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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
Words
of caution on the MoU
Itai Zimunya
July 24, 2008
Even though dialogue
was widely seen as the best way forward to resolve the crisis in
Zimbabwe, its form and nature are equally important as to influence
the outcome.
There is a growing
error by some of our fellows that are celebrating the MoU
of July 21 2008 for promising, peace, food etc. That may be
right but very much a contested point. Peace and food and security
are the business of governments, and that's what Zanu PF had to
do anyway. The danger of setting such a precedent will surely weaken
the position of citizens in their relations with the state.
It would mean
that next time, someone can lose or see the imminent threat of lose
an election. And they become violent and deny people food such that,
these will only come or be guaranteed when they begin talks of a
GNU. This spells model and line of thinking spells doom for Africa.
It was Kibaki and now Mugabe and the AU, in all cases, is supporting
this.
On the business of the
on-going talks on Zimbabwe, i think to discuss their goodness or
badness is necessary but not the prime focus because, however our
view, the talks are proceeding in secrecy. This then leaves the
civil society with a chance to act, taking cues from the MoU itself.
Some notes include:
a) Media monitoring of
the state media on whether they now include voices once barred,
i.e labour, students, opposition political parties including the
parliamentary majority MDC coalition
b) Humanitarian agencies
and the MDC must see to it that article 10 of the MoU gives them
access to food, transport, medical care and construction materials
from both the government and non-state actors to rehabilitate victims
of the Zanu PF terror.
c) Civil society and
Zimbabweans need to answer or develop alternatives to the hard questions
of land, constitution, sanctions, amnesty/justice etc. The risk
is if we do not develop and publicise these expected outcomes, we
will simply become reactionary forces after the 14day period. Crying
for what was not and what will not be.
d) Whilst the MoU binds
the negotiating parties to behave in a non-provocative manner including
shutting off the media, it is important for us to realise that we
are not parties to that MoU. Our future must be in our hands and
not those five men and one woman. Therefore, we need to widely inform,
debate and sometimes disagree on this process such that all the
parties negotiate with the knowledge that the general povo is vigilant.
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