MDC-Alliance and its cronies are making a lot of noise about the Constitutional Amendment Bill ahead of its debate in Parliament set for April.
This is not the first time they have made noise on such issues, but this will eventually come to naught.
The nomination of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and its chairperson were jointly and consensually done by Zanu-PF and MDC-A, yet when the MDC-A lost the July 2018 harmonised election, they pointed fingers at Zanu-PF, accusing it of having planted its proxy within ZEC in the person of Justice Priscilla Chigumba, to skew the election result in its favour. Like a broken record, the MDC-A is at it again, blaming Zanu-PF for taking advantage of its two thirds majority in Parliament to amend the Constitution to ensure smooth flow of Government business under its watch.
The compilation of the Zimbabwe Constitution was led and carried out by an able team of lawyers from Zanu-PF, MDC-T and MDC-N under the Constitutional Parliamentary Select Committee (COPAC). They crafted and compiled the Constitution and the proposed amendments do not benefit Zanu-PF alone, but the whole nation.
Talk that President Mnangagwa seeks to amend the Constitution in order to consolidate his power should be rubbished with the contempt it deserves, because it does not hold water. If the Second Republic wishes to remove the running mate clause and revert to the old system, it means it has weighed the pros and cons that come with the running mate and found them unfavourable.
The disadvantages of choosing a running mate outweigh the selection of vice presidents of choice after an election. Having a running mate means President Mnangagwa is willing to bet his last dollar that the person would be supported by the people of his constituency, and not only that but that the person will be able to balance the ticket geographically and ideologically. If President Mnangagwa chooses the wrong person to stand with him, this could jeopardise his vote come 2023.
Zimbabwe has an intricate political set up, with its many ethnic groups and a quarter system that seek representation within the country’s presidium. President Mnangagwa is therefore, seeking a position whereby he does not have to pick a person randomly as a running mate, but rather consider his vice president.
In 1976, Ronald Regan was out rightly told to drop his running mate or lose the people’s vote.
This meant he had to make a tough decision to either drop his running mate or lose an election. In Nigeria, they use the running mate system in order to balance the geographical set up to match Christians from the south and Muslims from the north. Bulgaria is another example where running mates chosen will be women in order to appeal to that constituency.
It only makes sense that President Mnangagwa puts together a strong team that he can work with. The Second Republic determination to do away with the running mate clause resonates with its ultimate goal of attaining an upper middle-income economy by 2030.
The President’s capability to choose his own vice presidents and cabinet ministers to work with has never disappointed. It shows that his choices are made after a long and thoughtful scrutiny. This was evident when he presented a Cabinet he was to work with after his swearing in as the second President of the Republic of Zimbabwe.
President Mnangagwa picked ministers from every ethnic group, race, gender and demography.
One will have no doubt that if he is empowered to choose his deputies, President Mnangagwa will choose hard workers, contributors towards the good of the country, and most of all no group will feel segregated.
The major thrust of this process is to ensure a well-oiled team that pulls in the same direction, weeding out chancers and opportunists.
This country cannot be run by free-loaders, but by people who can deliver as required.
Going forward, the MDC-A should stop trying to set the agenda using issues they have not seriously scrutinised.
It is common knowledge that it has now lost relevance and is trying to dig itself out of a deep hole.
Everyone knows that given a chance to earn a majority in Parliament, the likes of Tendai Biti and Nelson Chamisa will be seeking to change the Constitution to their master’s set desire.
The bone of contention between Zanu-PF and the UK and her allies is the land question, and the MDC-A is going to pay for the luxuries they are receiving from the Western imperialists through the amendment of that clause.
The MDC-A is well too eager to please its masters and at the top of their list of priorities, if they ever come into power, is to amend the Constitution to reverse the land acquisition clause.
The devil has no free gifts, everyone knows that the West is waiting eagerly for that rare, drop in the ocean chance that the MDC-A might rule this country in order to amend the land clause.
It is for this reason alone that come 2023 the people of Zimbabwe will be damned if they let MDC-A win the election.
