News / National
3 500 final constitution drafts dispatched to Manicaland
23 Feb 2013 at 07:21hrs | Views
ABOUT 3 500 copies of the final draft constitution were dispatched to Manicaland this week.
The final draft constitution publicity campaign was launched by Senator Monica Mutsvangwa (Zanu-PF) and Senator Ceaphas Makuyana (MDC-T) as part of the Constitution Parliamentary Select Committee preparations to roll out publicity campaign to educate ordinary Zimbabweans on the draft charter ahead of the March 16 national constitutional referendum.
The copies were deposited at the provincial administrator's office, who will dispatch them to the district administrators so that people can read the charter before the referendum.
Each district will get 500 copies of the final draft constitution. A soft version of the final draft constitution can be accessed from the COPAC website (www.copac.org.zw).
Political parties, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and civic organisations will be involved it the publicity campaigns.
Sen Mutsvangwa said this was expected to ensure that the people of Manicaland appreciate the provisions of the country's proposed supreme law.
She said the new constitution was a people's document.
"We want to make sure that the people of Manicaland have a full appreciation of the provisions of this final draft constitution because it is their document. We want the people of Manicaland to support this draft. The draft is for Zimbabwe, nobody has lost or won. We worked as a team. The people should be fully informed prior to voting," said Cde Mutsvangwa, adding that everyone should read through the document not in bits and pieces.
"We are encouraging the people of Manicaland to read through the document to appreciate its sense, not in bits and pieces. The current Constitution for Zimbabwe is a product of a compromise agreement reached at the Lancaster House Conference in 1979 between the outgoing colonial government and the incoming nationalist government at the end of the war of liberation.
"The current Constitution was inadequate and has many shortcomings that the people of Zimbabwe wanted addressed. We are in the historic process of making a new Constitution and we should support the process to the end by voting Yes during the referendum," said Cde Mutsvangwa.
She added that the process was one of the major deliverables of the Global Political Agreement which was signed on September 15, 2008.
Article VI of the GPA sets a broad framework for the Constitution making process as well as the different stages to be followed in coming up with a people driven constitution.
Sen Makuyana said the draft constitution was a product of the people's input. He castigated the National Constitutional Assembly led by Dr lovemore Madhuku for throwing spanners in the process.
"Every process has its opponents. There are always people who think it is their calling to oppose just for its sake. We must guard against being influenced by such people. Let us go out in our numbers and rally behind this draft charter. Vote Yes," said Sen Makuyana.
Apart from opposing the process from the onset, the NCA on Tuesday filed an urgent High Court Application seeking an extension of the referendum date from March 16, saying the public has not been given time to read and understand the complex draft constitution.
The pressure group said in a statement on Monday that Zimbabweans would need at least two months, and not 30 days, to conduct civic education to analyse the draft charter so that they can make informed decisions on what they will be voting for.
The NCA accuses ZANU PF and the two MDC formations of fast tracking the process, as a ploy to deny Zimbabweans a chance to "scrutinise the flawed and undemocratic draft which they authored."
"Pane vanoti kana vana vezimbabwe vodya mukaka, ivo vanoisa mavhu. Muvachenjere vana kubvongodza muto. Do not be led astray by these people, they have their own agenda to pursue, which is a variance with want Zimbabweans are pursuing," said Sen Makuyana.
He said Zanu PF and the two MDC formations were rallying their supporters to endorse the charter.
Mr Sandon Mugaradziko, of MDC said his party would campaign for the Yes vote.
"Everybody has won. Even there could be some aspects that we might not be happy with, at the end you will find that you cannot always want you opinion to prevail over millions of people. You cannot always get what you want, hence the need to compromise and move forward. Let us put national interests first if we are to move forward as a nation," said the MDC secretary for foreign affairs.
Download: Final draft Constitution 25 January 2013
The final draft constitution publicity campaign was launched by Senator Monica Mutsvangwa (Zanu-PF) and Senator Ceaphas Makuyana (MDC-T) as part of the Constitution Parliamentary Select Committee preparations to roll out publicity campaign to educate ordinary Zimbabweans on the draft charter ahead of the March 16 national constitutional referendum.
The copies were deposited at the provincial administrator's office, who will dispatch them to the district administrators so that people can read the charter before the referendum.
Each district will get 500 copies of the final draft constitution. A soft version of the final draft constitution can be accessed from the COPAC website (www.copac.org.zw).
Political parties, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and civic organisations will be involved it the publicity campaigns.
Sen Mutsvangwa said this was expected to ensure that the people of Manicaland appreciate the provisions of the country's proposed supreme law.
She said the new constitution was a people's document.
"We want to make sure that the people of Manicaland have a full appreciation of the provisions of this final draft constitution because it is their document. We want the people of Manicaland to support this draft. The draft is for Zimbabwe, nobody has lost or won. We worked as a team. The people should be fully informed prior to voting," said Cde Mutsvangwa, adding that everyone should read through the document not in bits and pieces.
"We are encouraging the people of Manicaland to read through the document to appreciate its sense, not in bits and pieces. The current Constitution for Zimbabwe is a product of a compromise agreement reached at the Lancaster House Conference in 1979 between the outgoing colonial government and the incoming nationalist government at the end of the war of liberation.
"The current Constitution was inadequate and has many shortcomings that the people of Zimbabwe wanted addressed. We are in the historic process of making a new Constitution and we should support the process to the end by voting Yes during the referendum," said Cde Mutsvangwa.
She added that the process was one of the major deliverables of the Global Political Agreement which was signed on September 15, 2008.
Article VI of the GPA sets a broad framework for the Constitution making process as well as the different stages to be followed in coming up with a people driven constitution.
Sen Makuyana said the draft constitution was a product of the people's input. He castigated the National Constitutional Assembly led by Dr lovemore Madhuku for throwing spanners in the process.
"Every process has its opponents. There are always people who think it is their calling to oppose just for its sake. We must guard against being influenced by such people. Let us go out in our numbers and rally behind this draft charter. Vote Yes," said Sen Makuyana.
Apart from opposing the process from the onset, the NCA on Tuesday filed an urgent High Court Application seeking an extension of the referendum date from March 16, saying the public has not been given time to read and understand the complex draft constitution.
The pressure group said in a statement on Monday that Zimbabweans would need at least two months, and not 30 days, to conduct civic education to analyse the draft charter so that they can make informed decisions on what they will be voting for.
The NCA accuses ZANU PF and the two MDC formations of fast tracking the process, as a ploy to deny Zimbabweans a chance to "scrutinise the flawed and undemocratic draft which they authored."
"Pane vanoti kana vana vezimbabwe vodya mukaka, ivo vanoisa mavhu. Muvachenjere vana kubvongodza muto. Do not be led astray by these people, they have their own agenda to pursue, which is a variance with want Zimbabweans are pursuing," said Sen Makuyana.
He said Zanu PF and the two MDC formations were rallying their supporters to endorse the charter.
Mr Sandon Mugaradziko, of MDC said his party would campaign for the Yes vote.
"Everybody has won. Even there could be some aspects that we might not be happy with, at the end you will find that you cannot always want you opinion to prevail over millions of people. You cannot always get what you want, hence the need to compromise and move forward. Let us put national interests first if we are to move forward as a nation," said the MDC secretary for foreign affairs.
Download: Final draft Constitution 25 January 2013
Source - MP
