New constitution must be rejected: Gwisai
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The COPAC
constitution is a negotiated and elitist peace charter by the three
parliamentary political parties and their Western backers. Above the MDC's Morgan Tsvangirai and ZANU-PF's Robert Mugabe at a meeting to discuss the draft constitution.
Statement by the International Socialist Organisation (Zimbabwe)
February 13, 2013 -- Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal -- For more than 15 years the people of Zimbabwe have demanded a new people-driven democratic constitution to replace the compromise and lop-sided 1979 Lancaster [House] constitution which, with convenient self-serving amendments by Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), has been the backbone of a dictatorial and increasingly neoliberal state. The people have demanded a constitution written by themselves in a democratic, participatory and gender-youth-disability balanced way. A constitution that ends the imperial executive presidency and guarantees democratic and accountable political governance and bread and butter socio economic rights. Thus the people rejected the 2000 Chidyausiku Draft Constitution [in an referendum] and the Kariba Draft Constitution.
However, what COPAC [Constitution Parliamentary Committee] has delivered, two years late and to gobble over $130 million, is a deeply flawed process and product. Contrary to earlier promises, the COPAC constitution is a negotiated and elitist peace charter by the three parliamentary political parties and their Western backers.
While gains have been made in relation to the inclusion of some socioeconomic, gender and labour rights, a deeper look at the COPAC draft shows that it fails to address fundamental issues of severe poverty, gender and social inequality, economic democratisation and full political democracy as shown in “15 reasons to vote no”, below.
In an era where 85-year-old Pope Benedict XVI resigns citing advanced age, the COPAC draft allows an 89-year-old President Mugabe to potentially rule for another 10 years, until he is 99! It ensures maximum protection of private property, thereby preventing the possibility of using our diamonds, platinum, gold or banks to fulfill the declared socioeconomic rights of the people. Its real aim is to create a durable constitutional framework of intra-elite democracy and harmony in the face of potential huge revolts from below arising from economic crisis.
Thus the COPAC draft leaves substantially intact the iron fist of the executive imperial presidency to be used by the ruling classes to smash revolts from below as the crisis of capitalism locally and internationally worsens. To please the Western capitalist masters, the COPAC draft has scandalously omitted the peoples’ rights of economic empowerment, indigenisation and nationalisation of strategic resources, under workers’ and communities’ democratic control.
Further, it provides for compensation to white farmers and foreigners whose farms were expropriated, but without a cent for the ex-farm-workers who lost their jobs or land for urban housing. The draft will allow the ZANU-PF chiefs and generals to sell for a huge profit the multiple farms they have looted. To ensure this, the draft provides that the land chapter can only be amended after a 2/3 parliamentary majority and a constitutional referendum.
Workers are denied the right to a living wage, a real right to strike; civil servants denied full collective bargaining rights and their full citizenship rights. Women are denied rights to abortion, social grants, or 50-50 parity in jobs. Students are denied the right to education. There are no economic or empowerment rights for youths, women, the unemployed, farmers and informal sector. There is no right to recall corrupt or ineffective MPs or councillors, while it creates, per capita, the biggest parliament in Africa.
It is clear that the COPAC constitution is there to look after the interests of politicians, the rich, employers, capitalists and imperialists, i.e. the 1% of plutocrats or elites, but doing so in a deceptive manner that deludes working people that their interests too are covered. Vanorava mbwa vakaviga mupinyu!
The International Socialist Organisation calls for the urgent establishment of a united front of workers, working people, women, youths, students, rural farmers, the disabled, war veterans, socioeconomic justice activists, socialists and all democrats to spearhead a Vote No Campaign in the referendum on March 16, 2013. And beyond, to fight for a real people-driven constitution and against the Government of National Unity’s [ZANU-PF-Movement for Democratic Change] neoliberal agenda and system of capitalism, which is the real source of dictatorship and poverty.
Socialism is life! Reclaim your rights, vote No!
International Socialist Organisation, Harare
Signed Munyaradzi Gwisai, ISO Zimbabwe general coordinator
Vote NO! Capitalism kills …. Socialism is life! Vote NO! Vote NO! Vote NO!
International Socialist Organisation (iso.zim@gmail.com)
http://www.newzimbabwe.com/news/printVersion.aspx?newsID=10298
By: Staff Reporter
February 16, 2013 -- UNIVERSITY lecturer and political activist, Munyaradzi Gwisai has said Zimbabweans should reject the new constitution, dismissing the document as deeply flawed and essentially a “peace pact” between parties to the Global Political Agreement (GPA).
In a statement last week, Gwisai, who heads the International Socialist Organisation in Zimbabwe (ISOZ), dismissed the draft new constitution as “a negotiated and elitist peace charter by the three parliamentary political parties (Zanu PF, MDC-T, MDC) and their Western backers.”
“The people have demanded a constitution written by themselves in a democratic, participatory and gender-youth-disability balanced way. A constitution that ends the imperial executive presidency and guarantees democratic and accountable political governance and bread and butter socio economic rights,” he said.
“(But) in an era where 85-year-old Pope Benedict XVI resigns citing advanced age, the COPAC draft allows an 89-year-old President Robert Mugabe to potentially rule for another 10 years, until he is 99! It (also) fails to address fundamental issues of severe poverty, gender and social inequality, economic democratisation and full political democracy.”
The constitution has since been endorsed by Parliament and is due to be put to a national referendum on the 16th of next month, leading to elections to choose a substantive government later in the year.
The process had appeared to stall over disagreements between the GPA parties until Mugabe and MDC rivals, Morgan Tsvangirai, Welshman Ncube and Arthur Mutambara intervened and agreed a deal over various sticking issues last month.
Gwisai however said the document should be rejected claiming it retains an “imperial Presidency” among a host of other issues the ISOZ leader said were objectionable.
“The COPAC draft leaves substantially intact the iron fist of the executive imperial presidency to be used by the ruling classes to smash revolts from below as the crisis of capitalism locally and internationally worsens,” the statement added.
“To please Western capitalist masters, the COPAC draft has scandalously omitted the peoples’ rights of economic empowerment, indigenisation and nationalisation of strategic resources, under workers’ and communities’ democratic control.
“Further, it provides for compensation to white farmers and foreigners whose farms were expropriated, but without a cent for the ex-farm-workers who lost their jobs or land for urban housing.
“The draft will allow the Zanu PF chiefs and generals to sell for a huge profit the multiple farms they have looted. To ensure this, the draft provides that the land chapter can only be amended after a 2/3 parliamentary majority and a constitutional referendum.”
Gwisai’s ISOZ joins the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) in vowing to campaign for a ‘No’ vote during the referendum.