Mwonzora orders all MDC MPs to attend Parliament Tuesday




MDC-T Secretary-General Douglas Mwonzora
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RECENTLY reinstated MDC Secretary-General Douglas Mwonzora has ordered all MPs who have sided with opposition leader Nelson Chamisa to return to parliament this coming Tuesday.

The MDC Alliance led by Nelson Chamisa took a stand recently to ‘disengage’ from all parliamentary business in protest over Speaker Jacob Mudenda’s alleged bias against the beleaguered group.

This followed the shock expulsion of four senior party MPs from the house on the orders of the Thokozani Khupe led group which has been granted interim party stewardship in the MDC leadership feud.

A last-ditch court bid by the Chamisa led group to stop further expulsions hit a brick wall after High Court Judge Tawanda Chitapi Friday ruled MDC Alliance was not a political party but a grouping of like-minded political forces.

Speaking to NewZimbabwe.com Saturday, Mwonzora said his faction did not harbour any vindictive intentions towards MPs who should however consider he wielded authority to sanction them if they did not toe the line.

“We will not be vindictive, and we have always made that point clear,” Mwonzora said.

“Going forward, I am ordering all MDC MPs to attend parliamentary sessions starting this Tuesday.

“There is need for them to acknowledge the period we are in, which is the Covid-19 period that requires that they play their role and duty for Zimbabwe.

“They should also realise that the issue of who has power to recall them from parliament has been settled.”

In a separate interview with NewZimbabwe.com, reinstated MDC-T national chair Morgan Komichi threatened defiant MPs with the dreaded recall if they failed to obey orders from their new bosses.

“At least now it has been confirmed that MDC-T is the party which has legal claim to the MPs,” he said.

“We would advise every Member of Parliament who was seconded by MDC to comply with the party rules and regulations and the constitution.

“Section (5) (10) (a) is so clear in its operation that if any Member of Parliament or any person in MDC-T chooses to support another party other than MDC, then his/her contract is automatically terminated.

“Any member of Parliament who would not come to Parliament without a valid reason, someone who deliberately boycotts parliament business and clearly indicates that she is in support of another party other than MDC-T is automatically withdrawn.

MDC national chairperson Morgen Komichi

“The MPs were seconded to Parliament by MDC-T which is their party anyway, otherwise the so-called MDC Alliance is not recognised,” said Komichi.

On attending the July 31 extra-ordinary congress that was ordered by the courts, Komichi expressed that every member was free to come and attend the elective event. – Zimbabwe Voice