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MDC, ZANU-PF cadres disrupt Zim constitution conference

MDC, ZANU-PF cadres disrupt Zim constitution conference
Written by Kingsley Kaswende in Harare, Zimbabwe
Tuesday, July 14, 2009 3:58:33 PM

RIOT police were yesterday called into the Harare International Convention Centre auditorium to quash the pandemonium among political party cadres that resulted in the disruption of the constitution conference in the afternoon.

About 4,000 delegates had convened to begin consultations aimed at drafting the country's new constitution by Zimbabwe's fragile inclusive government pursuant to the provisions of their political agreement, which mandates them to draw the new law within 18 months.

From the onset, the convention centre was filled with tension and a showdown of political chanting between the MDC and ZANU-PF party cadres, who openly traded political slurs and outwitted each other in songs and slogans for almost three hours as conference organisers went about the final touches of the conference.

But the chaos that disrupted the meeting began when word went round that President Robert Mugabe had declined to attend the meeting because he had been given a last-minute invitation while MDC leader and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, who had already arrived at the venue, went back after he learnt that the President would not attend.

Speaker of Parliament, Lovemore Moyo, was in the middle of his speech when cadres burst into the arena just below the podium, jumping up and down and singing on top of their voices to disrupt his speech.

He attempted to ignore them but they drowned his speech in noise, while they threw empty water bottles around and poured water on him, members of parliament and journalists who were close by.

In the ensuing pandemonium, more than 50 riot police were called in to restore order but they failed, which prompted them to send everybody out of the hall.

There has been tension and in-fighting between ZANU-PF and MDC elements over the crafting of the new constitution, which is supposed to be the basis of fresh elections after the inclusive government's term expires in 18 to 36 months.

The conference was supposed to be held last Friday and Saturday, but was delayed because of the parties' clashes over logistical issues and the use of the Kariba Draft Constitution in framing the new constitution.

Yesterday's convention was expected to see the setting up of committees drawn from all the political parties and other interest groups to run countrywide outreach programmes to get people's views on the new constitution.

But several civil society groups, like the National Constitutional Assembly, are deeply critical of the process saying politicians should not be leading it.

Their fears were born out of remarks by President Mugabe, who insisted on the Kariba Draft constitution as a framework for the new constitution.

The MDC has already said it will oppose this despite appending their signature to the Kariba Draft in September 2007.

Experts say that draft entrenches the executive powers of the President and leaves President Mugabe's powers intact.

The Kariba Draft was produced and signed by ZANU-PF and the MDC in 2007 during talks under the auspices of former South African president Thabo Mbeki .

Yesterday's disruption will most likely threaten the timeframe that has been given to the inclusive government to frame the constitution.

Before his speech was disrupted, Speaker Moyo had said Parliament, which is spearheading the process, was well within the assigned timeframe.

He warned that no interest group or civil society organisation would be allowed to hijack the constitution-making process.

"The document that comes out of this process should reflect the will of the people. The process must be inclusive, democratic and owned by everyone," he said.

MDC secretary general Tendai Biti, who is also finance minister, accused ZANU-PF cadres of being responsible for disrupting the conference because "their wish to have the Kariba draft adopted was rejected."

"There are some people who see the constitution as an enemy to Zimbabwe...They must know that we will not be intimidated or pushed into positions that we are trying to run away from with a new constitution," he told journalists.

There has been a lot of mistrust between ZANU-PF and MDC, which is now making the inclusive government more fragmented than united.

Labels: CONSTITUTION, HARARE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTRE, MDC, ZANU-PF

posted by MrK @ 3:00 PM