It may well be a fact that the Global Political Agreement (GPA) has become the most dangerous document upon which Zimbabwe’s future is dependent, writes MacKenzie Tafira.

As products of negotiation, the Lancaster House constitution, faulty as it may have been, looms as such a saintly document compared to our own GPA. Since its manufacture, the GPA has merely exposed how rigid the positions of the warring parties are instead of how far the negotiations had bridged their differences. So it has been a complete waste of time, effort and the country’s meagre resources. In the absence of national objectives acting as the guiding compass for the negotiators, the GPA is in all practical purposes a settlement between MDC and Zanu. It is very personal and private.

In this part 1 of the two part series, we can begin an honest exploration of the issues that make the GPA a new evil in Zimbabwe. As the GPA is personal and private, it is therefore being contested by the few individuals who stand to benefit or lose depending on how it is implemented. Here are the few issues that I am sure provide some pointers in interrogating why Zimbabwe is at a crossroad on account of the GPA:

1.            The GPA provides no indication of what concessions should be made and by whom.

It is a betrayal on the people of Zimbabwe to come up with a document that fails to categorically locate responsibility and spell out clear boundaries. In all practical terms, Zanu came out of the negotiations as winners when they went in as losers. Having lost in an election, they simply became an illegal regime. They lost the mandate to rule Zimbabwe but would not conceive of a life with state positions, so they refused to let go. They know that they are a shameless bunch with no dignity to protect. Their existence in government is only given some external credence through the MDC.

But being of violent and dishonest dispositions, Zanu will have it its way as it knows how partisan all the systems of government are. With such a creature as Zanu as a contender, it was scandalous to expect Zanu to be sincere with the people of Zimbabwe. The reigns of control are illegally in Zanu, which party was supposed to bear the duty to concede as much until a fair position is reached. But when it comes to making concessions, Zanu actually takes a step back or deliberately infringes upon the rights of the other party through unilateral actions. At the moment, Zanu is sure to create a deadlock through this loophole – it will drag its feet until all crumble down again.

2.            Sharing of ministries

Mugabe showed his unbridled quest for power when he manipulated the GPA in the sharing of ministries. The posts where divided in an apparent strategy to maintain control over the MDC, not the need to serve the people of Zimbabwe. In Zanu’s orientation, Zimbabwe is determined by what Mugabe say or do. Are we not all equal before the law? Do we not all have the same right to protection? Does the army serve the nation or individuals? Is the police force not meant to enforce the laws of the country, not party’s laws? In the absence of citizens’ vote, who had the right to claim this post or that post?

Zanu held all the ministerial posts before the disputed elections and had no mandate to form a government. All parties should have been indifferent to which ministries they get if such ministries are meant to serve the needs of the country and not Zanu. But it is hard to separate Zanu from government, isn’t it? Instead of sharing ministries, Zanu allocated ministries to the other parties. The GPA exposed how Zanu considers the control of security forces as its source of power. Such power is power of coercion and such a party is merely despotic. Could there have been any procedure fairer than putting all the ministries on the table and taking turns to pick? But Mugabe wanted to control the security forces and the legal system, ministries which he will use to cow the other parties into submission.

3.            Zanu dominance

Far from it being a negotiated settlement, the GPA essentially lacks the political plurality many expected to be hatched from the process. Deny it they can, Zanu is the architect of the crisis that saddles Zimbabwe, aided by the lame Thabo Mbeki who saw nothing wrong in the nefarious activities of his northern idol. Having lost in a general election that was far from free and fair, Zanu simply usurped power from the people and continued to rule the country by force. Without such stolen authority being neutralised or invalidated, Zanu will continue to bully citizens with their wanton barbarism.

The GPA failed to bring Zanu’s dominance into check. What the GPA effectively did was to elongate the shelf life of a party that lost an election, which party is despiteful of the people they seek to serve. All of a sudden, Zanu was thrown a lifeline and quickly turned their smuggled power into a legitimate entitlement. We could have all thought that such a people would become cooperative and put the needs of the country first. But in Zanu, we are merely dealing with hard-hearted ingrates.