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No to the power-sharing deal! No to collusion with the Mugabe dictatorship!
Dale Doré
January 29, 2009

After Mugabe had sworn himself in as President, the MDC entered negotiations for a power-sharing agreement in good faith. In September 2008 the MDC was pressured by Mbeki into a deeply flawed agreement. Yet the MDC signed it in a spirit of cooperation and to ease the desperate plight of the people; Mugabe did precisely the opposite. The hate campaign, the abductions, the grabbing of key ministries, the unilateral appointment of Mugabe loyalists to key government positions, the final collapse of the currency, the cholera epidemic - all done in utter disregard for the MDC and the long-suffering people of Zimbabwe. Mugabe spits in our faces. Yet, for all his loathing and contempt for the MDC and its leaders, there are those in the opposition who still believe that a deal with Mugabe is their only option. Instead of believing in themselves, they believe in Mugabe-s omnipotence. Instead of sticking to their democratic principles as the route to legitimate political power, they believe that power can be shared with Mugabe. Instead of believing themselves to be the true heirs of democratically-won political power, they fear that Mugabe will form a government without them. Until and unless the MDC believe in themselves and move boldly to capture the high moral and political ground - nothing will change.

Mugabe has now woven his spell around the SADC leadership. Despite the fact that SADC did not recognise the Presidential run-off in June 2008, in which Mugabe declared himself the winner, they still accord him a place at the high table of SADC meetings as "HE President Robert Gabriel Mugabe" and as "Head of State". Morgan Tsvangirai is merely referred to as "Prime Minister Designate". SADC have accepted nearly all the unilateral decisions taken by Mugabe after he acted in complete contradiction to the letter and spirit of the September agreement. Even after Mugabe illegitimately grabbed the lion-s share of power, SADC has still put their trust in him to negotiate in good faith when implementing the power-sharing agreement. Instead of fair and unbiased arbitration, Mbeki and the SADC leaders have now placed the MDC in a lose-lose situation. If the MDC pulls out of the agreement, they will look like the spoilers. If they enter the agreement, they will be completely dominated by the very forces they oppose and make them complicit in Mugabe-s dictatorship. However, our first responsibility is not to Thabo Mbeki or leaders of other countries. We must not sign any agreement to appease Mugabe, Mbeki or SADC. Our responsibility is first and foremost to the people of Zimbabwe. Having tried our utmost, but having failed to reach agreement, we must now put aside any kind of power-sharing deal, including that which SADC has put on the table. A bold, new approach is needed.

Such an approach begins with a belief in ourselves and the justice of our cause. Above all, we should not fear SADC allowing Mugabe to form a government without the MDC. They must be reminded that they are in no position to do so. SADC themselves accepted the outcome of the March 2008 election which was won by the MDC and Morgan Tsvangirai. Mugabe lost. SADC themselves rejected the outcome of the one-horse Presidential Election in June 2008, in which Mugabe pronounced and anointed himself winner. SADC is required to pass the matter back to the AU from whence its authority was derived. But imagine if SADC did give Mugabe the go-ahead to form a new government. Then let us challenge Mugabe to do so! It would be a government that is illegitimate in the eyes of the people, of Africa and the entire international community; a government that is weakened with no money to pay its civil service, its police or soldiers; a government that would receive no international assistance, except for humanitarian aid; and it would be a government deprived of the legitimacy that MDC would give it! We need not worry if SADC gives its blessing to a Mugabe government, but treat it with the derision it deserves.

Having been asked to sign up to a deal that bears no resemblance to the September 2008 accord, the MDC should declare, that despite its best efforts, it has been unable to reach an agreement with Mugabe that does justice to their election victory or ease the suffering of the Zimbabwe people. They should declare that there will be no further negotiations on sharing power. Instead the MDC should approach the African Union to settle the dispute democratically - by holding new elections. The MDC should ask the AU to invite the United Nations to supervise the poll to ensure that it meets the exacting SADC standards for free and fair elections. A fundamental requirement will be to deploy an UN/AU peace keeping force at least three months ahead of the elections to ensure that the electoral process is administratively efficient and fair, allow normal political activity, and provide the people of Zimbabwe with the security and confidence to vote for a candidate of their choice. Equally important, there should be a UN/AU diplomatic and security presence at least one month after the election to ensure the orderly transfer of power.

This has a number of advantages. The first is that the undemocratic and deeply flawed power-sharing deal is substituted by the democratic will of the people. There is no need for fudging, counter-accusations, re-negotiation and stalling over the allocation of ministries and the sharing of power. Second, it would provide an exit strategy for SADC and the AU from a deal that Mugabe signed but never accepted, that has divided the members of SADC, and that has made African leaders look weak and indecisive in the face of an African dictatorship. Elections would not only enable SADC to unify around electoral principles to which they have all signed up, but it would find common ground with the UN and the international community. And, third, it allows the very important constitution making process to be delayed until after the elections, as was the case in South Africa. This means that those tasked with redrafting a 'people-driven- constitution are the true epresentatives of the people. Any attempt to draw up a constitution now would be so compromised by political bargaining that it would be completely untenable as the supreme law of the country.

The last vestiges of any faith that power can be shared with Mugabe have gone. We must move on.

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