No regrets whatsoever over constitution - Mangwana

ZANU-PF Copac co-chairperson Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana last Friday said he had no regrets over his decision to deviate from the so called "people's views" when he together with the MDC parties collated and produced a final draft Constitution, now disputed.
Mangwana claimed that during the process there were a number of issues that had been "parked" for a long time owing to failure to reach a consensus. Some of them he attempted to defend himself, are dual citizenship, devolution, executive powers, and the Attorney-General's powers and mandate.
These, said he said were issues Zanu-PF directed that Copac should not have negotiated when people's views were clear on what they wanted.
"But we were told to speed up the process whichever way. We thought we would compromise to move forward because negotiations are a give and take process," he said.
Asked if his admission that he deviated from the people's views did not give credence to some people, who accuse him of "selling out," Mangwana did not agree.
"That is nonsense to say we sold out. We sold out to who?" he asked.
There are basically three maxims only that anyone from within or outside ZANU(PF) must know and understand; If you don't, then you have no reason to be within that party and you will be either an impediment or a square peg in a round hole. These are: 1.ZANU chiororo. 2. ZANU ndeyeropa. 3. Tamba wakachenjera.
If you don't know these, then you really don't know ZANU. It is the first and third that COPAC co-Chairperson Mr Paul Mangwana failed to appreciate.
The top ZANU(PF) lawyer has now been forced to eat humble pie.
It all started with the trading of allegations and insults with Mr Edward Chindori Chininga who was also seconded by the party to COPAC. The exchange, emanating from some leaked document, fortunately did not end in fisticuffs.
Then there was Prof. Jonathan Moyo. Week after week he would get into a frenzied attack of the constitution and the whole process which he described as flawed. He never saw anything good nor offerred any useful suggestions. He went into some hallucinations such that he even saw the Mafia (real or imagined, you never know with the Prof.) getting involved in the whole COPAC process.
Mr Mangwana, cool-headed as usual, in return described him as 'crazy'.
But he had underestimated the Prof. He is a schemer and an indefatigable one for that matter.
Whilst Mr Mangwana was diligently doing his work at COPAC, the Prof.was also diligently pursuing his agenda: convincing ZANU(PF) stalwarts that the new constitution does not best serve their interests and hence has to be amended before getting to the people. Talk about sabotage! And though he would on several occasions go on a tangent, it wasn't long before the Prof. smelt 'success'. He had been in the political wilderness for too long and now a chance for a come-back had been created. Thats why l like the Prof-if you don't have a job just create one! If you have become irrelevant, just make yourself relevant!
The ZANU Politburo had accepted 97% of the draft. Now they were enlightened by the Prof. Fundamental changes had to be made to the document. Clauses stopped saying what they meant and some half-truths were peddled for good effect.
It is my belief that if the top echelons of ZANU(PF) had read the draft themselves they were going to fall in love with it for it's such a fair, wonderful and powerful document. So the strategy was laid forth and it was so heart-rending to see Mr Mangwana almost apologizing for doing nothing wrong at all. And he blamed it all on the MDC-T firebrand lawyer Douglas Mwonzora (former junior partner at his law firm). It was Mr Mwonzora who pressured and outwitted him! Talk about humiliation! He never mentioned Mr Edward Mkhosi of the smaller MDC formation. Therefore, in ghetto lingo Mr Mangwana is the fall guy, he is the whipping boy.
But his political rivals within the party ain't finished with him yet! He might have written his own political epitaph. It was clear from the word 'go' that there was no way in which a complete constitution could have been written without gap-filling by the writers because the information was either inadequate or completely missing on relevant issues. The representatives of the three parties would negotiate, brief their successive parties, get direction and proceed.
Nothing was done behind any party's back and all was well until the Prof.thought of a plan. The process was being pushed by imperialists! Regime change, which had failed before, was now going to come through the Constitution. What blatant lies!
Anyway, where in the world has one party ruled forever? And whats wrong with replacing our President with a younger vibrant Zimbo so that he gets a well-deserved rest and perhaps get time to write his memoirs? And who has ever seen a former president going home to herd cattle? Ask Mr Kenneth Kaunda, Mr J Chissano who are now enjoying life all over the world! Stop abusing the President by forcing him to stay in office and using him to validate your own selfish agenda! Remember he is almost a nonagenarian. At your home, do you yoke your oxen till they drop dead? Mr Mugabe must be freed from the day-to-day demands of office and begin to impart his pearls of wisdom to younger people like me or Mr Tsvangirai.
Mr Mugabe has much to say and must be given a chance to say it. Keeping him in office until he drops dead is not only inhumane, satanic and unfair but outright abuse. Using him to block an otherwise good constitution that is going to bless every Zimbabwean is both selfish and the height of devilishness.
Can the opponents of this draft tell the nation which part of it is bad, imperfect or evil? The fact that the 1999 constitution by Prof. Moyo et al was rejected does not mean this must also be rejected? And whats wrong with dual citizenship (there is definitely no incentive or lack of it therein) and devolution? Lets take this constitution as it is to the people to decide? Who said leaders should decide everything?