Former Speaker of Parliament, Lovemore Moyo, has dismissed calls for a national dialogue, saying it would not address the socio-economic and political problems faced in Zimbabwe.
Moyo, who leads a party called the United Movement for Devolution (UDM) said until “good governance” was guaranteed especially by Zanu PF, the problems of the country would remain unsolved.
Some parties have been calling for a national dialogue, saying the process should go beyond political parties and include participation by other stakeholders such as businesses, churches, and civil society.
Currently, the only platform for dialogue available in Zimbabwe is the Political Actors Dialogue (POLAD) framework, which was created by the Zanu PF led government after the 2018 elections.
The UDM leader stressed that good governance was what would move Zimbabwe closer to its avowed development destination, not dialogue.
“I always find it difficult (to understand) dialogue to achieve what? There must be a purpose for that dialogue. I will understand dialogue in order to deal with outstanding electoral reforms that were part of the Global Political Agreement that were not implemented. But I don’t understand dialogue in order to form an inclusive government again and so on,” he said.
Moyo underscored that dialogue would not solve the myriad of challenges faced by the country.
“There’s no way you can expect dialogue to resolve the Zimbabwean national crisis, the crisis of governance by talking to Zanu PF. That would be crazy to expect any positive result out of that,” he said, noting a dialogue would have been ideal after going through an inconclusive electoral process.
“But when you have a party that was declared a winner, then that party has an obligation. Zanu PF has an obligation to deliver its electoral promises and they should not hide behind asking for a dialogue, no.”
Moyo said opposition parties who were buying into such sentiments were being misdirected as they should be preparing for strategies that will defeat Zanu PF.
“That’s what they should be working on. The issue of dialogue is a side track, a diversional strategy designed to keep people looking at and having expectations that cannot be fulfilled. We are just a few months before the 2023 elections,” he highlighted.
The UDM leader insisted on having strengthened electoral processes and dismissed assertions made by some to suspend elections and make way for an inclusive government.
“It does not hold water. You cannot subvert democracy, we are a democratic country that fought in order to achieve democracy so electoral processes are integral in a democratic dispensation in whatever form. There’s no way that you can even begin to theorise to say you want people to act unconstitutionally because that would be clearly unconstitutional,” Moyo emphasized.
