Online Reporter
Gibson Nyikadzino
Zimpapers Politics Hub
Deputy Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet (Presidential Communications), Mr George Charamba, has described as “fatuous” the comparison by local media of the ongoing Constitutional Amendment No. 3 Bill to the 1965 racist Ian Smith’s Unilateral Declaration of Independence.
Posting on his X handle, Mr Charamba said there was no rational basis for any comparison “however far-fetched or brain-washed inspired”.
His remarks come after an unregistered news media website and a proponent of an illegal regime change agenda, Change Radio, which is funded by external actors published a story two weeks ago entitled ‘CAB 3: A modern-day UDI?’. Today’s NewsDay also, through its guest column, made a false equivalence in a story entitled ‘UDI to CAB3: The emergency that never ends’.
“One has to be extremely ignorant and ahistorical, or a paid scrubber of settler colonial history to compare Constitutional Amendment Bill Number 3 and Ian Smith’s white-privileging Unilateral Declaration of Independence.
“There is just no rational basis for any comparison, however far-fetched or brain-washed inspired. UDI arose from Rhodesia Front’s complete repudiation of a non-racial, independence order in which there would be a non-racial, universal right to vote, and where Britain would continue its oversight role as the colonial master,” Mr Charamba said.
He further criticised the comparison of a racist colonial administration that denied the black majority the right to vote to the constitutional duty that the Parliament of Zimbabwe is doing.
Parliament organised nationwide public hearings for the proposed constitutional reforms from March 30 to April 2, aimed at collecting public input on proposed changes. The consultations are part of a 90-day period ending May 17.
“How such an obnoxious, racially supremacist piece of legislation which closed out Africans from Independence and from exercising the right to vote, compares with changes meant to retain Parliament of Zimbabwe’s true constitutional role, in line with worldwide practice, simply boggles the mind.
“And to imagine there are editors and gatekeepers in our newsrooms, who find such idiocy worth publishing, is wholly damning of blunt intellect in our knowledge industry!” he added.
Anti-Zimbabwe media and externally funded political activists are misrepresenting the ongoing process which has received enormous public backing from the people. The BBC through its correspondent described the process as a “power grab”, a position the Mr Charamba queried.
Why don’t we just laugh it off? Any serious mind cannot find time to comment on such inane diatribe. I see there is a Zimbabwe TV Channel called 3KTv that seems to also lean towards regime change agenda.