WHILE President Emmerson Mnangagwa this week ruled out
talks and a power-sharing arrangement with the MDC-Alliance, saying Zanu PF had
won a two-thirds majority in the July general elections, it has emerged that
dialogue is unfolding behind-the-scenes, facilitated by prominent former Kenyan
chief justice Willy Mutunga.
The Zimbabwe Independent, which first broke a series of
stories about the previous talks between Zanu PF and the MDC, can reveal that Mutunga arrived in the country this week and met senior MDC
officials, including MDC president Nelson Chamisa. He has been secretly coming
to Zimbabwe for the talks since August.
“Mutunga is in Harare to meet Zanu PF and MDC leaders for
talks to resolve the current political and economic situation. This has been
necessitated by events which followed the otherwise peaceful, yet not
transparent and credible elections in July,” a top African diplomat told the
Independent.
“He is coming here at the behest of the international
community which wants to see the situation tackled and fixed before things get
too complicated. He has been travelling here since August when the
Constitutional Court (ConCourt) dismissed Chamisa’s electoral petition
challenging Mnangagwa’s election.
“Even though the Zimbabwean ConCourt, in terms of section
93 subsection 4 sub-paragraph (a) of the constitution, duly declared Mnangagwa
as the winner of presidential election held on the 30th of July 2018, there has
been a realisation that the political problem won’t go away and the economy and
people would be the major causalities, as we are witnessing now. So Mutunga is
trying to broker serious talks between Zanu PF and the MDC to address this
situation.”
The diplomat said Mutunga’s process is modelled along the
lines of the late United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan, who also tried
in vain to help resolve the situation in Zimbabwe with Nelson Mandela’s Elders,
an international non-governmental organisation of public figures noted as elder
statesmen, peace activists, and human rights advocates, while former president
Robert Mugabe was still in charge.
In his book, Interventions: A Life in War and Peace, Annan
confesses he had to act solo “as some Lord of sorts” in order to save Kenya
from the brink of collapse, following the bloody post-election violence of 2007
that left of 1 000 people dead and hundreds of thousands maimed and homeless.
Annan brokered a peace deal between retired president Mwai Kibaki and former
prime minister Raila Odinga, ending the post-election turmoil in 2008.
Mutunga, a well-known Kenyan former judge, academic, reform
activist, and the Commonwealth Special Envoy to the Maldives, is said to be
using the same approach. “There is a growing realisation in Zanu PF, Zimbabwe
in general, the region and the international community that the transition
which was envisaged after the events of November 2017 did not go well,
especially after the elections and August 1 shooting and killing of civilians,”
a Western diplomat said.
“The government of Zimbabwe is pursuing an agenda for
economic recovery and promoting itself as a trade and investment destination
following a presidential transition in November 2017 and the elections. This
‘new economic order’ includes talks to normalise relationships with
international partners, creditors and investors. Delivering on promises of
austerity measures and reform, as well as growth is imperative in a country
where over 80% of economic activity is informal, and citizens’ resilience is
being severely tested by a worsening economic situation characterised by an
acute liquidity and cash crisis, shortages of goods and company downsizing or
closures, among other things.
“Re-engagement to end isolation, pay debts and arrears and
get new funding, besides rebuilding foreign, trade and investment relations
will require political legitimacy and stability, and a clear and consistent
policy reform agenda.
“In this environment, this is not possible, hence we are
saying the Zimbabwean government and President Mnangagwa must realise that
dialogue and consensus are now a sine qua non for recovery, growth and
progress. This can’t be avoided anymore, unless, of course, Zimbabwe is to be
allowed to slide backwards into the abyss with disastrous consequences. Leadership
is needed to take the country forward. That means putting the national interest
above individual and party political considerations.”
Mutunga’s visit comes amid increasing calls for dialogue
from churches, civil society and ordinary Zimbabweans. This is largely
necessitated by the economic meltdown, widespread suffering and discontent.
Only two days ago, prominent cleric and businessman Shingi Munyeza urged Zanu
PF and MDC to put their differences aside and focus on nation-building.
The Independent understands Mutunga’s mandate includes
looking at a broad framework, before identifying salient issues on both sides,
which can be narrowed down to an agenda for talks. This means dealing with
issues since the coup through elections to the present.
“Mutunga is engaging to look at the political and economic
situation, sources of the political wrangling, the current situation going back
to the coup, transition, elections, electoral dispute, the subsequent economic
turmoil and the state of the nation to see how dialogue can be structured and
facilitated,” one official said.
“He will also specifically look at what issues both parties
want addressed before coming up with an agenda for discussion. There are many
options which will be considered, not just a Government of National Unity
(GNU); remember power-sharing is a system of governance in which all major
segments of society are included.
“There are basic principles of power-sharing. It can be
grand coalition governments in which nearly all political parties have
appointments; protection of minority rights for groups; decentralisation of
power or decision-making by consensus. There are several and different models.
If people sit down and think they will find ways of doing it.”
Mutunga’s timing could not have been worse, as he arrived
at a time Zanu PF is gathering at its annual conference and thus playing
hardball. Mnangagwa has been vacillating between calling for dialogue and
adopting a hard-line approach. Chamisa has said he is willing to talk, not to
join Mnangagwa’s government, but to fix Zimbabwe.
Yesterday, the MDC-Alliance said it welcomes any efforts to
push for dialogue and a peaceful transition in Zimbabwe.
“We will always welcome dialogue to help resolve the
country’s political and economic problems. The MDC believes in dialogue, a
consensus-based approach and collective solutions to the nation’s problems,
particularly to arrest the worsening economic crisis, which will see
Zimbabweans having one of their worst festive seasons in living memory,” party
spokesperson Jacob Mafume said.
“We must put the nation’s interests first, ahead of our
individual and party ambitions. This means as the main parties and leaders, we
have to show leadership, and stop posturing. Remarks by Mnangagwa that he would
not want to engage because he purportedly won the elections and his party
supposedly has a two-thirds majority in parliament are unfortunate and
unhelpful.
“The fact of the matter is that Mnangagwa, as the Zanu PF
leader and candidate, did not win the elections. He knows it. Zec (Zimbabwe
Electoral Commission) also knows it. The people know it. Observers also do.
“Even by Zec’s fraudulent count and standards, Mnangagwa
still does not have the support of half of the electorate.
The majority of the economically active and productive
Zimbabweans, and indeed 80% of taxpayers, don’t support him.
The majority of taxpayers funding his government’s budget
and his own salary don’t support him. Besides, he was rejected even by Zanu PF
supporters in some constituencies. He won in 129 constituencies out of 210
constituencies, while his party won in 145 constituencies out of 210
constituencies. He even publicly complained about this. He also protested that
his own party is plotting to impeach against him, among other complaints. These
issues are very important and can’t be ignored. Let’s get real and deal with
them timely.
“There is also this myth that Zanu PF won a two-thirds
majority in parliament. It did not because we are challenging the results in
more than 20 constituencies. You also had chaotic situations like that in
Chegutu West where Zanu PF’s Dexter Nduna and our candidate Gift Konjana’s had
been declared winners before things changed.
Besides, in some constituencies where Zanu PF won, we had
more votes than them, but unfortunately because we had more than one candidate
we lost by default. Harare South constituency and many others are clear
examples. So when the situation is analysed, Zanu PF has no two-thirds majority
to talk about. In the end, that is why dialogue, given all these issues and the
messy situation we are now in, is necessary and almost unavoidable if we really
want to fix this country. That is what we want, not a GNU.”
Zanu PF spokesman Simon Khaya Moyo said he was unware of
talks between his party and the MDC. “I have no idea; there are no talks that
I’m aware of,” he said. Zimbabwe Independent
0 comments:
Post a Comment