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This article participates on the following special index pages:
Talks, dialogue, negotiations and GNU - Post June 2008 "elections" - Index of articles
Politicians
should negotiate in good faith
Crisis
in Zimbabwe Coalition
October 31, 2008
The Crisis in
Zimbabwe Coalition is gravely concerned with the continued impasse
in allocating cabinet posts by the 3 political leaders and the arrests
and arbitrary beating of human rights activists. Since the signing
of the Power Sharing Agreement
on the 15th of September 2008, little progress has been made in
implementing the agreement, with the allocation of ministries being
the latest stumbling block which the SADC organ on Politics, Defense
and Security Cooperation (TROIKA) failed to eliminate on the 27th
of October 2008.
This delay in
bringing closure to this impasse is adversely affecting the people
of Zimbabwe who continue to bear the brunt of the socio-economic
and political crises facing the country. The only feasible hope
for the people of Zimbabwe at the moment lies in the opportunities
for a transition to democracy, which this deal is perceived to offer,
and prolonged inordinate delays to its implementation will bode
ill for their welfare. For the past decade, Zimbabwe has been sliding
into an abyss of economic turmoil which has left more than 90% of
the populace in abject poverty and experiencing severe malnutrition.
Bank queues continue to swell while prices of basic commodities
are sky rocketing. Currently, a loaf of bread is costing more than
Z$100 000 (US$1) yet bank withdrawal limits are pegged at Z$50 000
(50c).
The social service
delivery sector is facing imminent collapse owing to its mismanagement
by the incumbent government. The urban poor, residing in Zimbabwe's
high density areas are being forced, to have green vegetables as
the only components of meals, and are having to contend with drinking
dirty water ( when it is available), while some areas are going
for weeks without adequate water supplies. This problem is evidenced
by reports of outbreaks of cholera, in Chinhoyi, Chitungwiza, and
some parts of Harare. The health and education sectors continue
to be riddled by en-masse desertions by professionals and industrial
actions.
The Crisis in
Zimbabwe Coalition continues to urge the parties to the agreement:
- To negotiate
in good faith as the people of Zimbabwe are banking on the Inclusive
Government to begin the process of bringing lasting solutions
to the Zimbabwean crisis, and moving forward towards democratization
- To allow
unhindered access to food aid by needy Zimbabweans.
- To take
heart on the suffering people of Zimbabwe by Putting PEOPLE FIRST,
and doing what is right by them, through seizing to concentrate
on power struggles as opposed to the welfare of ordinary Zimbabweans.
- To act within
the spirit of the agreement by changing the way in which the government
deals with people's protests, and freedoms of association,
assembly and free speech. The 27 October 2008 arrests and arbitrary
beating of unarmed activists from Women's
Coalition, Restoration
of Human Rights (ROHR) and various Youth Groups, who were
demanding an end to the delay in forming of a new government,
is not within this spirit.
- To ensure
that the ugly head of politically motivated violence which is
beginning to reemerge in places like Epworth in Harare (where
20 opposition activists were brutalized and 5 hospitalized) is
put to an end immediately and the infrastructure of violence dismantled.
In light of
the failure by the Mediator and SADC Troika to narrow the differences
between the negotiating parties, the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition
welcomes the decision by TROIKA to table the matter at a full SADC
summit to be held within two weeks of the 27th of October.
The Coalition calls upon SADC to:
- Make a meaningful
intervention that will ensure equity in the distribution of ministries,
and be representative of the outcomes of the March 29 2008 harmonised
election.
- Benchmark
any interventions in a manner that leaves little room for errant
behavior, unilateral action, and manipulation of the Power Sharing
Agreement.
- Consider
changing the mediator given that the current one, who has fallen
foul of, not only his Political Party but his country as well,
has proved to be partial to ZANU PF.
- Consider
having the African Union play a more meaningful role in solving
the Zimbabwean crisis as it is evident that some SADC members'
proximity to ZANU PF does not bode well for impartial mediation
on the Zimbabwean question.
- Consider
the establishment of a structured and meaningful involvement of
a broader church of Zimbabweans to ensure broad ownership of the
processes and agreement, and minimizing opportunities for manipulation
of the negotiation process, and its outputs as has been seen thus
far.
- To consider
disbanding the dialogue process and having fresh democratic elections,
under international supervision in Zimbabwe, should the Power
Sharing Agreement prove to be untenable in terms of implementation.
The Coalition
holds that a chance has therefore been presented to SADC to make
a lasting positive impression on the people of Zimbabwe, who often
times have felt betrayed by the SADC. The onus is on the region
to enter in the global memory bank as having played either, a fundamental
positive role when its decisions were needed most, or propping up
an errant regime, which will turn the SADC into villains, and cast
further doubt on the integrity and credibility of regional bodies
in Africa, and the whole ethos around "African Solutions to
African Problems".
Visit the Crisis
in Zimbabwe fact
sheet
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