THREE factions within the ruling ZANU PF party have made secret representations to the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in a bid to strike a deal that would break the political impasse between Zimbabweâs main political parties.
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Sources close to the discussions said factions within ZANU PF backing different candidates to succeed President Robert Mugabe had sent emissaries to the MDC, selling different proposals that they hoped would break the ice and lead to a power-sharing agreement. MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai yesterday told the Daily News that he was fully aware of the overtures made by emissaries of senior ZANU PF officials to the top leadership of his party, proposing scenarios to end the political impasse. Tsvangirai added: âThe MDC leadership is fully aware of these unofficial initiatives. We have no official position from ZANU PF, all we have had are factional positions. It is up to them to get organised, the MDC has its position already. But talks about talks are not talks... Until and unless there is resumption of the official initiative led by (South Africaâs ruling African National Congress) ANC secretary-general Kgalema Monthlante and Professor Adebayo Adedeji (on behalf of Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo), which had an official agenda, then there are no talks to talk about.â
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Sources said approaches from the ZANU PF camp had intensified in the past month, especially when Tsvangirai was detained in June on charges of calling for the overthrow of Mugabe. MDC secretary-general Welshman Ncube is said to have kept Tsvangirai fully briefed about the overtures while he was in remand prison. Tsvangiraiâs disclosures come after South African President Thabo Mbeki told American President George Bush on Wednesday that ZANU PF and the MDC had resumed dialogue, which both parties have denied.
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However, MDC officials yesterday said three ZANU PF factions had brought their proposals to the opposition party, one proposal being for the formation of a ZANU PF-MDC government of national unity. Another faction proposed a transitional government headed by a ZANU PF leader with a long grace period within which to prepare for fresh elections. The third group had proposed the amendment of Zimbabweâs Constitution. The amended Constitution would include sections from a draft document rejected by Zimbabweans in a referendum in 2000 and from a draft produced by the National Constitutional Assembly. This would lead to the country being headed by a ceremonial president and an executive prime minister after fresh elections were held, the sources said.
| I can't recall off the top of my head a "government of national unity" that's worked. They're usually a prelude to civil war or a coup by whichever faction thinks it's strongest, which works out to the same thing in practice. The ceremonial president idea is specifically directed at Bob, and might not be a bad idea; "president" is a polite word for "dictator" in much of the world. But somebody with sufficient lack of ruth can work a prime minister position into the same sort of abusable power. The transition period has its own dangers, since it's a plea for time to get the "youths" organized to steal the first post-Bob election. If I was Morgan, I'd play the last two, and I wouldn't touch the "government of national unity" with an eleven-foot pole. |
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