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ZANU-PF, MDC to establish subcommittee on violence

ZANU-PF, MDC to establish subcommittee on violence
By George Chellah in Harare, Zimbabwe
Friday June 06, 2008 [04:00]

OPPOSITION MDC has appealed to regional bodies and the international community to take a tough stance against the Zimbabwean government to allow people to express themselves freely in the forthcoming presidential runoff. And the ZANU-PF and MDC have agreed to establish a sub-committee to coordinate with the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) in curbing political violence. MDC spokesperson Nelson Chamisa yesterday said the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the

African Union and the international community should persuade the Zimbabwean government to ensure that people participated freely in the runoff.

"The MDC remains convinced that whatever antics the regime engages in, the people of Zimbabwe have spoken and they will speak again. We are ready to re-run and re-win. On June 27, the people of Zimbabwe will vote for a new President who is ready to deliver a new Zimbabwe," he said.

Chamisa said ZANU-PF was masquerading as a victim of political violence when it was a perpetrator.

He said the violence had spread to various parts of the country.
"It cannot be a free and fair election when our people continue to be killed, brutalised and maimed. Armed militia have brought the spectre of death in both rural and urban homes, forcing the victors in the last election to flee into the mountains. Teachers have not been spared. They have also been killed and brutalised and most have fled their schools," Chamisa said. "ZANU-PF thugs have barricaded rural roads with impunity while villagers in most rural areas have been forced to attend night vigils where they are threatened with death if they vote for president Tsvangirai. Villagers cannot move from one village to the other without Zanu-PF "passes."

He said as a nation, Zimbabwe had retreated centuries back to the Stone Age politics of violence and coercion.

"Ten thousand homes have been torched throughout the country. The regime has continued, with neither shame nor compunction, its barbaric onslaught on innocent citizens for expressing their sovereign will on 29 March," Chamisa said. "Mugabe and ZANU-PF is masquerading as a victim when he is a perpetrator of violence. The public media, especially the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation and The Herald, have catalysed violence through hate language against the MDC."

And the ZANU-PF and MDC, who have agreed to establish a sub-committee to work with the police in curbing violence, have also agreed to be signatories to a declaration crafted by the multi-party liaison committee, which was facilitated by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission in condemning political violence ahead of the presidential run-off.
The multi-party liaison committee is made up of representatives of ZANU-PF, MDC and the police.

ZEC deputy director for public relations Tendayi Pamire confirmed the agreement on state media yesterday.

Representatives of the MDC and ZANU-PF had a closed-door meeting in Harare on Wednesday, which was facilitated by ZEC.

He said both political parties had agreed to two strategies for conflict resolution.
"They agreed to establish a sub-committee that will work with the police in curbing political violence and to be signatories to a declaration crafted by the multi-party liaison committee condemning political violence," Pamire said.

Pamire said the multi-party liaison committee would meet again next week Tuesday to discuss their terms of reference.

He further said ZEC has approved the request by both parties to increase the number of election agents.

"The commission has approved the request by political parties contesting the run-off to increase the number of election agents from one to two per polling station and from one to four at the National Command Centre for transparency purposes," he said.
Pamire said ZEC also updated the two political parties on electoral issues, especially postal voting.

The MDC's rallies in Hwange and Victoria Falls were banned by police last weekend.
And Tsvangirai and his team were on Wednesday detained at a roadblock in Lupane area in southwestern Zimbabwe but were later released.

Tsvangirai's counterpart Professor Arthur Mutambara, who leads another faction of the MDC, was arrested last Sunday and charged with publishing statements prejudicial to the state and for contempt of court after he recently wrote a newspaper article criticising President Robert Mugabe for his government's handling of elections in March.
Prof Mutambara was released on a Z$20 billion bail last Tuesday and is due to appear in court.

Labels: MDC, ZANU-PF

posted by MrK @ 3:26 AM