Coltart outlines the “bare bones of the deal”
The end of the beginning - via davidcoltart.com
Nine years to the day since I stood with Morgan Tsvangirai, Gibson Sibanda, Tendai Biti, Welshman Ncube and many other patriots on the 11th September 1999 at Rufaro Stadium to launch the MDC a deal has been agreed in Harare tonight to bring to an end 28 years of brutal Zanu PF rule.
The bare bones of the deal are as follows. Constitutional amendment 19 will shortly be moved in Parliament. It will enable to the setting up of an inclusive Government which in turn will initiate an all inclusive process of Constitutional reform (which will include civil society). That process will last 18 months by which time a new democratic Constitution must be implemented, which will also include a time frame for new elections at some point to be conducted in terms of the new Constitution.
The inclusive Government will have Robert Mugabe as President with greatly reduced powers to those he enjoys today. There will be two, largely ceremonial, Vice Presidents from Zanu PF. Morgan Tsvangirai will be Prime Minister. Although he does not have absolute power he does have substantial power. For example he will advise Mugabe on all future appointments including Judges, Ambassadors and the like. There will be two Deputy Prime Ministers, one from MDC T and one from MDC M.
There will be a slightly cumbersome arrangement for conducting Government business which is the essence of the compromise agreed to following the impasse of the last 4 weeks. Cabinet will be chaired by Mugabe; Tsvangirai will be the vice Chair. Then there will be a Council of Ministers chaired by Tsvangirai which will supervise the work of Cabinet.
The Cabinet will largely reflect the votes cast for the different parties in the March election in which Zanu PF got the most votes (if not the most seats), followed by the MDC T and MDC M. In a 31 person Cabinet Zanu PF will have 15 seats, MDC T 13 and MDC M 3. There will be 8, 6 and 1 Deputy Ministers respectively. Accordingly if the two MDC factions work together, which they must in the national interest, they will enjoy a majority in Cabinet.
This is undoubtedly historic but we still have a long and treacherous road to travel. Even had we in the combined MDC obtained total control the challenges are immense. The grave humanitarian and economic crises are enough to test any Government. The new Cabinet that will have to address these challenges is composed of protagonists – virtually all of the Cabinet Ministers to be appointed by the MDC T and M have at some stage in the last 9 years been brutalized on the instructions of those they will now have to work with. Zimbabwe remains highly polarised and it will take statesmanship on all sides to make this work.
But work this must. Zimbabwe is a great country with a tremendous future and it can and will get through to a new dawn of freedom. The night is not over yet but as the great poet Arthur Hugh Clough wrote:
“ In front the sun climbs slow, how slowly,
But westward look , the land is brightâ€.
Winston Churchill said after the Battle of Egypt on the 10 November 1942 the following memorable words:
“Now is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is perhaps, the end of the beginning.â€
Those words are apt today. This has been a long hard struggle and there have been many casualties. It is not over – there are many battles which still lie ahead – but I am confident that this agreement, imperfect as it is, marks a significant step forward and will ultimately yield a new, democratic, vibrant jewel in Africa – our great Zimbabwe!
God bless you all and God bless Zimbabwe.
Senator David Coltart
Bulawayo
11th September 2008
September 12th, 2008 13:20
Sounds fishy to me. Bob still running JOC? chairs cabinet? So if T says nope i dont want that man, will Bob agree? Will Bob still have the final say in all matters despite T being 2nd in command? And this new constitution after 18mths of torture to whip the people of zimbabwe into “place”, will it be decided by the bunch of guys who spent the last 120 sleepless nights deciding how to carve up Zimbabwe into their own power fiefdoms or it will be a referendum? ok maybe I should wait till Monday for the full text…. :-/
September 12th, 2008 13:43
Fishy, yes, but if DC is right, it’s still the biggest single concession made by Zanu-PF. Would it be right to say that this is a relatively rare example of sanctions having had a positive effect?
September 12th, 2008 14:56
Sokwanele, Hope, others, what do you think about this?
September 12th, 2008 15:51
Confused… Who will be in charge of the police?
September 12th, 2008 16:12
“Zimbabwe power-sharing deal gives police control to MDC”
“The historic power-sharing deal agreed in Zimbabwe gives the Movement for Democratic Change control over the cabinet and the police force that has terrorised its supporters and activists for years, opposition officials said today.
But the president, Robert Mugabe, is to retain control of the military under the deal, which is due to be signed on Monday when full details will be revealed, according to the officials.”
according to:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/12/zimbabwe5
September 12th, 2008 17:16
Quote from South Africa
“Power will be shared, no one will get more power than the other party, even (in) the hiring and firing of cabinet members,” the source explained.
“All decisions are made by the council, but the council will have to report back to Mugabe.”
South African newspapers also said on Friday the pact provided for a 50-50 unity government.
Is there anybody who thinks this has even the slightest chance of success? The agreement will be seen as Mbeki’s ‘get out of jail card’. He is already basking in the euphoria; but he’ll be eating humble pie before you can say Jack Robinson.
September 13th, 2008 04:07
I am in contact with over 5000 Zimbabweans who fled into exile after 1997. The list reads like a who’s who of the professional and entrepreneurial classes – doctors, dentists, bankers, managers, engineers, mechanics, farmers, financiers, clerics, sportsmen, nurses, technicians, geologists, miners, teachers, businessmenn, MBA graduates, professors, chemists, accountants, speech therapists, radiologists, stockbrokers, town planners, university lecturers…….
Aren’t these the exact skills that Zimbabwe needs to rebuild quickly?
But Mugabe hates us and labelled us “the real enemy”. He said his party “must continue to strike fear in [our] hearts” and he sent his militia to drive us out of the country.
Oh, yes, by the way, we are all white Zimbabweans.
Until we hear Mugabe and ZANU-PF apologise for their racism and hate towards us, or until they are completely out of power and a non-racist regime is installed, I doubt whether many of us will be coming back soon. We don’t trust that crocodile and his cronies.
September 13th, 2008 15:14
Graham – ditto.
And it is more complex even than that. For example many farms were built over one or more lifetimes, only to have been razed to the ground in the past 8 yrs or so. Most, if not all, infrasturcture gone. Simply gone.
To rebuild a country some fundamentals must exist:-
1. Good governance
2. Rule of law
3. Property rights
4. Financial restitution, to pay for rebuilding of trashed infrastructure.
5. Belief in the future.
Read those carefully, and honestly tell me how many you really believe can be upheld in Africa? The days of ‘pioneering’ are over, therefore point (5.) is critically important.
MT is a good man, and he is clearly couragious. He believes in his country, and he has surrounded himself with skilled and good people, by-&-large. Looks grand on paper. I, myself, would follow him into battle.
But Africa does not really respond to that sort of leadership – not in the big picture. There will come a time where the ‘have-nots’ simply take from the ‘haves’ AGAIN – not unique in isolation, but the tendancy to popularist governance will bow to such pressure, and end up supporting, blatantly or surrepticiously this behaviour – AGAIN.
The pattern of Zim’s land grab & SA’s inability to deal with crime, and so on ad-infinitum. Neither scenarios are accidental.
I hate to spread gloom amoung those who have hope, and are in fact still managing in Zim., and yes there will of course be those who ‘prove’ me wrong, and I congratulate them.
But never will Zim return to ‘civilisation’, with decent affordable schooling, working medical facilities, a thriving agricultural sector, and so on. Never. It’ll simply remain another poor country with a few successful mercenary business people.
That ain’t attractive to people who have started again elsewhere.
September 13th, 2008 16:16
Ants, you make a good point, and you undoubtedly know Africa better than I do. However, you may be overlooking the assets which Zimbabwe enjoys. There are vast tracts of fertile land, which when put in the hands of good governorship could once again produce the famed ‘breadbasket’ that both Africa and the world increasingly needs. Furthermore, there are the mineral deposits which, when mined without interference by corruption, are unequalled in richness. I say to you, the entrepreneural spirit of man is abundant enough to make Zimbabe a rich nation in time. If the political will is there the economics will follow – in time.
September 13th, 2008 16:29
I don’t agree with you Ant. Zimbabwe is different, and with the help of Almighty God, Zimbabwe can show the rest of Africa a different way. The opposition already have by choosing peace, patience, mercy and forgiveness instead of violence, hatred, revenge. Zimbabwe may never be what it was, it may never be like the West, but the Western ideal is far from perfect, and Zimbabwe has the opportunity to find a unique solution that can lead the way for the rest of Africa.
Let us not lose faith, much ground has been gained by courageous and selfless heroes, but we must not stop praying now. Christians, we must not stop praying, we need to press in now more than ever. The closer one gets to the goal, the harder the fight becomes. Do not let down your guard, many battles lie ahead, but if we persevere the victory will be ours!
September 15th, 2008 06:07
@Concerned,
Believe me – I hope I am wrong and you are right. Fervently!
But nothing in the history of the entire continent of Africa supports that optimism.
Tragic.
And @True Grit – abundant resources do not make for ‘civilisation’. Pioneering and entrepreneurship do. Countries are only as civilised as their social system. Neighbours, schools, hospitals, clubs. To have those things everybody who left must return, because largely those that left did so to seek those things.
That’s a tall order!
But, correct, with faith and God’s hand, who knows? I would joyously be wrong, if you get my drift!