News / National
Foreigners must respect our constitutional dispensation says Mutambara
05 Jun 2013 at 21:33hrs | Views
THE Constitutional Court ruling directing President Mugabe to proclaim election dates and hold harmonised elections by July 31 is final and binding and neither Sadc nor the AU can reverse it as any such attempts will be akin to infringing the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity, Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara has said.
The DPM, who is a principal to the Global Political Agreement, warned Ms Lindiwe Zulu who is international relations advisor to South African president Jacob Zuma that whatever their political differences or views on the election dates, progressive Zimbabweans would not allow foreigners to violate and desecrate their sovereignty by varying or challenging domestic laws.
Ms Lindiwe Zulu was quoted in some sections of the Zimbabwean media saying with or without the Constitutional Court ruling, harmonised elections will be decided by a roadmap.
"It is not acceptable for the SA facilitation team to use the language that says 'with or without the court ruling, an election roadmap has to be agreed,' thus, demeaning and disregarding the decision of our Constitutional Court, while implying that a roadmap outside the laws of Zimbabwe will determine the election date.
"This is an attack on our national sovereignty. All Zimbabweans across the political divide; including those who are offended by the Constitutional Court judgment or feel that it was a wrong decision; must unite, oppose and reject this patronising and illegitimate posturing by our neighbours," DPM Mutambara said.
The backroom facilitation team's role, the involvement of Sadc and the AU as guarantors; DPM Mutambara said, was never meant to disregard Zimbabwe's sovereignty and its territorial integrity.
"Foreigners must respect our constitutional dispensation. As Zimbabweans, we must preserve our national sovereignty," he said.
All foreigners, DPM Mutambara said, should realise that a binding and final determination had been made by the Constitutional Court in Zimbabwe and it should be respected without reservation.
Political scientist and Zanu-PF Politburo member Professor Jonathan Moyo concurred and dismissed as scandalous efforts by President Zuma's backroom facilitation team to influence the election date when the Constitutional Court had already pronounced itself on the matter.
"That is preposterous as it is scandalous. It can only come from someone with a subversive intention or agenda against our country because the most important fundamental is the rule of law, and in this case the only competent authority is the Constitutional Court.
"We cannot have somebody coming from a country with very serious problems of its own like the Marikanas and all to pontificate and say we will use the roadmap. We do not need the roadmap. We need the Constitution, and we have it,' he said.
Prof Moyo said President Mugabe had already stated that he will abide by the Constitution Court's ruling, putting to rest any plans to delay the holding of harmonised elections.
He slammed Ms Zulu for trying to provoke a crisis in Zimbabwe.
"We have a woman with nothing to do trying to promote a crisis in Zimbabwe. Election dates in Zimbabwe are not fixed by an agreement between anybody but on the basis of the law,' Prof Moyo said.
He said Sadc through its executive secretary Dr Tomaz Salomao is on record saying that the regional bloc was waiting for the Constitutional Court ruling on elections otherwise Zimbabwe was ready for polls.
The MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai wants the election held as late as October and is on record denouncing the ruling by the Constitutional Court.
Political analyst Dr Charity Manyeruke ruled Ms Zulu offside saying Zimbabwe had to abide by the ruling of the Constitutional Court.
"Zimbabwe will obviously abide by the ruling of the Constitutional Court. Any decision outside the Constitution is ultra vires and illegal,' she said.
"The facilitation team has overstepped its mandate. It has to understand that Zimbabwe is a country that abides by the rule of law and cannot be ruled by individuals who think they can make decisions on what happens, how it happens and when that should happen. People should respect the principle of territorial integrity which is a fundamental principle of Sadc,' she said.
The Constitutional Court, last week, ruled with a crushing majority of seven yeas to two nays that President Mugabe should proclaim elections dates and hold harmonised elections by July 31 this year.
The ruling came in the wake of an application by Mr Jealousy Mawarire of the Centre for Elections and Democracy who wanted the court to compel President Mugabe to proclaim the election date before June 29 when the life of the Seventh Parliament lapses.
Sadc's announcement on the sidelines of the AU's mid-term summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia that it would convene a special summit on Zimbabwe to co-ordinate efforts to find funding for the harmonised elections has been latched onto by forces opposed to elections as an opportunity to lobby for poll postponement.
The regional bloc is, however, on record saying Zimbabwe was ready for elections and it would stand guided by the Constitutional Court ruling on the way forward.
The DPM, who is a principal to the Global Political Agreement, warned Ms Lindiwe Zulu who is international relations advisor to South African president Jacob Zuma that whatever their political differences or views on the election dates, progressive Zimbabweans would not allow foreigners to violate and desecrate their sovereignty by varying or challenging domestic laws.
Ms Lindiwe Zulu was quoted in some sections of the Zimbabwean media saying with or without the Constitutional Court ruling, harmonised elections will be decided by a roadmap.
"It is not acceptable for the SA facilitation team to use the language that says 'with or without the court ruling, an election roadmap has to be agreed,' thus, demeaning and disregarding the decision of our Constitutional Court, while implying that a roadmap outside the laws of Zimbabwe will determine the election date.
"This is an attack on our national sovereignty. All Zimbabweans across the political divide; including those who are offended by the Constitutional Court judgment or feel that it was a wrong decision; must unite, oppose and reject this patronising and illegitimate posturing by our neighbours," DPM Mutambara said.
The backroom facilitation team's role, the involvement of Sadc and the AU as guarantors; DPM Mutambara said, was never meant to disregard Zimbabwe's sovereignty and its territorial integrity.
"Foreigners must respect our constitutional dispensation. As Zimbabweans, we must preserve our national sovereignty," he said.
All foreigners, DPM Mutambara said, should realise that a binding and final determination had been made by the Constitutional Court in Zimbabwe and it should be respected without reservation.
Political scientist and Zanu-PF Politburo member Professor Jonathan Moyo concurred and dismissed as scandalous efforts by President Zuma's backroom facilitation team to influence the election date when the Constitutional Court had already pronounced itself on the matter.
"That is preposterous as it is scandalous. It can only come from someone with a subversive intention or agenda against our country because the most important fundamental is the rule of law, and in this case the only competent authority is the Constitutional Court.
"We cannot have somebody coming from a country with very serious problems of its own like the Marikanas and all to pontificate and say we will use the roadmap. We do not need the roadmap. We need the Constitution, and we have it,' he said.
He slammed Ms Zulu for trying to provoke a crisis in Zimbabwe.
"We have a woman with nothing to do trying to promote a crisis in Zimbabwe. Election dates in Zimbabwe are not fixed by an agreement between anybody but on the basis of the law,' Prof Moyo said.
He said Sadc through its executive secretary Dr Tomaz Salomao is on record saying that the regional bloc was waiting for the Constitutional Court ruling on elections otherwise Zimbabwe was ready for polls.
The MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai wants the election held as late as October and is on record denouncing the ruling by the Constitutional Court.
Political analyst Dr Charity Manyeruke ruled Ms Zulu offside saying Zimbabwe had to abide by the ruling of the Constitutional Court.
"Zimbabwe will obviously abide by the ruling of the Constitutional Court. Any decision outside the Constitution is ultra vires and illegal,' she said.
"The facilitation team has overstepped its mandate. It has to understand that Zimbabwe is a country that abides by the rule of law and cannot be ruled by individuals who think they can make decisions on what happens, how it happens and when that should happen. People should respect the principle of territorial integrity which is a fundamental principle of Sadc,' she said.
The Constitutional Court, last week, ruled with a crushing majority of seven yeas to two nays that President Mugabe should proclaim elections dates and hold harmonised elections by July 31 this year.
The ruling came in the wake of an application by Mr Jealousy Mawarire of the Centre for Elections and Democracy who wanted the court to compel President Mugabe to proclaim the election date before June 29 when the life of the Seventh Parliament lapses.
Sadc's announcement on the sidelines of the AU's mid-term summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia that it would convene a special summit on Zimbabwe to co-ordinate efforts to find funding for the harmonised elections has been latched onto by forces opposed to elections as an opportunity to lobby for poll postponement.
The regional bloc is, however, on record saying Zimbabwe was ready for elections and it would stand guided by the Constitutional Court ruling on the way forward.
Source - Zimpapers
