Zim opposition head seeks unity against Mugabe

BULAWAYO – New Zimbabwean opposition leader Arthur Mutambara vowed on Sunday to unite his divided party against the regime of Robert Mugabe which he accused of creating chaos in the country.

Mutambara, elected late on Saturday as president of a faction of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), said his first 100 days in the post would be focused on overcoming the bitter split in the opposition party. “We don’t believe in fighting other democratic forces of this country,” Mutambara told reporters at a press conference in Zimbabwe’s southeastern second city of Bulawayo.”We believe in unity, working with everybody to dislodge and destroy the Zanu-PF regime that has created chaos in this country,” he said.Once posing the most serious challenge to long-time leader Mugabe’s 26-year-grip on power, the MDC has been crippled by bitter infighting following its leader Morgan Tsvangirai’s decision to boycott Senate elections late last year.The party split in two, one faction led by Tsvangirai and the other now led by Mutambara, who was elected unopposed at a congress held in Zimbabwe’s second city of Bulawayo.Mutambara also sent a strong message to Europe and the United States saying “we are completely anti-imperialist”.”We want to warn our friends in Europe and America,” he said at the news conference.”In the event of the violation of human rights and state rights by American and European imperialism, we will take a position of complete condemnation against American imperialism and European unilateralism,” he said.A former NASA researcher with a degree in robotics, Mutambara returned to Zimbabwe a week ago after a 15-year absence to vie for the post in the opposition.He has emerged as a formidable rival to Tsvangirai who is expected to be confirmed in his post at a separate gathering in mid-March.The former student activist-turned-academic aired his views on a number of issues including Zimbabwe’s contentious land reform programme.”We believe in land revolution, we agree that the land issue was the basis of our revolution in the country,” he told journalists.”Our land strategies and programmes are not driven by white farmer interest.They are driven by the interest of all Zimbabweans, white and black.We desire to give land to those that need it – the poor people and the workers.”Zimbabwean authorities earlier this month vowed to forge ahead with land seizures from white farmers who have remained on their properties after the country’s controversial land reforms.Some 4 000 white farmers have lost their land under the land reform programme launched in 2000 that sought to redress the imbalances of colonialism in which the vast majority of agricultural land was taken by white settlers.- Nampa-AFP”We don’t believe in fighting other democratic forces of this country,” Mutambara told reporters at a press conference in Zimbabwe’s southeastern second city of Bulawayo.”We believe in unity, working with everybody to dislodge and destroy the Zanu-PF regime that has created chaos in this country,” he said.Once posing the most serious challenge to long-time leader Mugabe’s 26-year-grip on power, the MDC has been crippled by bitter infighting following its leader Morgan Tsvangirai’s decision to boycott Senate elections late last year.The party split in two, one faction led by Tsvangirai and the other now led by Mutambara, who was elected unopposed at a congress held in Zimbabwe’s second city of Bulawayo.Mutambara also sent a strong message to Europe and the United States saying “we are completely anti-imperialist”.”We want to warn our friends in Europe and America,” he said at the news conference.”In the event of the violation of human rights and state rights by American and European imperialism, we will take a position of complete condemnation against American imperialism and European unilateralism,” he said.A former NASA researcher with a degree in robotics, Mutambara returned to Zimbabwe a week ago after a 15-year absence to vie for the post in the opposition.He has emerged as a formidable rival to Tsvangirai who is expected to be confirmed in his post at a separate gathering in mid-March.The former student activist-turned-academic aired his views on a number of issues including Zimbabwe’s contentious land reform programme.”We believe in land revolution, we agree that the land issue was the basis of our revolution in the country,” he told journalists.”Our land strategies and programmes are not driven by white farmer interest.They are driven by the interest of all Zimbabweans, white and black.We desire to give land to those that need it – the poor people and the workers.”Zimbabwean authorities earlier this month vowed to forge ahead with land seizures from white farmers who have remained on their properties after the country’s controversial land reforms.Some 4 000 white farmers have lost their land under the land reform programme launched in 2000 that sought to redress the imbalances of colonialism in which the vast majority of agricultural land was taken by white settlers.- Nampa-AFP