Tsvangirai Declares Stalemate, Says Government Can Not Function

The MDC-T party has won over its president, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in the argument over outstanding issues.

Despite the Prime Minister's insistence that the government is working very well and nothing was amiss except a few men with hard heads, the MDC-T announced Sunday that it is referring the "Outstanding Issues" to SADC.

Morgan Tsvangirai himself told a rally at Macheke Stadium in Masvingo that he is "bound" by the decision of his party to take the matter to SADC and the African Union.

It was admission that he did not agree with this route. But Tendai Biti managed to rally the Council to his side and made the announcement.

In a direct challenge to Tsvangirai's claim that "there is no deadline," Biti pointedly announced on Sunday:

"We had given the three principals a deadline to have solved the outstanding issues by last month, but there was no progress."

So, there WAS a deadline?

Tsvangirai knows he can not get any joy from SADC and the African Union and he therefore preferred to deal internally with Mugabe, cajoling the reluctant dictator by incrementally currying his favour.

Hence the politeness in private and public and so on.

In making the announcement, Nelson Chamisa said, "Government can not function under the current circumstances. 

The Prime Minister had no alternative to being browbeaten by his Executive, who felt that Mugabe was simply making fools of all of them, stringing Tsvangirai along while consolidating his power by elbowing the MDC-T out of the real power sphere.

By saying the government can not function under the current circumstances, the MDC-T are basically saying this is no government. That the present state of affairs mean the death of the GNU (or Coalition government or whatever is in fashion today).

What happened to the 95% of outstanding issues that had been resolved?

What were they? With 95% agreed, what is so important about the remaining 5% that it warrants killing the Coalition?

Could it be that there never were 95% of anything agreed on as I told you before.

These are the facts of the matter. And facts are stubborn.

So now the country will be put on autopilot, left to simmer in its own juices on the back burner while the two main parties to the Agreement fight over what should have been fought over before the document was signed.

As Tsvangirai is well aware, he will not win the battle at SADC or the African Union. 

It is highly unlikely that Mugabe takes them seriously anymore, especially as they are very keen to emphasise that they will not be leaving the government come what may.

So what is the incentive to Mugabe?

None.

Like I told you earlier this month, SADC still views Tsvangirai as not only an outsider but also an impostor. It is highly unlikely that they will satisfy his demands. They can not. If Mugabe does not want, then he does not want.

It would be easier and much less painful for them to simply walk away now. They still have some vestige of pride. Later, it will be much more different.

But their supporters, who were against the GNU before Tsvangirai agreed to it, were now at the forefront of supporting the decision to stay in. Whatever will they do now?

Why, support the futile decision to appeal to SADC and then support the pull out or crumbling of the agreement when it comes, of course.

I guess it was fun while it lasted.