Matabeleland Civic Society Consortium Press Statement
10 December 2010
The Matabeleland Civic Society Consortium (MCSC) has been monitoring with grave concern the call for elections in 2011 without a clear broad democratic roadmap that guarantees peace and progress beyond the elections. This is a premature, divisive and a diversionary tactic meant to misdirect public focus from their fundamental grievances to petty politicking. It must be remembered that this country is currently engaged in an arduous but requisite democratic and economic reform agenda. Key among the reforms is the security sector, electoral, legislative, media and the constitutional reform.
We demand that the current transitional reform agenda be first carried out to its full conclusion. This will ensure that our democratic process includes but is not limited to elections as agreed in the GPA. It must fully give space and expression to the numerous interest groups that have been previously hugely marginalized. These groups include women, young people, the minority groups, and people with disabilities as well as civic groups who have for a long time been victims of a democracy deficit created and sustained by this controlled, restrictive political space.
The MCSC calls upon the political leadership of this country and SADC to fully implement the GPA before any elections are held. We also call upon the people of Zimbabwe to disregard the political bankruptcy of this leadership that reduces the crisis in Zimbabwe to a mere electoral contest, let alone a bloody one. We demand that the constitutional reform agenda, together with the numerous other reforms meant to bring sanity to our politics and dignity to our people be given the respect and seriousness they deserve.
As the MCSC, we note that unless ... institutions and attitudes [are] created to replace the culture of political violence, impunity and hatred with that of rule of law, cooperation, tolerance and justice, it will be impossible to have free and fair elections.
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