Mutambara sounds war drums, says he is ready to die for Zimbabwe

HARARE - Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) faction leader, Arthur Mutambara yesterday sounded the war drums, declaring that he is prepared to die while resisting plans by the ruling ZANU-PF party to extend President Robert Mugabe’s term without holding elections.

Addressing a news conference in Harare today, Mutambara, who leads a smaller faction of the MDC demanded that presidential elections should go ahead next year, but under a new Constitution.

“It’s defiance or death for us. We are saying it’s an all out war in Zimbabwe to stop Mugabe’s plans. The price of freedom is death. If as Zimbabweans we are not prepared to sacrifice our lives then we don’t deserve democracy. We are ready to die in order to stop Mugabe from extending his term of office,” said a fired up Mutambara.

Journalists were taken through an unusual hour-long press conference that included song, dance, and drama to animate Zimbabwe’s deepening economic and political crisis.

ZANU-PF members last year agreed to harmonize presidential and parliamentary polls in a move the party says will save costs and facilitate for smoother running of elections. Mugabe’s term ends in March next year, while parliamentary elections are only due in 2010.

The ruling party dominated parliament is likely to make necessary constitutional amendments to push presidential elections to 2010, giving the country’s 83-year-old leader a further two years in office.

But the opposition and its civic society partners argue that Mugabe wants to manipulate the elections harmonization plan so that he could die in office enjoying immunity from threatened prosecution on crimes against humanity charges.

Mutambara said his party would use street demonstrations and marches to force Mugabe to step down at the end of his term.

But he was non-committal on the time frame of the resistance campaign or how he would mobilize enough masses to participate in the programme when his faction has in the past only attracted a few supporters to its gatherings.
 
“The defiance campaign is about saying no to the postponement of the 2008 presidential election.  It is about saying no to unfree and unfair elections.  It is about demanding, mobilizing, organizing, and collectively engaging in resistance collectively engaging in resistance for the restoration of democracy, political freedoms and our dignity as a people,” said Mutambara, who was flanked by MDC founding deputy president Gibson Sibanda and secretary general. Welshman Ncube.

Civic society and political parties under the Save Zimbabwe Campaign have already started campaigning against the poll delay plans.

Mutambara said his party’s defiance campaign would complement the work done by other players.

“There is no alternative to working together as the opposition in pursuit of democracy.  If we are not working together then we will be working for ZANU-PF. We will be regarded as ZANU-PF sellouts if we don’t work together. There is more that unites us than that that divides us, said Mutambara in response to questions on whether he will unite with Morgan Tsvangirai, founding MDC leader and head of the larger wing of the party.

“The defiance campaign is about Zimbabweans uniting to confront our challenges and organizing to resist our continued subjugation by the ZANU-PF government. We are part of the Save Zimbabwe Campaign and we will also work within that framework in addition to our own program of action,” said Mutambara.

The former student leader said his faction would not contest elections next year without an overhaul of the constitution, electoral laws, and the voters’ roll, instruments he said were used by ZANU-PF to rig elections.

“The current constitutional arrangements continue to allow for undemocratic rule and preserve the existence of the ZANU-PF regime.  It is imperative that any election be preceded by a new constitution which is the product of a people driven process that ensures the guarantee of fundamental freedoms and protects the democratic aspirations and values of the people. The people of Zimbabwe through the defiance campaign should therefore say no to elections under the current constitution which will make our vote an exercise in futility.”