MDC: 'Delimitation commission exercice in deception'

MDC: 'Delimitation commission exercice in deception'

MDC secretary general Ncube

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This is a full statement by MDC secretary general Welshman Ncube on the appointment of the delimitation commission

THE appointments to the Delimitation Commission, that were announced by Robert Mugabe yesterday, represent yet another breach of the SADC protocol on elections and further vindicates the MDC’s decision to suspend participation in elections. The majority those appointed have long and close ties to Zanu PF and have no history of independence and fairness.

The protocol is very clear on the need to build transparency and fairness in electoral processes by creating institutional and administrative frameworks that are safeguarded from political manipulation.

This is simply not happening in Zimbabwe. We are going in the opposite direction.

The appointments that have been announced will ensure that the Delimitation Commission (a body tasked with re-drawing constituency boundaries ahead of elections to reflect shifting population patterns) is loaded with individuals who because of their close historical and present ties to Zanu PF can be relied upon to do the bidding of Zanu PF. This is particularly worrying if one has regard to the fact that the MDC has documentary evidence that the process of re-drawing constituency boundaries, ahead of the March 2005 parliamentary elections, has already been carried out, under the instructions and guidance of officers from the notorious Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO).

A Delimitation Commission composed as this one can certainly be relied upon to rubber stamp the unlawful delimitation, which has already been done.

By appointing new personnel to the Delimitation Commission, in order to provide it with a veneer of independence, and tasking them to carry out the process of amending constituency boundaries ahead of the parliamentary elections, the government is clearly attempting to legitimize and rubber-stamp the discriminatory boundary changes that it has already carried out unlawfully.

This is not in the spirit of the Mauritius agreement. Yet again the Zimbabwe government is demonstrating how out of touch it is with the goals of the African renaissance.

Similarly the appointments procedure for the new ‘independent’ Electoral Commission, that were outlined in the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission Bill gazetted on Friday 10 September, will ensure that the government retains a controlling hand over its operations and activities.

This latest ‘reform’ measure demonstrates that the government is being deeply disingenuous with its pronouncements on electoral reform. What is clear is that the government’s package of cosmetic reforms is a deliberate attempt to mislead the nation and the region. The government is trying to create a smokescreen of ‘legitimacy’ behind which it can continue its strategy of consolidating its coercive grip on the electoral processes and ensure pre-determined outcomes.

The new Commission includes the following members:

Job Whabira - a former Mugabe Permanent Secretary who achieved notoriety for defying several court orders to release Standard journalists Mark Chavunduka and Ray Choto after the army arrested and tortured them for a story that the paper had published.

Justice Chiweshe – handed down a number of questionable judgments that kept MDC MP Fletcher Dulini Ncube and other others accused in the Cain Nkala murder case in custody despite lack of evidence against them. All the accused have since been proved innocent.
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