Zimbabwe's embattled President Robert Mugabe and the leaderof the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Morgan Tsvangiraiwill today (Monday) officially sign an agreement for an all-inclusivegovernment. The deal, which was announced last Friday, drew praise from allover Africa and beyond. South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki, who brokered thedeal, said both President Mugabe and MDC leader Tsvangirai have unanimouslyagreed to a power-sharing deal to find a lasting solution to Zimbabwe'seconomic and political crisis.
ProfessorEliphas Mukonoweshuro is one of the lead negotiators for the opposition MDC.From the Zimbabwe capital, Harare he tells reporter Peter Clottey that the dealrepresents patriotism triumph over political parochialism.
"WhatI can say in lieu of the specific details, which would be made available latertoday is that this is a deal that was agreed to by both political parties. Itis not a deal made in heaven because we are still on earth, but this is a dealthat is with good faith and good will on both sides, we can begin to chart theway forward for a prosperous, stable and democratic Zimbabwe," Mukonoweshuronoted.
Hesaid there was a need for all parties to forge ahead as one people to see tothe full implementation of the deal.
"Ithink that the anchors for all those things have been embedded within the deal.What is now left is for a resolute, determined, courageous commitment on bothsides of the political divide," he said.
Mukonoweshurosaid both parties put their individual interests aside for the good of movingZimbabwe forward.
"Letme put it this way, the agreement represents a sinking into a common pool ofthe different political idiosyncrasies of the two political parties. Itrepresents the triumph of patriotism over political parochialism. And I thinkthat on that basis, the deal itself represents a commitment by both the MDC andZANU-PF to close the chapter of instability, of polarization, of hate and opena new chapter as Zimbabweans regardless of their political persuasions, canbegin to put the interest of the nation above everything else," Mukonoweshuropointed out.
Hesaid the new deal would not by design resolve the problems the country has beenfacing for the last decade.
"WhatI can say to Zimbabweans is that this deal does not represent an automaticpanacea for all the ills that the country has been facing over the last nine orso years. Rather, it is a first installment of hope and installment upon whichZimbabweans of all shapes of opinion can reconstruct their lives. It representsa determined attempt to abandon all parochialisms and say we cannot let thememories of the past hold the future. Let's draw a line in the sand, lets moveforward, we have learned our mistakes and lets not repeat them," he said.
Mukonoweshurosaid Zimbabweans should be proud of the deal, claiming it puts asidepartisanship in order to move the country forward.
"Thenegotiations were about healing the divisions that have bedeviled the nationover the last nine years. And therefore, the description that best suits theoutcome of the deal in terms of the deal in government is an all-inclusivegovernment. The government in, which political parties will go in as politicalparties? political parties will keep their identities, but they have decidedthat for the moment, lets work together in a joint project that would lay theground for the future democratic evolution in terms of contesting politics inthis country," Mukonoweshuro noted.