Opinion / Columnist
Gutu MDC-T condemns 'unlawful crushing' of RTUZ demo - sue Chihuri then!
05 Jan 2016 at 21:20hrs | Views
MDC-T spokesman Obert Gutu condemned the Police harassment and ban of civil servants demonstrations demanding government pay them their December wages and bonus. "Mugabe's Zanu-PF regime is now a de facto terrorist organisation," he said.
For a lawyer Obert Gutu, is as stupid as they come but, worst of all, he is always showing off!
"Section 59 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe states that every person has the right to demonstrate and to present petitions, but these rights must be exercised peacefully. Of late, the Zimbabwe Republic Police and other organs of the State security apparatus have ruthlessly and unlawfully clamped down on peaceful demonstrations," Gutu stated.
Yes section 59 of the constitution say people are allowed to hold peaceful demonstrations but Gutu should also know that the same constitution grants Mugabe the power to formulate security policy as he alone sees fit and necessary to maintain law and order. In other words if Mugabe should stipulate that the ZRP must ban all public demonstrations then all public demonstrations will be banned!
When the first draft of the new constitution was first realised for public scrutiny in July 2012, MDC was warned again and again that the constitution has weak and feeble to deliver the democratic freedoms and rights it supposed to deliver and guarantee. Mr Gutu and his fellow MDC leaders ignored the warning and campaigned for a yes vote in the March 2013 referendum. They assured the nation the new constitution all the freedoms and rights including the right to free, fair and credible elections.
The new constitution failed its first real test a few months later in July 2013 when it failed to deliver free and fair elections. People have since learnt there are many other freedoms and rights that denied them although they are clearly state in the constitution because like all weak and feeble constitution the freedoms and rights are given in one sections and taken away in the next!
Obert Gutu is making a big song and dance about section 59 giving the right to demonstrate to impress the impressionable public but is silent about section(s) giving Mugabe the power to take away the same right like a scatter-brain mother hen chasing after an eagle that has snatched her chick.
When I was a boy my mother had a scatter-brain hen that lost all her first brood of chicks to the eagle within a few days; she lost the second brood two or three weeks. Each time the eagle snatched one of her chicks the hens would flap her wings so vigorous and make a real racket chasing after the eagle!
On one occasion she went after the eagle as usual. She had not realized there were two eagles; the second eagle was swooping for her. She got away just in time!
The day the hen lost the last chick of her third brood it was the cooking pot for mizz scatter brain!
"On Monday, January 4,2016 in Harare, the Police unlawfully blocked a protest march that was organised by the Rural Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe (RTUZ) to press government to urgently release civil servants' December salaries," raved the irate mother hen, Obert Gutu. "The MDC unreservedly condemns the high - handed and unlawful action by the Police in violently crushing a peaceful demonstration."
If you are as irate and sure of your legal standing on this; sue Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri and put an end to Zanu PF lawlessness once and once for all instead issue all these press statements full of sound and fury but signifying nothing!
It is intolerable enough already that people are still being denied the basic freedoms and rights but all this charade of irate mother hen defiance by MDC officials is adding insult to injury. MDC wasted the nation's golden opportunity to have a democratic constitution, five years and over $100 million writing this weak and feeble constitution which MDC officials like Obert Gutu still goes through the theatricals pretending it is worth the paper it is written on.
For a lawyer Obert Gutu, is as stupid as they come but, worst of all, he is always showing off!
"Section 59 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe states that every person has the right to demonstrate and to present petitions, but these rights must be exercised peacefully. Of late, the Zimbabwe Republic Police and other organs of the State security apparatus have ruthlessly and unlawfully clamped down on peaceful demonstrations," Gutu stated.
Yes section 59 of the constitution say people are allowed to hold peaceful demonstrations but Gutu should also know that the same constitution grants Mugabe the power to formulate security policy as he alone sees fit and necessary to maintain law and order. In other words if Mugabe should stipulate that the ZRP must ban all public demonstrations then all public demonstrations will be banned!
When the first draft of the new constitution was first realised for public scrutiny in July 2012, MDC was warned again and again that the constitution has weak and feeble to deliver the democratic freedoms and rights it supposed to deliver and guarantee. Mr Gutu and his fellow MDC leaders ignored the warning and campaigned for a yes vote in the March 2013 referendum. They assured the nation the new constitution all the freedoms and rights including the right to free, fair and credible elections.
The new constitution failed its first real test a few months later in July 2013 when it failed to deliver free and fair elections. People have since learnt there are many other freedoms and rights that denied them although they are clearly state in the constitution because like all weak and feeble constitution the freedoms and rights are given in one sections and taken away in the next!
Obert Gutu is making a big song and dance about section 59 giving the right to demonstrate to impress the impressionable public but is silent about section(s) giving Mugabe the power to take away the same right like a scatter-brain mother hen chasing after an eagle that has snatched her chick.
When I was a boy my mother had a scatter-brain hen that lost all her first brood of chicks to the eagle within a few days; she lost the second brood two or three weeks. Each time the eagle snatched one of her chicks the hens would flap her wings so vigorous and make a real racket chasing after the eagle!
On one occasion she went after the eagle as usual. She had not realized there were two eagles; the second eagle was swooping for her. She got away just in time!
The day the hen lost the last chick of her third brood it was the cooking pot for mizz scatter brain!
"On Monday, January 4,2016 in Harare, the Police unlawfully blocked a protest march that was organised by the Rural Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe (RTUZ) to press government to urgently release civil servants' December salaries," raved the irate mother hen, Obert Gutu. "The MDC unreservedly condemns the high - handed and unlawful action by the Police in violently crushing a peaceful demonstration."
If you are as irate and sure of your legal standing on this; sue Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri and put an end to Zanu PF lawlessness once and once for all instead issue all these press statements full of sound and fury but signifying nothing!
It is intolerable enough already that people are still being denied the basic freedoms and rights but all this charade of irate mother hen defiance by MDC officials is adding insult to injury. MDC wasted the nation's golden opportunity to have a democratic constitution, five years and over $100 million writing this weak and feeble constitution which MDC officials like Obert Gutu still goes through the theatricals pretending it is worth the paper it is written on.
Source - Wilbert Mukori
All articles and letters published on Bulawayo24 have been independently written by members of Bulawayo24's community. The views of users published on Bulawayo24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Bulawayo24. Bulawayo24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.
