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(TALKZIMBABWE) Mutambara gets even more confusing

Mutambara gets even more confusing
Comment - Mutambara gets even more confusing
Mon, 31 Aug 2009 06:26:00 +0000

DEPUTY Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara yet again made a mess of himself in a recent article where he attempts to explain comments he made at the just gone Nyanga Ministerial Retreat.

DPM Mutambara says all three principals were products of the Global Political Agreement signed on September 15, 2008. He is a learned man; but fails to realise that the Presidium is not a product of the GPA. Nowhere in the GPA does it say the president shall be appointed.

President Mugabe was elected after PM Tsvangirai, the MDC-T leader, chickened out of the presidential race. The two Vice Presidents were appointed by President Mugabe, as required in the Constitution of Zimbabwe.

Many people, including unfortunately some journalists, argue that PM Tsvangirai's supporters had been brutally murdered by "Zanu PF thugs", driving Mr Tsvangirai to stop contesting the presidential run-off election. This argument is partly true; but does not paint a complete picture. The MDC-T party was also involved in acts of violence during that same period.

Those people who bother to read (and re-read) the recent history of Zimbabwe will remember that Zanu PF and MDC-T parties signed a joint communique, both accepting culpability for, and denouncing, violence that occured during the March 29-June 27 period.

In that joint communique, signed on July 21, the two parties accepted that they had both used violence as a means to an end. So when the DPM talks of a sham electoral process, he should be reminded that both parties were culpable.

DPM Mutambara chickened out of contesting the presidential election. His party, surprisingly, supported independent candidate, Dr Simba Makoni for president, who lost resoundingly. The DPM was even 'beaten' by Langton Towungana, who ran as an independent presidential candidate. He then supported Mr Tsvangirai's bid for presidency during the run-off campaign.

DPM Mutambara writes in his piece: "We must build integrity and legitimacy of our electoral processes so that the losers congratulate the winners and the winners form a legitimate elected government. " Read in context, DPM Mutambara is saying one thing and doing the other. President Mugabe won the June 27 presidential election run-off. It was the end of a process that started on March 29. It was not a new election. The fact that Mr Tsvangirai "refused" to contest that election does not make President Mugabe's election null and void; especially if the reasons for that boycott are based on violence that his (Mr Tsvangirai's) party was also culpable of. Using his logic, DPM Mutambara should, therefore, congratulate President Mugabe rather than try to demean his position by insulting him.

"This inclusive Government came into being because our elections in March and June of last year were inconclusive and problematic." Again the DPM is wrong. The local, parliamentary, and Presidential elections (including the runoff) were conclusive; and he (DPM Mutambara) lost in his chosen constituency. Those individuals who won were sworn in by President Mugabe. The DPM has to explain to the people of Zimbabwe how the March 29 election was problematic. It was, indeed, problematic for him. He lost; but still wriggled his way into government. The MDC won more House of Assembly seats than Zanu PF in March; so why blame President Mugabe for stealing an election his party did not win?

DPM Mutambara further states, "Well, well, every Zimbabwean knows that this is a true statement." Not every Zimbabwean thinks this is a true statement (that the March 29 election was problematic)! Why does the DPM favour "collective ignorance"?

The DPM is deliberately twisting facts when he says that: "There is agreement that this is the scientific description of those polls. The observers, SADC and the AU came to the same conclusions." Sadc and AU declared the March 29 poll as free and fair. It is juvenile and immature for the DPM to twist facts that are already in the public domain.

After March 29 election results were announced, the Sadc leaders held an Extraordinary Meeting on 13th April 2008, in Lusaka, Zambia. A communique issued after that meeting "commended the people of Zimbabwe for the peaceful and orderly manner in which they conducted themselves before, during and after the harmonized elections of 29th March 2008. The Summit had also commended the Government of Zimbabwe for ensuring that elections were conducted in a peaceful environment." So the DPM is wrong in saying that "The observers, Sadc and the AU came to the same conclusions."

The DPM further argues: "If the elections were decisive, a government could have been formed immediately after June 27 2008. It wasn’t. It was only created after protracted Sadc facilitated dialogue." The main reason why there was no government formed was that there was no party that had the required two-thirds majority to push through legislation; or to approve the Budget. Given the acrimonious history of the two main parties; there was no way any party was going to give in without a negotiated process. The DPM should know this.

It is therefore not true that "everyone in this inclusive Government owes their government position and role to the Global Political Agreement." Only PM Tsvangirai and DPM Mutambara and some appointed MPs "owe their government position and role to the Global Political Agreement." Their positions were created after Amendment No 19 was passed. Those same people who wrote A19 are today asking for a "people-driven Constitution".

A special amendment to the Zimbabwe Constitution was needed to create PM, DPM positions. The positions of President and Vice Presidents were not created by Amendment No 19. The DPM should be reminded that, none of the Cabinet ministers from his party, except Senator David Coltart, was elected by the people. They all lost in their constituencies. Today the MDC-M party is battling to find room for Mr Gibson Sibanda to become (or remain) a minister.

If the DPM indeed thinks that the current arrangement is not democratic, why does he defend it at any given opportunity? Why does he remain DPM? Many people would recall the DPM telling business leaders that the inclusive Government should run for five years and that the GPA was silent on duration of the inclusive Government. Why would he want such an "evil creature" to run for five years? Is he legitimising that process which he describes as flawed? If he is, how does this reflect on his leadership qualities?

DPM Mutambara in one paragraph claims that the inclusive Government has no clear mandate as the leaders were "not elected" by the people, then in another says: "I have to make sure the agenda and mandate of the inclusive Government are successfully executed." He adds: "This GPA was crafted with the assistance and involvement of Sadc and AU. It is an excellent example of African solution to African problems. It is a solution by Zimbabwean citizens to their national challenge. Hence, the spirit and the letter of the GPA must be respected."

The DPM further argues that there is a slow pace of change within the inclusive Government. He mentions "the importance of political reforms, media reforms, new constitution and national healing." These are not purely scientific concepts. They are value-laden and take time to implement. Surely, a six month old baby cannot be expected to speak with the same level of fluency as a five year old. In any case, how does the DPM propose to measure the "full implementation" of such contentious concepts? Does media freedom entail giving a free ride to any organisation to beam without a licence? Even the UK regulates the airwaves. Pirate radio stations in the UK are not allowed. They face hefty fines when they are caught. The UK and US battle with all these concepts today. South Africa is still battling with a flawed CODESA driven constitution and conflict is simmering in that country; as the marginalised black population still lives in Apartheid-era conditions.

It is interesting that the DPM urges "the generality of the people of Zimbabwe to understand the history, background, and hence the mandate of this inclusive Government," yet attacks the process that led to the GPA.

He has made noise about rebranding Zimbabwe. Maybe the DPM should start by rebranding his confused and damaged brand, if he ever had one. For starters he could stop cherrypicking individuals to support during election time and start campaigning to run for president himself. Anyone who supports another candidate for president when they are themselves leading a political party are as confused as they can get.

_______________________
Philip Murombedzi
philipmurombedzi@yahoo.com

Labels: ARTHUR MUTAMBARA, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI

posted by MrK @ 4:11 PM