GPA implementation first before polls –– MDCs
http://www.theindependent.co.zw/
Friday, 25 February 2011 07:32
Faith Zaba/Brian Chitemba/Paidamoyo Muzulu
THE two MDC formations yesterday told South African President Jacob Zuma’s
facilitation team that the Global Political Agreement (GPA) should be fully
implemented first before fresh elections are held to ensure intimidation
and violence-free polls.
Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC and smaller MDC formation led by Welshman Ncube and
the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee (Jomic) met separately
with Zuma’s facilitation team.
A Jomic member who declined to be named said Zuma’s facilitation team said
they were concerned about the sluggish approach in implementing the GPA’s
outstanding issues.
“The facilitation team is keen on seeing improvement in interaction among
parties to the GPA,” the Jomic member said. “They want the GPA to be
implemented fully and urgently.”
MDC-T spokesperson Nelson Chamisa told the Zimbabwe Independent after a
two-hour meeting with former cabinet ministers Charles Nqakula, Mac Maharaj
and South African ambassador to Zimbabwe Mlungisi Makhalima yesterday that
they demanded some guarantee from Zuma’s team that the process of drafting
the roadmap to elections would not be “another talk-shop and futile
exercise”.
The facilitation team is in Zimbabwe gathering information regarding the
elections roadmap.
“The roadmap must be an agreed document,” Chamisa said. “But we made it
clear that the GPA must be implemented to the full first before we can have
elections in Zimbabwe. Non fulfillment of the GPA undermines the roadmap to
elections. The GPA is a prescription to a free and fair and violence-free
election,” said Chamisa, who attended the meeting with MDC-T negotiator
Elton Mangoma.
MDC-T has 21 minimum conditions for a free and fair election which they
presented and these include drafting a new constitution, guaranteeing the
security of people, an end to violence, the introduction of a biometric
voters’ roll, a transparent and impartial delimitation process, full audit
of electoral processes, Sadc monitors six months before and six months after
the elections and security sector reforms and its realignment to prevent
political abuse by the military, intelligence agencies and youth militia.
It also wants media freedoms, prevention of Zanu PF abuse of state
resources, in particular diamonds in Chiadzwa, and an impartial and
professional Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.
MDC-N secretary-general Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga and Deputy Minister
of Foreign Affairs Moses Mzila-Ndlovu met the South African facilitation
team on Wednesday and made it clear that the full implementation of the GPA
was paramount to ensure a credible, free and fair election.
“We told the team that the outstanding 23 GPA agreed points should be
implemented first before any fresh elections,” Mushonga said. “We also
proposed that a team be set up to come up with a road map that would be
forwarded to facilitators and Sadc, the guarantors of the agreement.”
Some of the outstanding issues include media reforms, deregulation of
broadcasting, operationalising the Human Rights Commission, electoral
reforms, security sector reforms and constitutional reforms.
Sources close to the meetings said the facilitation team told them that
conducting free and fair elections was Sadc’s mandate and they would not
support anything short of a credible and undisputed poll.
“They were very clear – they told us frankly that Zimbabwe’s instability was
a threat to the region and they would want to make sure that elections are
free and fair and they would not accept anything less. They also told us
that we are destroying our own country and economy through violence that
erupted in recent months and they want it to stop,” the source said.
“We asked them for a reassurance to ensure that this whole exercise is not a
futile one where we agree on a roadmap and Zanu PF refuses to implement.
They told us that it will be implemented without any doubt, but they couldn’t
tell us how they will make sure Zanu PF implements the GPA and roadmap.”
Sources who attended the meeting with Jomic said Zuma’s facilitation team
said Zimbabwe was not ready for elections this year due to several critical
electoral and democratic reforms that needed to be implemented first.
The team –– led by Zuma’ international affairs advisor Lindiwe Zulu,
insisted that elections were not feasible this year.
Co-Jomic chairperson Mangoma confirmed that Zulu and her team agreed that
the roadmap for elections could not be fully implemented this year.
He said Zuma’s facilitation team said there was an urgent need for reforming
state institutions such as the army and the ZEC to make them non-partisan to
avoid officials tilting poll results in favour of certain political parties.
“The facilitation team was clear that it was impossible for Zimbabweans to
go for elections this year given that we need a new constitution, reforming
State institutions and establish laws that give power to institutions like
the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission,” said Mangoma.
Last week, Zulu said Zuma was concerned about the wave of political violence
gripping Zimbabwe, adding the current political climate was not conducive
for free and free elections. Mangoma said Zulu and her team said they feared
a repeat of the 2008 orgy of politically-motivated violence if critical
reforms were not put in place.
He said Jomic and the South African facilitation team agreed that a voters’
roll was in shambles and needed an overhaul. Earlier this year, it emerged
that the voters’ roll was shambolic with babies and the dead appearing on
the register.
Justice minister Patrick Chinamasa has said US$20 million is required for a
new voters’ roll. President Robert Mugabe has reiterated that he wants
elections this year with or without a new constitution and has once
threatened that he would dissolve parliament and call for elections.
Zanu PF has already launched its campaign across the country code-named
“Operation Ngatizivane”.
“The facilitators want to see the crucial reforms implemented before
elections and as Jomic we support that,” said Mangoma.
Zanu PF met Zuma’s facilitation team, but the Independent could not get
details of the deliberations at the time of going to press last night as the
party’s negotiators Nicholas Goche and Patrick Chinamasa were not answering
their mobile phones.