HOURS AFTER he was sworn in as Zimbabwe’s new prime minister yesterday, Morgan Tsvangirai laid out an ambitious programme to restore the rule of law and freedoms stripped away by president Robert Mugabe’s regime and to revive his country’s all but eradicated economy.
Mr Tsvangirai immediately won over near destitute government workers and soldiers by promising that they would be paid in foreign currency since the Zimbabwean dollar is now worthless.
He said he wanted to see civil servants, teachers and nurses back at work on Monday to get schools and hospitals open again and the country moving.
Addressing thousands of people at a Harare stadium, where nine months ago he was prevented from holding an election rally by a violent assault on his supporters, Mr Tsvangirai acknowledged that sharing power with Mr Mugabe was not ideal.
Under the circumstances, however, he said, it was the best way of carrying the struggle for democratic government forward and he was determined to make it work.
“There can be no turning back on the political agreement which each party has signed, knowing it is not a perfect agreement but still a workable one,” he said. “An agreement that, if implemented with good faith, will deliver a peaceful way forward toward a stable economy, a new constitution and free and fair elections.”
Many sceptics question whether Mr Tsvangirai’s partner in government has any intention of acting in good faith.
Mr Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) acknowledges that it made a mistake in not agreeing the division of cabinet seats before signing the deal in September, allowing Mr Mugabe to retain control of powerful security posts.
Mr Tsvangirai said the MDC would “pass legislation to restore the people’s freedoms”, re-establish the rule of law and allow a free press to operate again. He also said parliament would lay the ground for a new constitution before fresh elections.
"Our second priority is tackling the humanitarian crisis with every means possible," he added. About seven million people are in need of food aid after the collapse of agriculture and economic decline. – (Guardian service)