Zim’s Constitution-making To Resume Next Week
Harare, July 24, 2011 – The stalled constitution-making process is expected
to resume on Monday after the Management Committee of the Constitution
Parliamentary Select Committee (COPAC) held a crisis meeting to sort
differences over what methodology to use to compile data from the outreach
exercise.
The process stalled two weeks ago on the basis that there is no more
funding.
COPAC’s Management committee comprising the six Global Political Agreement
(GPA) negotiators – Tendai Biti (MDC-T), Patrick Chinamasa (Zanu
(PF),Priscilla Misihairambwi-Mushonga (Small Movement of Democratic Change
Faction (MDC). Elton Mangoma (mainstream MDC led by Morgan Tsvangirai
(MDC-T), Nicholas Goche (Zanu (PF) and Moses Mzila-Ndlovu (MDC) and the
Constitution-making process’s three co-chairpersons, Munyaradzi Mangwana
(Zanu (PF), Douglas Mwonzora (MDC-T) and Edward Ndlovu (MDC) and Eric
Matinenga, the Minister of Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs, met in
Harare on Tuesday night.
Officials said it has been agreed that both qualitative and quantitative
methods be used in compilation of district and provincial reports after
heated discussions.
Matinenga, the minister directly in charge with the writing of the new
constitution, said the disputes which threatened to derail the
constitution-making process were trashed out on Tuesday night.
“We have found a way forward. The dispute has been around the use of the
methodology for the process but we meet as the Management Committee on
Tuesday night to resolve issues. We came up with an agreement that we should
recognise the use of both qualitative and quantitative methods. I hope we
are not going to go back on this latest agreement,” said Matinenga.
The MDC has been supporting the use of qualitative methods as it argued that
numbers were not important but the quality of submissions made by the public
during the outreach.
Zanu (PF) which vigorously campaigned for its views to be held countrywide,
has been pushing for quantitative methods of compiling reports because of
the dominance of the party’s views during the outreach.
Apart from political differences, the constitution-making process has been
bedevilled by lack of sufficient funds to bank-roll it since its start in
January 2009.
Last week the Zanu (PF) politburo, the party’s supreme decision-making body
outside congress, accused Finance Minister Biti of attempting to delay the
drafting of the new constitution, allegedly by refusing to fund the process.
But Matinenga said if there was no money to continue with the process, the
inclusive government would find it, saying there was a provision that the
government should use its reserves to finance the exercise.
“Finances will always be an issue but we will always find the money. The
budget did not set aside a lump sum for the process but there is an
understanding that we will always be going to treasury if we ran out of
funds. In that respect the treasury has not disappointed,” added Matinega.
COPAC is understood to be in urgent need of about US$1 million to complete
the district and provincial outreach reports.
More millions would be needed for the remaining stages that include the
drafting of the new constitution, the holding of the second All-Stakeholders
Conference, the presentation of the draft to parliament and a referendum. If
approved by the referendum, the draft constitution will be placed before
parliament where it is expected to be passed into law, leading to fresh
polls to bring closure to the acrimonious inclusive government.