian.
If
he nods his head then he or she will stand up and speak.
So
we are saying where is the control? All these talks that ZANU
PF is talking with MDC but even when at break-time they walk
out, we are talking to the blacks in the MDC but when they
walk out at the veranda they phone [and we here them saying]
– yes Mr Orvit,
yes Mr. Jones, yes sir, yes sir, I understand sir – so who
are we dealing with? |
