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Partisan police force a threat to free elections
Mavis Makuni, Financial Gazette (Zimbabwe)
March 20, 2008

The headline, "Tsvangirai faction turns to police for assistance" in the March 17 issue of the state daily, The Herald, caught my eye because it gave the impression that there was something unusual about such an occurrence.

The story was about an incident that is reported to have taken place at a Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) rally in the Kwekwe-Redcliff constituency at which party leader Morgan Tsvangirai was speaking. The Herald reported that the rally was abandoned when the crowd of 2 000 people objected to the introduction by Tsvangirai of Tapera Sengwene as the constituency candidate in the March 29 elections instead of Aaron Chinhare. Police are reported to have escorted Tsvangirai from the rally .

My purpose in this piece is not to debate the events that occurred at the rally as reported by the state daily but to focus on the role of the police force as a national institution that is supposed to guarantee the safety and protection of all Zimbabwean citizens. The police are supposed to execute their duties ethically and professionally regardless of the political affiliation of the people involved.

The intro of the state daily's story, which reads: "The Morgan Tsvangirai-led MDC faction, which has in the past described the Zimbabwe Republic Police as partisan and unprofessional, is turning to the force for assistance following incidents of violence during its rallies", implies that because the MDC had criticised the police force in the past, it should not have expected assistance. This is wrong. Stakeholders in this country who pay taxes have every right to criticize the police and other public servants when they are not fulfilling their mandates as expected. When the press and other stakeholders express concern about the conduct of the police force, they do so in the hope that the shortcomings identified in such criticisms are addressed for the benefit of all.

As a journalist who writes about various issues, I certainly do not expect the expression of my views to be held against me if I have to deal with an institution I have written about before. The same should apply to opposition political parties. They should not be "fixed" for commenting on the conduct of government officials and institutions. Neither should those in public service be so insecure and sensitive to criticism as to bear grudges and feel the need to resort to retributive action. It is well known that the spotlight lingers on public figures and officials and those who choose politics as a career should accept this. The public is entitled to take them to task for their actions and decisions.

The issue of police professionalism is particularly critical during a period such this one when national elections are only a week away. The role of the police should be to guarantee peace and security so that every citizen who wishes to cast his or her ballot for candidates of his or her choice can do so without any apprehension. Unfortunately the police have not always conducted themselves ethically and professionally in dealing with political issues and situations. It was a sad spectacle indeed that this month of March in which Zimbabweans are supposed to go to the polls to express their will about how they want to be governed also marked the first anniversary of one of the most heinous politically motivated acts perpetrated by the police. I refer here to the battering of opposition politicians and activists on March 11 last year.

Zimbabweans were reminded of the handiwork of law enforcement and other state security agents when those gruesome pictures of Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and other victims were published in press advertisements inserted by various groups. The gallery of pictures of victims of state-sponsored violence included the swollen faces of Tsvangirai and Nelson Chamisa and the bandaged and blood - soaked head of a victim whose face was not shown. There were also pictures of the two women victims, Sekai Holland and Grace Kwinjeh with broken bodies and limbs to prove that police brutality knows no bounds. To cap it all, the advertisements reminded everyone of the unnecessary death of Gift Tandare during that onslaught.

It is incidents like these that give the police a bad name and raise serious questions about their professionalism. As far as next week's elections are concerned, the impartiality of the police force has been put into further doubt by the statement of Police Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri who has announced that he will only accept the victory of President Robert Mugabe in the polls. Chihuri and the Commander of the Defence Forces, General Constantine Chiwenga and the Commissioners of Zimbabwe Prison Services Retired General Paradzayi Zimondi have vowed that they will not salute Makoni and Tsvangirai if they win the presidential election. What this actually means is that these three top security chiefs are not prepared to accept the expression of the will of the people of Zimbabwe.

The people have the right to elect a president of their choice next week. It can be any of the three main candidates, namely President Mugabe, Simba Makoni and Morgan Tsvangirai. The role of the army and other service arms is to accept the choice of the people. Elections are not about their preferences but the expression of the will of the people of Zimbabwe. There would be no point in holding elections if the will of the electorate is to be subordinated to the wishes of service chiefs. The disturbing question that begs an answer only a week before the crucial elections is what will they do to ensure that the polls produce an outcome to coincide with their stated preferences regardless of the way the electorate may vote?

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