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Owen Gagare
PRIME Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s frustration over the failure to implement provisions of the GPA is a clear indication that Zanu PF’s strategy of wearing down its opponents by stifling reforms may be yielding results.
Analysts believe the admission by Tsvangirai that he had failed to rein in Zanu PF ministers such as Media, Information and Publicity minister Webster Shamu, who has refused to implement agreed positions in the GPA, and the continuous bickering over the election roadmap was testimony that he and his party could not force President Robert Mugabe and Zanu PF to honour the reform agenda.
Zanu PF’s grand plan, according to analysts, is to throw spanners in the coalition government works and frustrate its partners to such an extent that they will agree to go for polls with most of the provisions of the GPA and election roadmap unfulfilled. This would, however, be a tough task considering the stance taken by Sadc and the other MDC formations.
In his end of year message, Tsvangirai painted a grim picture of the inclusive government revealing that some Zanu PF ministers were refusing to report to him, making it difficult for him to monitor the Government Works Programme. Some negotiators last week said they felt betrayed by the principals, Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara since they had failed to deal with many of the issues referred to them.
The principals have failed to implement the 24 agreed GPA items as well as find common ground on the outstanding issues in the agreement and election roadmap.
Tsvangirai’s spokesman Luke Tamborinyoka said in as much as the PM wanted the outstanding issues implemented, he felt there was need to fulfil agreed items first, before attempting to tackle thorny issues such as security sector reforms, where there is a stalemate.
Agreed items include the land audit and security of tenure, appointment of provincial governors, the appointment of the board of the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe and the Mass Media Trust, hate speech, national heroes and issues of external interference, among others, but these have not been implemented.
The defiance by Zanu PF ministers, who were tasked with ensuring that the agreed items were implemented, is a betrayal of the GPA which gave birth to the inclusive government, the MDC says.
Section 20.1.4 of the GPA gives the PM the mandate to oversee the formulation of government policies by the cabinet and also ensure that the policies so formulated are implemented by the entirety of government.
The PM is also tasked with ensuring that ministers develop appropriate implementation plans to give effect to the policies decided by cabinet.
“In this regard, the Ministers will report to the Prime Minister on all issues relating to the implementation of such policies and plans,” reads the GPA.
To ensure that the PM properly discharged his responsibility to oversee the implementation of the work of government, he was given the responsibility of chairing the Council of Ministers consisting of all cabinet ministers. The functions of the council include assessing the implementation of cabinet decisions; assisting the PM to attend to matters of coordination in the government and enable him to receive briefings from cabinet committees.
Harare-based political analyst Charles Mangongera said Tsvangirai’s concerns were testimony to the fact that the coalition government had failed.
“It confirms that Zanu PF’s strategy is working,” he said. “Zanu PF’s grand plan is to sabotage the GNU by stifling the reform agenda at every level of the governance structure. This explains why Zanu PF hardliners have been throwing spanners into the works in the drafting of the constitution.”
“They hope that they can cause the GPA to collapse as a precursor to Mugabe calling a snap election.”
Mangongera said Zanu PF was unlikely to agree to any further concessions as its hardliners pushed the election agenda. He said conditions were not conducive for elections, adding that Sadc would have to step in to stop Mugabe’s bid.
“I do not see how Sadc would okay another sham election,” he said. “I think Sadc has sufficient leverage to stop Mugabe from imposing an unpopular election, but this will also depend on the political dynamics within the regional bloc. Mugabe hopes to divide them on the issue and if they fail to speak with one voice then he will go ahead and call an election,” he said.
Mangongera said although the PM was frustrated by the non-implementation of the GPA, he would not agree to elections under current conditions.
“It would be political suicide.”
Constitutional law expert Lovemore Madhuku said Tsvangirai was likely to soldier on and not give in to Zanu PF’s whims.
“They should continue pushing for the reforms, nothing is impossible. I believe they will not give up,” said Madhuku.
In an interview with the Prime Minister’s Newsletter Tsvangirai confirmed he was looking up to Sadc and would not agree to elections without the agreed reforms.
“We still have to emphasise on the process of achieving the standards that will allow us to run an election which is legitimate, which is acceptable by Zimbabwean and by regional and world standards, so we cannot put a date on that (elections),” he said.
“It is driven by a process and everyone knows that process.”
Tsvangirai said Sadc, as the facilitator in the Zimbabwean crisis was seized with issues to do with the roadmap and the work that negotiators have been doing.
“I am sure at some stage President Jacob Zuma and the Sadc Chairman will call us to account,” he said.
“There is no way you can have legitimacy without the endorsement of Sadc. We need Sadc, we need the AU and the international community to ensure that the process towards an election is one that is transparent, that is free and fair and that is legitimate.”
Zanu PF spokesman Rugare Gumbo denied Zanu PF was throwing spanners in the GNU works to push for elections, although he maintained elections would be held this year “whether people want or not”.
“Our position has not changed at all –– the constitution should be completed so that the referendum and elections can be held this year. If the MDCs prevaricate on this issue, we may have to go for elections alone,” he said.
He accused MDC-T of delaying the constitution-making process to delay elections which he said was surprising considering “the party claims to be popular”.
Gumbo said his party had not violated the GPA insisting all the things the MDC was crying about had nothing to do with the agreement. He said if the MDCs wanted the GPA implemented, they would have worked hard to ensure that sanctions are removed.
The stalemate in the GNU would, however, most likely be broken by elections. Indications are that the GNU partners would struggle to find common ground alone and have to rely on Sadc to ensure credible polls.
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