Gross dereliction of duty

All the structures, which have ensured that every major election since the 1999 emergence of the MDC as a viable alternative to Zanu (PF) has been accompanied by political violence, remain firmly in place.

The youth militia, the war veterans and, above all, the security chiefs who have masterminded violence in previous elections, all remain strategically positioned to deliver more of the same come voting time next year.

Put differently: by calling for polls next year when they have not even begun to reform and restructure the security forces, when the perpetrators of violence and rights abuses freely roam our villages and cities, the leaders of the unity government are virtually calling for more terror against ordinary people, especially those in rural areas.

It is a big lie that a new constitution alone assuming the peoples will is not subverted even on that one can and will ensure a violence-free and truly democratic election.

Not when Augustine Chihuri is the man to decide who is arrested for committing violence and human rights abuses. Not when Johannes Tomana remains the one to determine who is prosecuted for political violence. Not when the men of the Joint Operations Command believe they are the ultimate arbiters over who shall and shall not govern Zimbabwe.

And only those who are so optimistic to the point of foolishness would ever entertain the fantasy that the Southern African Development Community (SADC) can and will ensure free and fair elections in Zimbabwe.

All talk of a so-called SADC election roadmap is exactly that – mere talk. The SADC and its point-man on Zimbabwe, South African President Jacob Zuma, have let down Zimbabweans many times before and the less said about them the better.

President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, the chief promoters of fresh elections next year, have had since February last year to reform and restructure the security forces – which are the real obstacle to a successful democratic transition.

They did not – because Mugabe would not allow it, for that would be to liquidate his Zanu (PF) partys last bastion of power. Tsvangirai could not force reforms in the security sector for the simple reason that the flawed global political agreement (GPA) arrangement does not give him the power required to do so.

But whatever their reasons for not carrying out reforms in the security sector. that cannot be justification for putting the cart before the horse.

The point is: there can be no transformation of Zimbabwe into a real democracy without first transforming strategic arms of the state such as the Attorney Generals department, the police, the Central Intelligence Organisation and the armed forces into truly professional, patriotic and non-partisan institutions. Mugabe and Tsvangirai do not need to be told this!

That the two men would choose to attempt a democratic transition without attending to this basic factor is nothing but gross dereliction of duty.