Zim Constitutional Process Stalls
11/05/2011 13:42:00
Harare, May 11, 2011 – Zimbabwe’s constitution making process has
temporarily stalled following massive disagreements among the country’s main
political parties over the approach to use to analyse the people’s views
gathered last year by the Constitutional Parliamentary Select Committee
(COPAC).
Zanu (PF) politicians have suggested that the thematic committees meeting in
Harare should use the quantitative approach while the two MDCs are
supporting the qualitative approach to analyse the data collected from the
people of Zimbabwe during the constitutional outreach process.
Thematic Committee members gathered at the Harare International Conference
Centre have temporarily downed the tools waiting for the management
committee’s decision on the matter.
COPAC co-chairperson Paul Mangwana confirmed that there were some
disagreements over the way forward but they would meet with their
counterparts from the two MDC formations and resolve the issue.
“We are now at a very critical stage of the process and we have to move fast
and take charge of the situation,” said Mangwana.
Radio VOP has it on good authority that the two MDC formations are against
the quantitative approach mainly because the rural areas had more meetings
while the all urban wards were accorded one meeting per ward. Most rural
areas are Zanu (PF) strongholds and the majority of the people were coached
to give out the party’s positions on the constitution during the outreach
period.
“There are 3 to 4 meetings per ward in rural areas while urban areas were
given one meeting per ward which clearly give Zanu (PF) an added advantage
against the other parties,” said one thematic committee member who decline
to be named.
Another COPAC co-chairperson and MDC-T spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora would
not respond to his cell phone since he was reported to be attending a
meeting at the party’s headquarters Harvest House.
Copac co-chair Edward Mkhosi confirmed there is a crisis at the thematic
committee meeting but said it was still too early to ring alarm bells.
“Am at a crucial meeting right now,” he said. “It’s too early …It would be
better if you wait until I get a full briefing of what has happened.”
The thematic committee meetings started on May 2, 2011 and were expected to
run until May 18, 2011 after which the constitution making process would
move to the drafting stage.