The Forum organised by the Southern African Political Economy Series Trust noted that like the Lancaster House Constitution, the new draft constitution left the state president wielding too much powers.
It was also noted that since the International Community and SADC seemed to have shifted benchmarks regarding the election roadmap, soon after the referendum hardliners in Zanu (PF) would push for elections as early as June this year without honouring outstanding institutional reforms as prescribed in the GPA.
International Crisis Group senior analyst Trevor Maisiri told the Forum that SADC had made an uneasy shift on its stance on the Zimbabwe political stalemate.
“Since 2011 SADC has shifted its position on the GPA. Instead of insisting that the GPA be implemented in full before elections the regional body is now calling for adoption of only election related reforms including the new constitution,” said Maisiri.
He said both the International community and SADC were now comfortable with elections conducted within Zimbabwe’s electoral requirements and acceptable standards in the region. “Initially the election road map demanded for institutional reforms and new constitution among other pre-requisites before the election is conducted.”
Maisiri said the draft constitution if approved by people at referendum it will give Zanu (PF) the privilege of losing the majority in parliament but have Mugabe at the presidency since he will have the mandate to appoint cabinet ministers who run government.
University of Zimbabwe Sociology Professor Rudo Gaidzanwa said the International Community looked impatient with the Zimbabwe political impasse and seemed only obsessed with a peaceful election to protect its interests in Zimbabwe.
She said the road to the constitution referendum was not ideal since people were not given time to prepare for it.
“One wonders why people were allowing themselves to be driven to the referendum without having studied the draft. It is unfortunate that MDC which claims to be a democratic movement let people advocating for the No vote to be muscled out of the system. The scenario reflects symptoms of gross miscarriage of democracy,” Gaidzanwa told the Forum.
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Why did the political analysts fail to advise Tsvangirai and his lietenants about possible pitfalls and landmines along the way to the draft constitution? Everybody knows that Mugabe was born anti-people and for MDCs to join forces with him and force people to an ill prepared Referendum, was the height of naivity and betrayal of the nation by Morgan Tsvangirai.
The fact of the matter is that Tsvangirai’s role was needed when bravery to break Mugabe’s dictatorship was most needed ie 1999 to 2009. The second phase of the struggle for democracy in which we find ourselves in now requires politicians with brains and the mental capability to out-think the aged Mugabe. This is where the Tendai Bitis of the MDC-t comes in. Tsvangirai would do Zimbabweans a service if he could swallow his pride and pass the relay stick to Biti without wasting more time.