Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PFparty says it will not succumb to pressure from outside leaders in negotiationswith the main opposition to form a unity government. The ruling party's latestremark ahead of Monday's meeting of regional leaders is expected to furtherdeepen the political impasse between ZANU-PF and the opposition Movement forDemocratic Change. The MDC is accusing ZANU-PF of being unwilling to abide bythe recently signed power sharing agreement that was expected to lead to aunity government and resolution of the country's economic crisis.
Under the power sharing deal, 13 cabinet postsare to go to opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and three others to a smalleropposition faction led by Arthur Mutambara. Deputy chairperson of the NationalConstitution Assembly George Mkwananzi tells reporter Peter Clottey thatZimbabweans' struggle to be liberated from President Mugabe's administrationhas failed.
"Ifind the statement that was made by Mr. Chinamasa (Zimbabwe's justice minister)quite unfortunate in that it is actually pre-empting the effort of the troikaof SADC (Southern African Development Community) to bring about a settlement onthis feud over the distribution of cabinet posts between the parties inZimbabwe. Instead of pre-empting this effort, he should be resigning andallowing everybody else and subjugating everybody else to the decision that isgoing to be taken there and the advice that would come thereof," Mkwananzinoted.
Hesaid the justice minister's pronouncement is an affront to the stalled, butongoing negotiations with the MDC, as well as today's meeting of the heads ofstate in southern African.
"He(Patrick Chinamasa) is already saying that it is a mere consultative processand they are not going to be bound by such a decision. This is veryunfortunate," he said.
Mkwananzisaid the opposition is in difficult position with the stance taken by theruling ZANU-PF party.
"Ithink the MDC has done everything possible and reasonable to make the worldunderstand the kind of intransigency and arrogance that ZANU-PF has beenexhibiting. To start with, we should not be in this position where thevictorious party had to beg for power sharing and positions from a losingparty," Mkwananzi pointed out.
Mkwananzisaid the ruling party should have been prevented from claiming to have won thelast general election, which the opposition charges was rigged.
"Itwas a mistake to allow ZANU-PF in the first place to run away with a defaultoutcome of an election. I think that was a mistake for both SADC and AU(African Union). What could have been done was to exert immense pressure on theMugabe regime and ZANU-PF, which should now have realized that they could nothave gotten away with murder," Mkwananzi said.
Hesaid Zimbabweans should blame themselves for the problems President RobertMugabe and his ruling party are imposing on the impasse.
"Inmy view, it is the people of Zimbabwe who have let down the MDC leadership inthat the leadership of the MDC has consistently and incessantly called forcertain mass actions, only to have a few people responding to it. You can ofcourse blame it to the fear that Robert Mugabe regime would crush them. But Itell you no leadership can bring about a new dispensation without the supportof the masses. The people of Zimbabwe, if they truly want a new democraticdispensation in Zimbabwe, they need to assist their leadership to bring aboutthat. Otherwise, no sweat, no gain," he said.
Mkwananzisaid both the African Union and the Southern African Development Community havenot lived up to ensuring that the mandate given to the opposition in thegeneral election is upheld.
"Theydefinitely must do better than what they are doing at the moment because theirbusiness leaves a lot to be desired. In fact, they are making a mockery oftheir own existence because it means that they are not assisting their memberstate. They are not assisting their member state. They are simply endorsingeven a default outcome of an election instead of taking head on the culprit.They tend to let them slip through the fingers," Mkwananzi pointed out.