Opposition MDC-T leader Douglas Mwonzora says he is still waiting for President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s response to the proposal he presented during a courtesy call at State House last month.
Speaking during a phone in programme with a local online radio, Mwonzora said the response will start proper discussions that will culminate into an inclusive dialogue.
“On the 11th of June this year I visited the State house to pay a courtesy call to the President in my capacity as the official leader of the opposition in Parliament but I took advantage of that trip to make a written proposition of how to kick start dialogue and I presented a document to them and the president said to me that he was going to reply and were going to reply in writing and we are still waiting for that reply.
“For me if they do reply to what we have written that is the beginning of dialogue because we did agree that after we get to hear their position we will then start discussions so we have kick started it by sending written propositions on what we think must happen for meaningful dialogue in Zimbabwe and we are waiting for the reply from the President,” said Mwonzora.
In a diatribe aimed at his MDC Alliance counterpart, Nelson Chamisa, Mwonzora leader said he has not heard any political leader calling for inclusive dialogue.
“We have also said that the dialogue must be inclusive, it must be unconditional and must be genuine and it must be with the intention of improving the lives of the Zimbabwean people. This dialogue must be organic in the sense that it must include more people than political parties so it must be organic because if it is not organic it will be an elite discussion and it will culminate into an elite pact and that will be undesirable.
“Unfortunately I have not heard any political leader in this country who has advocated for inclusive unconditional and genuine dialogue, I have not heard one what I have heard from other political parties is a demand for exclusive dialogue where they are saying that there must be dialogue and it must exclude certain players.” he said
Asked on the timeline of the dialogue due to the impending 2023 elections, Mwonzora said if there is political will dialogue will be concluded before year end.
“Regarding the time 2023 elections are going to be held in September and we still have two years and some months to go. If there is political will on the part of everyone we can conclude this dialogue before year end and there must be time to implement whatever we would have agreed unfortunately there is no other way we can institute political reforms economic reforms outside dialogue which is inclusive, unconditional and which is genuine. Other political players have not talked of inclusive dialogue,” Mwonzora said.
