Dumisani Muleya
13 January 2009
Johannesburg — ZIMBABWE's main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) is expected to refuse to support a proposed constitutional amendment to facilitate implementation of a political agreement for an inclusive government when it meets at the weekend.
The move would leave the agreement, signed in September last year between two MDC factions and President Robert Mugabe's ruling minority Zanu (PF), virtually dead. It would also allow Mugabe to form a new government unilaterally, and that could plunge fast-crumbling Zimbabwe into new depths of despair.
MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said yesterday his party was not going to support the amendment, which would be introduced to parliament next week, unless Mugabe conceded to the MDC's demands.
The MDC is demanding an equitable distribution of ministries, including exclusive control of home affairs, sharing of the 10 provincial governorships, and an influential role in the National Security Council, which brings together the army, police and intelligence service. It is also demanding a role in the control of the security forces, which it accuses of kidnapping and torturing its members and activists.
The party says more than 40 of its activists were recently abducted and detained for weeks on end without trial on allegations of plotting to overthrow Mugabe. Chamisa said unless Mugabe made concessions and stopped his regime's vicious crackdown on his party, the deal could be dead after the MDC's crucial meeting.
The MDC's national executive would meet on January 18 to discuss "a wide range of critical issues", Chamisa said. These included "the desperate humanitarian situation characterised by massive starvation" and "the abductions and arbitrary arrests of party and civic activists on trumped-up charges". The executive would also discuss the status of the negotiated political deal.
"On the issue of the political agreement, I can't pre-empt the meeting and the party's expected resolution on that, but we are not going to support the Constitutional Amendment Bill next week unless outstanding issues are addressed," Chamisa said.
The bill would be introduced in parliament on next Tuesday after the parties agreed last month on its content. However, the MDC is planning to use the bill as a bargaining tool after Mugabe rejected their demands and threatened to go it alone. Mugabe's Zanu (PF) cannot pass the bill without the MDC because Zanu (PF) is now a minority party in parliament.
Pressure is mounting at home and in the region for Mugabe and main MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, prime minister-designate in terms of the agreement, to climb down soon to form an inclusive government to try to revive the collapsed economy.
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Hhhmmm mm m...Donald Steinberg ... sound like some one whose own ethnic group is responsible for the on-going wanton slaughter of Palastines ...pregnant mothers, children, old grannies and grandpas, the sick and disabled etc etc palastines ... which is very akin to the many times innocent Jews were subjected to massacres and banishments at the hands of various European powers in the past 2000 years. And yet you have the guts to try to apply the same approach to Zimbabwe. How dare you, sir, make a demand that our President, RMG, should never stand for office again ... on what morals or principles do you base your dastard proposition? You are a racist just like your uncle Adolf Hitler. I am told that actually the Furher had Jewish blood! Admittedly, there has been instances of maladministration and mistakes by the current gvt in Great Zimbabwe, but the main culprit for the suffering of Zimbabweans is the economic sanctions targetted against the various organs of gvt ... namely health, education and communication by the English speaking nations led by the UK, USA, Canada and Australia . I am not an anti-semitic person as l have very long term close friends among Jews. On one hand, you rightly condemn the NAZIs slaughter of the innocent but you hold condemnation of the actions of Zionists in Palastine. Explain!?!
Hhhhmm...AKAPFUNDE...sounds like someone whose own ethnic group is responsible for the ongoing slaughter of MDC supporters...pregnant mothers, children, old grannies, grandpas, the sick and disabled. Beating up of two year olds and murdering another group of thousands of Ndebele. Akapfunde you are quick to say that you are not anti- Semitic - liar.
Believe it or not, l have very nice Jews as friends. "thousands of Ndebeles..." you claim!!! How about the thousands of Shonas murdered in the Entumbani slaughter long before the 5th brigade was sent into stop a UNITA scenario developing in the west of Great Zimbabwe. How about the thousands of Shonas slaughted by Tebele raiders for over fifty years ... the flow of Shona blood led the rebel leader (Musirikadzi) of the people, Tswanas nicknamed Tebele-tebele, to call his Kraal "kwaBulawayo" .... a place of killing and slaughter. It is Shonas who were being slaughted by the Tebele-tebele, as the Mangwato would called their maurading raiders. Dont scratch the past, we all have an axe to grind. I did rather stick to the future but l shall not hestate topoint out a few painful facts. But life goes on.
Akapfunde, you have just proved my point. So who are you to point a finger when you too have such a history?
I thought AK47 would turn into a new leaf with the new year! Alas! He is the same crass, outdated, out of touch, full of hypocrisy, hate and revenge!
I say before appointing a neutral government, the bloodstained Mugabe, at the root of all the ills in Zimbabwe, should be put behind iron bars awaiting trial at the ICC for crimes against his innocent people.
There is no future with Mugabe. He wasted 28 precious years to completely destroy the fabrics of the Zimbawean economy and plunge the people into a cholera ridden country.
Yet lunatics like Jallohlaw, AK47 & gand continue to praise the monster that Mugabe has turned into!
Let's just hope that Mr. Mugabe can last 10 more years with the aid of South Africa and SADC, for that is probably the only way that Zimbabweans won't lose their much coveted resources (land, etc.) that Mr. Mugabe has fought so long and hard to return to them (the West's massive lying machine notwithstanding). By then, hopefully, there will be enough people like Takunya_Ndebvu, Rafil and a few others on this board to continue the fight against the massive resources of the West gained from centuries of the enslavement of Africans and the stealing of their natural resources, something which they seem determined to do for as long as they can find African collaborators to do their bidding.
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