Stabbing Shows The Reality Of A 'People-Driven' Constitution
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The original intention was to have a people-driven constitution drawn up and then presented to the population in a referendum. But ZANU PF want nothing of the sort.
They have systematically subverted the will of the people – because they would prefer their flawed and questionable document commonly known as the Kariba Draft, and so, they are intent on disrupting any involvement by the population in a new constitution.
The whole campaign to involve the public has been chaotic, largely because of the manner in which ZANU PF undertake their ‘duty’ to enforce their wishes upon the population at large.
"A supporter of Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai was stabbed and seriously injured as public outreach on a new constitution resumed after being postponed due to violence, his party said on Sunday.
Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said one of its supporters was beaten and stabbed by supporters of President Robert Mugabe's ZANU PF party on Saturday at a constitution meeting in Harare.
"An MDC supporter, Jonsaya Manyere, is battling for his life... after he was assaulted and stabbed in the head by a group of Zanu-PF hooligans," the party said in a statement.
The stabbing was the only violent incident reported, as public consultations resumed under a heavy police presence.
"The situation has been very peaceful. The police have done their work," Paul Mangwana, a leader of the outreach programme, told AFP.
"Political parties told their supporters to behave at the meetings. The constitutional outreach is almost done," Mangwana said."
But have the police 'done their work'? Assuming that the job they were told to do was to 'serve and protect' the people, not just ZANU PF interests... How was it that a ZANU PF supporter was allowed into the meeting with a knife?
Will the police details be punished for not preventing an armed assailant to attend the meeting?
"The public meetings were put on hold last month after a supporter of Tsvangirai was killed when militant backers of Mugabe stoned attendees of a meeting. Resumption was delayed by a shortage of funds.
Tsvangirai blamed the military and security forces for the violence.
Under the country's power-sharing pact, Mugabe and Tsvangirai agreed to launch an 18-month-long effort to gather the views of the people and draft a new constitution which would be put to a referendum.
The constitution committee has set a date of June 30 2011 to hold a referendum on the charter, which is meant to clear the way for new polls after violent 2008 elections."
Mugabe's supporters have worked hard in an effort to subvert the 'people-driven' constitution - and, as has been tabled, the project has turned into a 'driven-people' constitution. ZANU PF want something similar to the Kariba Draft to be adopted by the country, whilst the MDC are looking at something that is representative of the people's needs... and at this time, ZANU PF are winning the battle.
Reports say that the campaign to glean opinions and input from the population have finished, but there is evidently a distinct lack of population involvement, then it would be correct to assume that the resultant documentation is not representative of the wants, needs and desires of the Zimbabwean people.
Robb WJ Ellis
The Bearded Man
