MDC Press
MDC policy launch banned
29 January 2004
As is required by law, i.e. the draconian Public and Security Act (POSA), the MDC notified the police of the meeting [launch of RESTART] on two occasions. MDC Secretary for Economic Affairs, Hon Tendai Biti sent the first notice to Harare Central Police Station on 23 January 2004. The police now claim that the application was left in the wrong office and thus was not processed.
Hon Tichaona Munyanyi sent the second notice on Monday 26 January 2004. This was exactly four days before the launch of the MDC Economic policy. The police say that this is insufficient notice for them. They claim they do not have enough manpower to cover the launch and therefore it should be cancelled.
According to POSA, Zimbabweans are required to give notice of their meetings 4 days before the meeting.
The truth of the matter is that these are merely lies and excuses from a regime that seeks to prevent the people of Zimbabwe access to a comprehensive policy programme and a path to recovery. Zanu PF fears that the MDC RESTART programme will fully expose its own shortcomings, as it has no coherent programme to tackle the economic crisis.
The news that the MDC is launching its Economic policy (RESTART) has caused panic in the Zanu PF camp. Having run down the economy over the past 23 years, rendering 90% of the population impoverished and unable to afford food, Zanu PF is panicking as it realises it has noting to match the MDC’s progressive policy programme.
Since the beginning of the week the state media have been running adverse stories on the launch of RESTART. The story in the discredited Herald on Tuesday, alleging that the MDC economic policy was only up-dated after Gideon Gono came into office [at the Reserve Bank] is not only a lie but fully exposes Zanu PF’s panic. Work on the MDC’s Economic Programme began soon after the 2002 presidential election and, after various stages of consultation with stakeholders and party structures, RESTART was adopted at the MDC annual conference in December 2003.
RESTART is a comprehensive programme that embodies the MDC values of solidarity and social justice and will be unveiled by the party’s President, Morgan Tsvangirai, today. It marks the fundamental difference between the MDC and Zanu PF’s flip-flop policies that have made Zimbabweans hungry today.
The MDC is going ahead with its preparations for the launch of RESTART. Meanwhile, we are sending an urgent application to the High Court to bar partisan police from stopping the launch
We condemn this clear anti-democratic act which is yet another demonstration of the Zanu PF government’s contempt for freedom of speech. What sort of country are we living in when an opposition party (which controls the 12 major towns and cities in Zimbabwe and 54 constituencies) is denied their basic right of communicating their policies to the people. This is not democracy.
Paul Themba Nyathi
Secretary for Information and Publicity
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