This is the opinion of Charles Goredema, who is a Senior Research Fellow with the Institute for Security Studies. Speaking to the Central London MDC Forum recently, he itemised some of the conditions that load the dice decisively in favour of the ruling Zanu (PF), and make it a virtual betrayal for the MDC to participate.
The most critical is the exclusion of the electorate in the diaspora. He observed that since the last election, a huge proportion of the electorate has emigrated. At the same time, the legislative chambers have been significantly expanded by the 18th constitutional amendment. Constitutional amendment 18 substantially imported the proposals submitted by Zanu (PF) to the Constitutional Review Commission at the end of 1999, in which he participated.
Regarding levels of corruption and organised crime in Zimbabwe, Goredema pointed out the growing involvement of political elites, their surrogates and bureaucrats. This lent an insidious dimension to these activities, and made it all the more difficult to combat them.
The spheres in which Zimbabwean politicians have been implicated include smuggling of precious resources, in particular gold, diamonds and timber. One of the options to be considered in a future dispensation in Zimbabwe is whether to grant amnesty to those currently engaged in corruption and organised looting, as a mechanism to move forward.
As a former prosecutor, Goredema said he was against amnesty for the corrupt, as it tended to encourage repetition. It would be impossible to discipline future elites against a background of impunity.
he believes the new ANC leader, Jacob Zuma, will approach the crisis in Zimbabwe differently, as he seems less deferent to President Mugabe, and was more likely to be influenced by his support base, which includes COSATU, to adopt a tougher line.
Post published in: News