HARARE - The Constitutional Parliamentary Select Committee (COPAC) has agreed to allow all member of the National Association of Non-Governmental. (Pictured: What Zimbabweans hope to see in the proposed new constitution)
Organisation (NANGO) willing to monitor the ongoing constitutional outreach programme to do so. The COPAC and NANGO agreed at a meeting last week that the committee will accredits monitors from all NGOs in addition to the more than 400 already on the field monitoring the exercise on behalf of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) and Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN).
The constitutional body, whose leaders had earlier last week suggested banning NGOs from monitoring the outreach exercise, said it had also agreed to hold weekly meetings representatives of human rights groups and smaller political parties not included in the three-party governing coalition. Douglas Mwonzora (MDC T), one of the co-chairperson of COPAC, told journalists last Wednesday that after frank discussions with civil organisations, the parties resolved to bury the hatchet and agreed on a code of conducted which was signed on Tuesday to facilitate independent monitors to shadow the process.
A comprehensive code of conduct to govern the conduct and ethics of observers was drafted and agreed upon at the meeting and every monitor would have to sign it, said Mwonzora, who was flanked by Paul Munyaradzi Mangwana (Zanu PF), the other co-chairman of COPAC.
Civil society is free to approach COPAC leadership on areas of concern. To that end, COPAC has made a standing resolution that it would hold weekly briefings with civil society, including human rights and religious organisations. The other political parties not represented in Parliament would also be invited to these weekly briefings at Senate Chambers, he added.
According to Mwonzora COPAC members and staff are required to cooperate with civil society workers monitoring the outreach programme that is expected to run until November.The COPAC shall accreditation cards to NGO monitors identifying them as such in the event of inquiry.
NGOs say they want to monitor the government-led constitution making process in order to be able to evaluate whether the exercise was democratic and the outcome a true reflection of the peoples wishes. The exercise to write a new constitution for Zimbabwe to replace the current one drafted by former colonial power Britain is part of a drive by the coalition government of Mugabe and Tsvangirai to democratise the southern African countrys politics ahead of fresh elections.
Post published in: News