Zim civil society at odds with GNU

ZIMBABWE - HARARE - National Civil Society Organisations met in Zimbabwe at an ‘All Stakeholders Constitutional Conference’ held in Harare on Friday, February 6.

The resulting Communiqué notes the inadequacies of the provision in Article 6 of the Global Political Agreement as a tool in the creation of a new people-driven constitution making process.

It re-affirms the commitment of civil society; articulated in the last 10 years; in relation to constitutional reform process which is people-driven and leads to a general election conducted in terms of the provision of that new constitution.

NATIONAL CIVIL SOCIETY CONSTITUTIONAL CONFERENCE
COMMUNIQUE

We civil society organisations in Zimbabwe, meeting at the "All stakeholders Constitutional Conference, in Harare on the 6th of February 2009;

Recalling the processes that lead to the creation of the Peoples’ Convention and subsequent drafting and adopting of the Peoples’ Charter;

Specifically recalling the spirit and letter of Article 3 of the Peoples’ Charter in respect of constitution making processes;

Being mindful of the Global Political Agreement, particularly Article 6 which relates to a constitution making process;

We the civil society organisations hereby affirm our commitment to the following:

1. We hold that Article 6 of the Global Political Agreement is and remains inadequate as a tool of creating a new people driven constitution. This is because the oversight role given to the Parliament of Zimbabwe in the same said article is undemocratic and subject to political party control as evidenced by the passage of Constitutional Amendment Number 19 on February 5 2009 and that this view shall be communicated to the political parties in the GPA as well as the Parliament of Zimbabwe.

2. We reaffirm our commitment to Section 3 of the Zimbabwe Peoples Charter which outlines both the content and process of a people-driven constitutional.

3. That civil society shall be guided by the principles articulated over the last 10 years in relation to constitutional reform, both in the People’s Charter as well as in Resolutions of the People’s Constitutional Convention of 1999 on the definition of people driven processes in relation to an All Stakeholders Constitutional Commission, National Referendum, National Outreach, Compilations and Draft Constitution.

4. That at the end of the constitutional reform process, there should be a general election conducted in terms of the provision of that new democratic constitution.

5. That the views sought and acquired after a public outreach and consultation process be made public as well as unchangeable by law or the Parliament of Zimbabwe.