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Matinenga speaks on new Constitution
Zimbabwe Telegraph
June 10, 2009

http://www.zimtelegraph.com/?p=590

Minister of Parliamentary and Constitutional Affairs, Advocate Eric Matinenga has highlighted the need to capacitate the people and ensure that the constitution outlives the three main signatories in the global political agreement, Zimbabwe Telegraph reports.

Speaking during the Zimbabwe Christian Alliance Constitutional Indaba yesterday, Advocate Matinenga said it is now time to be looking for a common good and not to be furthering personal interests.

"We seem to be going back to a resolution that we made almost a year ago tiri kurasika papi? Now is not the time for Zimbabweans to pull each other down, but instead we should be furthering the common good of all people," he said.

Min Matinenga underscored the importance of respecting people's views, saying they should be documented and captured properly and not corrected to suit the aspirations of the elite.

He said everyone was allowed to take part in the process, saying the church and civil society also had an important role to play.

"Nobody will be given a pulpit licence to go and address people because everyone has a right to participate. I challenge you to go out and if you have not started let us start. No one has a monopoly of ideas and I assure you that if everybody plays their part, we will be able to come up with a constitution that will be able to capture the generality of Zimbabweans," said Min Matinenga.

He urged Zimbabweans to transform and start practicing citizen leadership so that leaders can account for their acts.

Min Matinenga said consultations are starting on 17 June and three days prior to that; members of the stakeholders committee would be already on the ground.

"On 17 June there will be meetings in Masvingo, Harare, Mutare, Bulawayo and Gweru, while on 20 June, they will be in Mashonaland West, East, Central and Matabeleland North and South. These meetings will comment on the draft plan and also on major sizes of sub committees to cover all the chapters in the constitution," he said.

These consultations will be done from ward level to constituency level.

The Minister also said educational material such as the 2000 rejected constitution and the NCA draft will be made available, so that people can make informed decisions.

"As Ministry we expect to do a pre- consultative meeting that will cover all wards and constituencies. Also educational material will be made available," said Min Matinenga.

The Zimbabwe Christian Alliance Executive Director, Reverend Useni Sibanda said the churches and civil society have resolved to participate by raising awareness and contributing to the parliamentary select committee.

"Our feeling as civil society and churches should be included in the sub committees. Also national healing needs to be integrated in the constitution for example through decentralisation and also by revisiting our electoral system by allowing proportional representation from the losing parties," he said.

Rev Sibanda also said removal of the repressive laws would help in making the process unrestrictive and free and fair.

He also said the churches would play a part in mobilizing and making sure that people access the global political agreement booklets.

The Zimbabwe Christian Alliances provincial leaders, church pastors and members attended the workshop from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human rights.

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