Whilst the agreement was far from perfect, being dogged by a secretive and exclusive negotiation process, it nevertheless contained useful provisions meant to address the critical areas of governance vital for the attainment of an open and democratic society. These included a Land Audit, establishment of a National Economic Council, a National Healing Programme, a human rights, humanitarian law and statute law training programme for uniformed forces, a Legislative Reform Agenda, a Constitutional Reform Agenda and a Peer Review Mechanism.
Civil Society organisations swiftly organised themselves under the banner of the Civil Society Monitoring Mechanism (CISOMM) as a buoy to monitor the implementation of the GPA and contribute to the broader democratisation initiatives of the IG. No sooner had the IG been formed than more ministers were appointed than was agreed in the GPA. There was ruthless efficiency in occupying public office and securing the benefits that that come with those offices; which was not coupled with similar energies in implementing the qualitative requirements in the GPA. Whilst the Constitution-Making Process and formation of national commissions has dominated discourse on the progress of the IG, key provisions like those relating to the Periodic Review Mechanism, the Rule of Law, National Healing Programme, the Land Audit, National Economic Council, and the training of armed forces remain dormant; unimplemented and forgotten.
It is hardly surprising therefore, that this failure to fully implement the GPA has been contemporaneous with the outbreak of water-borne diseases such as typhoid and dysentery, the deterioration of maternal care in hospitals, shortage of anti-retroviral drugs, general lack of improvement in service delivery, lawlessness and continued impunity evidenced by the perpetuity of human rights violations. These ills, whilst tragic, are manageable and should never be beyond a measure of control. They are symptomatic of a broader failure of political will to implement the provisions of the GPA.
It would be remiss not to acknowledge positive developments that have been witnessed with the consummation of the GPA. Examples include economic stability and relative peace that was brought by the Inclusive Government. This brought a fairly better standard of living and greater security of the person for a limited time. There was also a marked rise in the accessibility of politicians to the people through civil society. Two more radio stations were licensed and more media houses were licensed, signalling progress, albeit limited, in getting more players on the airwaves. The establishment of the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee (JOMIC) signalled a commitment by the parties to subject themselves to on-going monitoring and evaluation.
As CISOMM organisations however, we state that it cannot be sufficient to celebrate the licensing of two radio stations when there is still only one electronic broadcaster which has an inherent bias towards one political party. It cannot be enough to laud the creation of a Human Rights Commission that still awaits resources to efficiently carry out its operations. Where no substantive reforms have been made to our Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and other institutions whose functions are to ensure a peaceful, credible, free and fair election whose outcome is respected, it is not possible to have full confidence as a referendum and national polls approach.
It is remiss to celebrate any statistical data relating to economic growth which does not translate to clean, accessible and affordable water, electricity, health care, education and all other manner of entitlements that are necessary for the unfettered pursuit of happiness.
In the premise, we call upon the Inclusive Government to:
o Urgently undertake an audit of provisions of the GPA that remain unimplemented in order to ensure strengthening of the framework and operating environment required to undertake a successful national referendum and elections
o Ensure that the forthcoming Constitutional referendum and elections are held in a conducive environment where the security of the vote, security of the voter and the secrecy of the vote is guaranteed
o Guarantee the enjoyment of all fundamental freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution, including the freedom of association and assembly, freedom of movement and freedom of speech
o Open the airwaves, allow for dissenting voices to be heard and reach out to their constituents.
o Come up with short to mid-term strategies to deal with the enjoyment to the right to health including the reduction of the maternal mortality rate, provision of clean water and sanitation to all communities and support for people living with HIV/AIDS
o Implement the commitment to rule of law and security of the person by having perpetrators of violence prosecuted without fear or favour
o Come up with a sustainable strategy that includes a clear plan for provision of clean water and sanitation to all communities
o Expedite the announcement of dates for the referendum and elections, disseminate copies of the draft constitution widely throughout the country, and allow civic education to be carried out in relation to the constitutional referendum and the upcoming elections.
CISOMM is a group of domestic Civil Society Organisations which, through shared and agreed benchmarks, focuses on monitoring and assessing the adherence to and implementation of the Interparty Political Agreement (IPA) by those bound to its provisions through the work of five (5) main Thematic Clusters. These are Economy and Development (incorporating Economic Recovery, Land, Humanitarian and Food Assistance), Constitutional Reform Process, Political Transition and Justice (incorporating Equality, National Healing, Cohesion and Unity, Traditional Leaders, and National Youth Programme), Institutional Transformation (incorporating Rule of Law, State Institutions, Legislative Agenda, the Media and National Institutions) and Respect for Human Rights and Operating Environment (incorporating Rule of Law, Freedom of Expression and Communication, Free Political Activity, Freedom of Assembly and Association, and Security of Persons and Prevention of Violence).
Post published in: News