|
Back to Index
Civil
society condemns the continuing repression of the democratic voice
of the citizens of Zimbabwe
Combined Harare
Residents' Association (CHRA)
January
12, 2003
The Combined
Harare Residents Association, together with other representatives
of civil society including the 350 members of the Crisis
in Zimbabwe Coalition, strongly condemn the continuing repression
of our democratically elected representatives and the citizens of
Zimbabwe in general. We did not fight for three years to uphold
the constitutional right to elect our own representatives only to
see this right arbitrarily withdrawn by an unelected minister of
an illegitimate government.
The threat of
committees and governors, the imposition of arbitrary controls and
directives, and the limitation of the Council's borrowing powers
are all intended to undermine the Mayor's ability to rescue the
city from years of incompetence and corruption and to justify the
suspension of the council and its replacement by another appointed
Commission.
The arrest of
Mayor Mudzuri and 21 others in Mabvuku on Saturday is a blatant
subversion of our rights to engage in legitimate discourse with
our elected representatives. The idea that such elected officials
and ordinary residents of our country can be stopped from holding
meetings anywhere, let alone on council property, is ludicrous.
Such actions by what we believe are a minority of rogue elements
and their willing underlings within the regime highlight yet again
their comprehensive disdain for democratic processes. .
We reject wholeheartedly
the ultimately futile attempts of the illegitimate Mugabe regime
to suppress the voice of the Zimbabwean people through electoral
fraud, intimidation, violence, deceit, illegal arrests, trumped-up
charges, and blatant tyranny. We would remind "president" Mugabe
and his clique that it was the refusal of the Smith regime and its
supporters to allow open and free dialogue that drove the liberation
movement into armed struggle. We do not want to see our beloved
Zimbabwe follow the route of Somalia, Liberia and those numerous
other nations where the tragedy of intolerance and oppression have
played out its course to the detriment of their peoples. While the
people of Zimbabwe possess an admirable forbearance and fortitude,
these qualities are not unlimited. If the regime continues to subvert
the functions of the State in its quest for absolute power, then
it will be Mugabe and his supporters who will bear the responsibility
for the resulting misery. Those within Zanu-PF who still hold true
to the ideals of the liberation struggle have a duty to speak out
against the destructive leadership of Mugabe and his illegitimate
government unless they wish to bear the burden of society's collective
judgement.
We call upon
the regime to wake up to the desperate realities of our situation
and to accept responsibility for its own failures of leadership
in all spheres of our country's social, economic and political life.
We urge the regime to initiate an honourable exit from office through
constitutional reform followed by new national elections supervised
by an independent Electoral Supervisory Commission.
All citizens
who care about our country should make their voices heard and send
a clear message to the regime that enough is enough! Zvakwana!
Visit the CHRA
fact sheet
Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
TOP
|
