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NewsDay

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Civil society dormant over constitution process

Opinion & Analysis
Since the Copac draft constitution was made public on July 18, the nation has been subjected to countless fights between Zanu PF and the two MDC formations on whether or not contents of the proposed governance charter were a product of the constitution-making outreach programme carried out between June 21 and November 1, 2010.

Since the Copac draft constitution was made public on July 18, the nation has been subjected to countless fights between Zanu PF and the two MDC formations on whether or not contents of the proposed governance charter were a product of the constitution-making outreach programme carried out between June 21 and November 1, 2010. Confidential data obtained by NewsDay shows that Copac held public hearings in the country’s 10 provinces, covered 71 districts and 1 952 out of 1 958 wards across the nation and held 4 821 meetings which were attended by 1 118 770 people.

  The average attendance per meeting was 226 people.

  Given this geographical spread, one is tempted to believe that the draft constitution is indeed a product of people’s views, but alas, it is not and will not be even after the Second All-Stakeholders’ Conference now scheduled for the end of October.

  The parties driving the constitution-making process — Zanu PF and the MDCs — have issued conflicting positions on the roots of the draft.

  On one hand, they claim it is a product of compromise; on the other, they say it is people-driven.

  The argument on how the current draft was arrived at has, unfortunately, dominated our body polity at the expense of how sound the proposed supreme law is in terms of entrenching democracy and civil liberties.

  There is no current compelling debate on the substance of the draft in the country, leaving ordinary Zimbabweans at the mercy of manipulative political parties.

  What is in the public glare is the Zanu PF fight to retain President Robert Mugabe’s imperial power and ban dual citizenship, while the two MDC formations are pushing for the devolution of power and water-down Executive powers.

  This has left Zimbabweans wondering whether the constitution is all about issues to deal with current political problems, or it’s a binding product for posterity!

  The situation is compounded by a lethargic civil society that has failed to analyse the draft constitution and educate Zimbabweans on its contents and implications for them to make an informed decision before the All-Stakeholders’ Conference and finally at the referendum.

  The unfortunate part is that civil society is also torn apart; some support the Copac process, arguing it was people-driven, while others insist that it is a political process to deal with the current political logjam between Zanu PF and the two MDC formations.

  Civil society should, at this juncture and at short notice, unite and fight from one corner. It is civil society which at the All-Stakeholders’ Conference can stop political gladiators from snatching a people’s project for political expediency.

  The urgency of now is to thoroughly debate and synthesise the draft and come up with a decision that is copper-bottomed ahead of the All-Stakeholders’ Conference and the referendum.

  Zimbabweans should not be intimidated and railroaded into a decision they will regret tomorrow.