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Makoni maps out Zim plan
13/02/2008 16:43 - (SA)
Harare - Zimbabwe's former finance minister Simba Makoni pledged on Wednesday to heal the southern African country's wounds as he unveiled his strategy to end President Robert Mugabe's 28-year rule in polls next month.
While the country's main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai again ruled out an alliance at the ballot box, Makoni expressed confidence of toppling Mugabe after accusing him of engendering fear and despair.
"The Zimbabwe of today ... is a nation full of fear, a nation in deep stress, a tense and polarised nation, a nation also characterised by disease and extreme poverty," Makoni said at the launch of his manifesto in the capital Harare.
If elected, Makoni promised to "address national issues that separate and divide us as a nation and institute a process of national healing and reconciliation".
Having been kicked out of Mugabe's ruling Zanu-PF, Makoni is standing as an independent in joint presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for March 29.
The elections are taking place against a backdrop of economic meltdown in Zimbabwe, which has an official inflation rate of more than 26 000% - the highest in the world.
Falling apart
Unemployment stands at around 80%, even basic foodstuffs are scarce, and the general infrastructure is rapidly crumbling.
Makoni said there would be no instant solutions to the country's woes but identified a number of priority areas and pledged to "undertake immediate and urgent tasks to resolve the food, power and fuel, water and sanitation problems, restore health and educational services."
At the launch, Makoni urged other members of the ruling party to join him in his quest to prevent 83-year-old Mugabe winning a sixth term in office.
"I particularly invite those compatriots who have been pushed into despair and despondency, but have the qualities of leadership, to please enter the race.
"I also invite those in Zanu-PF who ... share our yearning for renewal to contest the election as independent candidates under our banner," said Makoni whose logo features a rising sun.
'Jump off the fence'
"The time for decision has come. Jump off the fence, climb out of the false comfort zones."
Makoni's announcement last Tuesday that he would take on Mugabe has breathed new life into a contest which analysts had regarded as a foregone conclusion.
Tsvangirai, assaulted by Mugabe's security forces a year ago, has been unable to cash in on the sense of crisis with his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party driven by divisions.
There had been speculation after Makoni's announcement that Tsvangirai would throw his lot in with the former finance minister, but the MDC leader said on Wednesday their differences were too big to forge a united front.
While praising the courage and patriotism of Makoni, Tsvangirai said his long history in Zanu-PF made him unsuitable to lead the country into a new era.
"He participated on the Zanu-PF politburo while the hopes of liberation were squandered, while our economy was destroyed, while a quarter of our population has fled. He stood by and did nothing," said Tsvangirai.
- SAPA
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