Monday, September 15, 2008 at 8:47AM
Here's a letter I received that marks the end of the Mugabe stranglehold. My hopes are now that this country can now begin to heal and even flourish.
Yesterday the deal was signed. It has been a tough 8 years to get here,
but
at last we are there! The reaction to the news has been muted in
Zimbabwe –
some have celebrated, others have wept with relief and still others
have
just mused quietly at the cost in lives lost and disrupted and
destroyed. I
walked into my office the morning after the deal was agreed and one of
my
senior staff was sitting there looking at our “Roll of Honor” – the
names of
all those in our leadership who have died violently since 2000 in the
struggle to regain our dignity as a Nation and our freedom as
individuals.
Many were friends and colleagues; I knew just what he was thinking.
It is sad that the agreement had to be negotiated in this way at the
insistence of Thabo Mbeki; there has been no transparency, restricted
consultation and no democratic buy in. People do not know any details
and
simply have to accept what was agreed behind closed doors. Not a great
start
to a new dispensation. But there was no alternative, we had to have a
power
broker and we had no alternative.
Today marks the end of Zanu PF hegemony over power. From today every
decision on how the government conducts itself and goes about its
business
has to be by consensus with the MDC. This is not going to be easy for
anyone. We in the MDC must now work with the very people who have
ordered
our arrest, beaten and even killed our colleagues and abused our
rights. We
have to put the past behind us and work together in designing and
implementing a new dispensation for Zimbabwe.
The agreement is very African in character. In many respects it
reflects our
culture and traditions. On Tuesday last week Morgan Tsvangirai
requested a
one on one meeting with Mugabe, this was arranged and in the meeting he
said
that if an agreement was not reached, it would have dire consequences
for
everybody. He then proposed that to break the deadlock that they look
at a
revised proposal with a Council of State, headed by Mugabe as State
President and supervising the work of Cabinet, and headed by Tsvangirai
as
Prime Minister.
The concept received tentative acceptance and they then saw Mbeki. He
welcomed the idea and Mugabe was given 24 hours to think it through and
discuss it with his senior officials. At the next session be baulked at
the
concept saying it left him in a largely ceremonial position. Mbeki then
produced the arrangement that was finally accepted by both Parties.
Under this new set up, Mugabe is head of State and Chairman of Cabinet.
However, the concept of a Council of State was retained by changed
slightly
to a Council of Ministers, Chaired by Tsvangirai as Prime Minister and
responsible for the day to day affairs of government. In effect
therefore
Tsvangirai is Head of Government. All policy and other decisions by the
Council – once agreed by consensus, will be then considered by the
“Cabinet”
, the same group of people plus the President who sits as Chairman of
those
sessions with the Prime Minister as co-chair. Cabinet then must endorse
the
decisions of the Council of Ministers and the minutes be signed by both
the
President and the Prime Minister before they can take effect and be
implemented.
People who know something of Shona culture will immediately recognize
the
arrangement as similar to the one that is used in traditional society
here
to manage the affairs of a tribal community or clan. The clan
recognizes
individuals who become members of the “Dare”. This group makes the
decisions
and the Chief is then called in, has the decisions explained to him and
he
then announces them to the people concerned.
I have been privileged to be allowed to sit in such gatherings – in my
own
case it was the Dare of Chief Njelele. The old man was a bit of a
drunkard
and when the Dare (or Council of Elders) met to consider an issue that
was
quite important or complex, they often ordered the Chief locked up
until
they needed him or he would be too far gone to perform! There was no
disrespect in this and he did not seem to mind the indignity of it all.
He
would then join the Dare, hear the decisions with great dignity and
then
explain them to the people concerned. Very democratic, very people
centered
and a good way to resolve the many issues that confronted the
community.
Can this sort of arrangement work with a modern government? I think it
can
but it will require extraordinary skills of leadership by Mr.
Tsvangirai and
determination by all the Ministers who will be working with him, to get
down
to business, recognize that, like or not, they are now in government
and
must work together. So team building in the early stages is going to be
essential.
The only other thing I can say is that our team is ready. We had
prepared
for victory in 2000, then in 2002, then again in 2005 and finally in
2008.
So we have had several “dummy runs” at this. We know what is needed,
what
has to be done and have given a great deal of thought as to how to do
the
operation. I think the Zanu PF people are going to be surprised at the
extent and depth of the preparations that have gone into this New Start
operation.
The international community will be cautious, but as President Kikwete
said
to President Bush in Washington a few weeks ago, give us space, allow
us to
negotiate and then implement an African solution. This is now in place
and
we on our part must now demonstrate we have the capacity and the will
to
make it work and to deliver a better quality of life in all respects to
the
people of this country.
Having just had the triumph of the agreement in Harare, President Mbeki
must
now return to business in South Africa where he faces fresh challenges
in
the form of a resurgent Zuma campaign for the Presidency of South
Africa. In
my own view Zuma is now almost certain to be elected President next
year and
for us he takes assumes office a critical time. Much more than Mbeki,
the
MDC has a friend and colleague in Zuma and we might need his help in
the
rough waters that lie ahead, but at least now, hopefully, we are all
paddling in the same direction.
Eddie Cross
Harare, 16th September 2008
Leave your comment below
Wise queen