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Faith Zaba
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe has demanded elections next year and threatened to undermine the constitution-making process if the draft constitution does not include Zanu PF’s position.
In a Zanu PF central committee report tabled at the party’s national conference yesterday, Mugabe said the conference should send a clear message that elections must be held in 2012 without fail.
“The GNU has become a drag on our nation. It must give way to an elected administration that is free to govern unhindered, free to pursue definite policies for the betterment of our people,” Mugabe said.
“It must also make it very clear that Zanu PF reserves the right to dissociate itself from a draft constitution which seeks to undermine the cardinal goals of our national liberation struggle and our national culture and values.”
Zanu PF wants to retain a powerful executive president with vast unchecked powers as proposed in the Kariba draft constitution.
The Zanu PF position paper makes it clear that the land reform programme is irreversible and wants the constitution to promote indigenisation and empowerment. It calls for the prohibition of homosexuality and same sex marriages.
Mugabe also stressed the need to end violence saying votes could only be won through good policies and programmes.
“The conference must pronounce itself and take a firm stand against political violence. It must disavow violence in any form, in order to send a clear message that violence will not be condoned and has no place in our politics and in our country.”
The report also revealed that Zanu PF was broke and continued to rely on overdrafts from banks.
Zanu PF’s main sources of revenue for 2011 were membership fees and subscriptions.
For the year 2011, the finance department reported an expenditure of US$6 229 397 and an income of US$4 094 853.
“Meetings were held with the business community, focusing on strategies to address the economic challenges faced by industry and a number of policy measures have been taken in response to this, notably in unpacking the indigenisation and empowerment programme and its implementation methodology,” said the report.
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This is what you should have said in 2008 sir.