Let exiles vote - Mutambara

MANCHESTER – Zimbabweans in the diaspora should be allowed to vote, says the leader of the pro-Senate faction of the MDC, Arthur Mutambara.

Speaking to supporters in Manchester at his first meeting in the UK at the weekend, he said the denial of voting rights to millions of Zimbabweans around the world was ‘a travesty that needs generational intervention’.

According to an eye-witness, Mutambara, secretary general Welshman Ncube and his deputy Priscilla Misahairabwi Mushonga were accompanied by an official entourage of about 20. The meeting itself was attended by 35 people. Two Zimbabwean websites described the meeting as a ‘rally’ and said it was a ‘resounding success’.

“It seems strange that the group did not address a meeting in London, where the majority of Zimbabweans live,” said the witness.

Mutambara left the UK for Norway on Monday as part of a diplomatic offensive to garner support for his faction in several European countries.

He also spoke about his attempts to re-brand the MDC, saying the party needed a make-over to rid it of what he called a ‘jacket of puppetry’ in reference to allegations that it was too closely supported by Britain and the United States.

“We are trying to build a principled, patriotic political party,” he said. “We will not accept any (foreign) assistance that compromises our dignity and sovereignty. Zanu (PF) will soon discover that they can no longer win elections simply by claiming credit for the liberation struggle. We have pulled the rug from under their feet.”