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This article participates on the following special index pages:
New Constitution-making process - Index of articles
Zimbabwe Briefing - Issue 79
Crisis
in Zimbabwe Coalition
(SA Regional Office)
June 20, 2012
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No Date
Good Enough for Elections Without Reforms
Over the past
few weeks political debate has shifted a gear up following the SADC
Luanda meeting
at which SADC made its demands clear on Zimbabwe's on-going
political processes key of which are, the
constitutional reform, outstanding Global
Political Agreement issues and the call for elections. I use
the word demands because that is what SADC did besides how the communiqué
is couched in diplomatic language on the need for Government
of National Unity partners to agree on a process towards an
undisputable election.
The levels of
desperation by those in ZANU PF are clearly visible as they seek
to reverse the SADC decision in public debates and in the media.
On the other hand the momentum is now back on the issue and question
of reforms before elections. I emphasise reforms as compared to
dates or deadlines because the resolution of the Zimbabwe political
crisis is not based on timelines but reforms.
The talk of
election dates by both ZANU PF and the MDCs parties is therefore
misplaced and misleading because the parties will now focus on either
March 2013 or June 2013 and not necessarily on what needs to be
done. Morgan Tsvangirai and Welshman Ncube must be reminded therefore
that no date is good enough for elections without re-forms. To be
honest the ordinary citizen of Zimbabwe does not care whether parliamentary
mandate expires in March or June 2013, and neither cares if there
will be a constitutional crisis in that period if elections are
not held. Talking about election dates and foisting them on citizens
as if Zimbabwe will explode if elections are not held by that time
is being unfair to citizens whose probably only concern is survival
and peace.
The GNU is a
creature out of changes to the old constitution, and it took a constitutional
amendment to put it in place, nothing stops the current GNU to remain
in place until and when reforms are put in place with the help of
SADC. If there is to be any timeframe, it should be on the reform
agenda and not elections. In the same vein Civil Society needs to
argue forcefully so that the issue and only game in town at this
moment is the reform agenda. This message needs to be taken to SADC
with clear specifics on CSO demands. On top of the agenda is the
need to reform the whole electoral system and the need to register
new voters without discrimination. As of now millions remain unregistered
and unaware of what needs to be done to get registered. Yet we are
told that voter registration is an ongoing process.
It appears this
is done in secrecy and reports of deliberate distortions of the
voters roll and registration processes have already been noted.
Add to this there is need for the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission
to be freed from the shackles of the military and the intelligence
as well as capacitated to operate as an independent body.
The military
and other security agents must be asked to return to the dictates
of the constitutional order, which others have chosen to call security
sector reform. ZANU PF is unashamedly asking the military to campaign
for the party on the basis that some civic groups such as organised
labour, support the MDC parties. The stupid reasoning by ZANU PF
Secretary for Administration Didymus Mutasa that soldiers can therefore
campaign for ZANU PF is not only baffling but a declaration of war
on the people of Zimbabwe. This means that whether elections are
in June 2013, 2014 or 2015 as long these key matters are not resolved
then CSOs must not support a date based election call. I repeat
that it is time civil society organisations get more organised around
making specific demands as well as raise public awareness that the
issue is not about dates but reforms.
The citizens
of Zimbabwe are being misled by the state owned media that the only
solution to the Zimbabwe crisis is an election. Zimbabwe had two
elections
in 2008 and they did
not solve our problems, the solution to Zimbabwe's crisis
is therefore somewhere else that is the need for a legitimate, democratically
elected government as well as peace. No elections and certainly
no political party and leader are worth dying for. The peace dividend
that citizens have received from this GNU is worth defending. The
fact that there is discordance in ZANU PF on its messaging on peace
is a key reminder to CSOs and other parties that Zimbabwe will plunge;
further, into the abyss should an election be attempted without
reforms. There is need to guarantee the people of Zimbabwe peaceful
political pro-cesses and insuring that we cannot spend our lives
in political battles that are not of our making nor in our interest.
Our message from now going forward should be re-forms, reforms and
reforms and nothing else.
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