“Zimbabwe, born out of a protracted war of liberation, is founded on respect for the following values and principles-”.
This is ridiculous since there is more than just the liberation struggle that defines today’s Zimbabwe. For example, there is also a period of 32 years of challenges and experiences that this nation has faced that will also need to be recognised. The Zanu (PF) amendment must therefore be rejected.
The former ruling party demonstrates its reluctance to accept change by replacing, “a multi-party system of democratic government,” in Clause 3(2) with “a multi-party political system.” They deleted the words “democratic government” most likely because they assumed that such words would tend to favour their political opponents, the Movement for Democratic Change. The people of Zimbabwe should reject this senseless amendment since we are all committed to the creation of a democratic government in this country.
In Clause 5(1), the Politburo replaced the term “devolution” with “decentralisation,” clearly demonstrating their aversion to the dilution of political power at the centre. Little regard was given to the fact that during the outreach meetings, the majority of the respondents demanded devolution. There is ample evidence that if the Copac draft does not mention devolution it will definitely be rejected by the people. We have to insist on what the people said and ignore what the Zanu (PF) politburo wants.
Further, the Politburo added a new and strange clause that reads, “The State must ensure that all institutions and agencies of government at all levels promote and defend the values and ideals of the liberation struggle.” This is totally objectionable since the so-called “values and ideals” of the liberation struggle are not defined. The people of this country are aware of some of the pain and suffering that they have encountered at the hands of the so-called war veterans. Should the new Constitution contain provisions that encourage such atrocious “values and ideals?” Surely not.
Section 2.6 of the Copac draft, which deals with development and empowerment, is amended to ensure that empowerment is strongly emphasised since it is that party’s core campaign strategy. Further amendments seek to indicate that the past imbalances that need to be redressed are those of the nation’s colonial past. In other words the Politburo assumes that there have not been any other inequalities and imbalances post the colonial period. This is far from the truth.
There are numerous imbalances and inequalities that arose from various post-independence policies and practices. These will also need to be addressed. In relation to the youth, the Zanu (PF) draft makes a new provision requiring all youth between the ages of 15 and 35 to undergo “national youth service training.” This is, obviously, in line with that party’s own policy on youth but must be rejected by the majority of the people of this country. After all, Zanu (PF) is now a minority political party.
It is clear from these laughable Zanu (PF) amendments that the Second All Stakeholders’ Conference is likely to degenerate into a tug of war between progressive and regressive forces. The truth of the matter is that the outgoing ruling party does not wish to go for the next elections under a new Constitution. That party is aware that any levelling of the political playing field is going to result in its demise. Nevertheless, the people of this country must stand resolute and insist that a democratic Zimbabwe is inevitable. – makumbe60@gmail.com
Post published in: Analysis