Zanu keeps stranglehold on Cabinet meetings

As deputy chair, Tsvangirai is supposed to chair meetings of the Cabinet in the absence of Mugabe. But Cabinet schedules have been cancelled or pulled back each time Mugabe travels out of the country.

The MDC has protested that attempts to move sittings are part of wider attempts to deny recognition of the Prime Minister, blasting this as unilateralism, disrespect and refusal to accept the letter and spirit of the global political agreement and the reality of the MDCs 2008 election victory. The Zimbabwean heard this week that this was one of the issues that has hobbled the ongoing talks between Zanu (PF) and the MDC; talks expected to resume on Saturday.

Zanu (PF) has also flatly refused to change Cabinet rules to reflect the new reality in government, where the MDC has become the dominant political party, controlling Parliament and the majority of local authorities.

The Zimbabwean understands virtually every Cabinet meeting has been an arena of conflict, with major fights on reform, democratisation and economic progress. The Cabinet is an executive body of appointed government ministers. Until 1987, it was chaired by the prime minister; it is now headed by the president. It consists of two vice-presidents, the prime minister, two deputy prime ministers, appointed ministers of government and provincial governors.

According to the September 15, 2008 deal that formed the unity government, the Cabinet retained its structure, but the Council of Ministers of Zimbabwe, headed by Tsvangirai, is serving as a liaison office. While the Cabinet is chaired by the president, the Council of Ministers is chaired by the restored office of prime minister. The most vicious expression of the supremacist power retention agenda and perhaps the clearest example of its short-term victory over the power-transfer matrix is the lack of transformation of Cabinet and Cabinet rules,” says an MDC dossier, prepared by Secretary-General Tendai Biti.

The MDC has registered its protest by boycotting one Cabinet meeting last year that Zanu (PF) attempted to pull back because Mugabe was flying out to Libya. The dispute over the chairing of Cabinet is just one of 16 items still outstanding in the original 28 items on the agenda. The unresolved issues include the swearing in of Roy Bennett as deputy

agriculture minister; the swearing in of six MDC provincial governors; the appointment of consensus candidates to the office of attorney-general and the Reserve Bank governor; the review of ministerial allocations; the issue of parallel government being run by the securocrats; conferment of consensus candidates to be national heroes, and the role and position of the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Media, Information and Publicity, George Charamba.