Nigeria Content Online

Last week
President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe expressed his frustration with the
power sharing deal between his party – Zimbabwe Africa National Union
(ZANU-PF) and his prime minister’s- Movement for Democratic Convention
(MDC)- when he said that he is looking forward to having a new election
held next year.

The present
government was brought about by the disputed 2008 elections in which Mr.
Mugabe’s party ZANU-PF and Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC both claimed victory
in the disputed election. The then Secretary General of the United
Nations Kofi Annan brokered a deal which led to the compromise
government.

Mr. Mugabe who
called for a referendum said, ‘‘after a referendum then we have
elections by mid next year. I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t have
elections next year. February next year, which is about four months to
go, then it will have lived its full life and I do not know what is
going to happen if we are not ready with a constitution.” He dismissed
the current arrangement saying “Some will say let us negotiate and give
it another life. I am reluctant because part of the things that are
happening (in the coalition) are foolish.”

Under the power
sharing agreement a new constitution is to be drawn up before the
expiration of the tenure of the government. However, this has not been
done due to all the crises that have polarised the government since it
was constituted.

Only a few weeks
ago, Mr. Mugabe appointed some senior government officials without
recourse to the prime minister. Among those appointed are the Central
Bank governor, attorney general, six ambassadors and five judges. The
prime minister immediately came out to denounce these appointments
saying he would not recognise the appointees because they were named
without any consultations with his office or party.

As a result of this, Mr. Tsvangirai has decided to boycott all cabinet meetings.

These simmering
disagreements that have characterised the government of Zimbabwe in the
last two years have gone a long way to stifle the economy and
development of the country. Mr. Mugabe has been carrying on like an
imperial emperor who has all the power reposed in him, unwilling to
share with the other party in the agreement.

This has largely
resulted in the immeasurable suffering by the majority of Zimbabweans
who have been wallowing over the years in abject poverty. Rather than
the president and the prime minister seeing themselves as partners in
progress, their relationship has been that of a cat and mouse or eternal
rivals who are fighting over will have a better portion of a dish.

The idea behind
the setting up of a power-sharing government, we believe, was to find a
way of diffusing tension and create an atmosphere where the two parties
could work for the progress of the country. This has not been so. It is
our belief that Mr. Mugabe sees his party as the senior partner in
government and therefore is at liberty to do what it likes.

It is sad that after the gains of the eighties, which saw to the wave
of democracy on the continent, Africa is gradually seeping back into
the hold of civilian dictatorship with the likes of Mr. Mugabe hanging
on to power. Three decades after leading Zimbabwe to independence and at
eighty-six, Mr. Mugabe’s tenacious hold on power is a sad commentary on
his record as a liberation fighter. The best way for him to go is to
step down after this tenure and not contest in next year’s election. It
is time to give room for fresh ideas in Zimbabwe.