Opinion / Columnist
Police double standards as Zanu-PF marches in Harare
20 Jul 2016 at 16:37hrs | Views
The MDC notes with concern the selective police attitude on protesters displayed by the police following the Zanu-PF march in Harare today.
As a party, we applaud Zanu-PF supporters for seeking to exercise their constitutional right by marching in support of mis-governance, looting and repression. Zanu-PF reserves its right to march in solidarity with the authors of starvation and corruption. It is their right to march in commonality with a clueless 92-year old President who has run out of ideas.
However, we note with disquiet the selective application of the law and the double standards in terms of police attitude towards Zanu-PF demonstrations. The Zanu-PF march was allowed to proceed and the party did not even have to seek recourse in the courts as we and other civic groups have had to do. The police did not clamp down on the Zanu-PF protest march but instead accompanied the demonstrators and allowed them to disturb human and vehicular traffic. It is clear that Zanu-PF did not meet with the bureaucracy and hostility that we meet when we equally want to exercise our Constitutional right.
As the MDC prepares for a sonorous national expression of discontent we hope the police and other law-enforcement agents will exhibit the same attitude they have given Zanu-PF today. If those supporting mis-governance and repression and the free-flow of traffic can be allowed to hold their protests so too should the same right be exercised by those who wish to exercise their rights by protesting against a clueless government that has run the country aground.
We in the MDC are putting this regime on notice. What is good for the goose must certainly good for the gander. Zimbabweans must be allowed to peacefully proceed with their mooted national action just as Zanu-PF has been allowed to proceed with their protest march today. We are a Zimbabweans after all.
Luke Tamborinyoka
Presidential Spokesperson and Director of Communications
Movement for democratic Change
Source - Luke Tamborinyoka
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.
