Use elections not security reforms, says President

Harare Bureau
PRESIDENT Mugabe has said his opponents must use elections and not call for security sector reforms to try to change the Government.
In an interview with a Namibia’s New Era newspaper early this week, the President described the Zimbabwean army as one of the best in Africa.
The President’s comments on security reforms come amid calls by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai for media, security and electoral reforms before the holding of elections.

Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with Chrispin Inhambao, the New Era editor, President Mugabe reminded Mr Tsvangirai and other opponents that the security sector is a no go area and that he would never tamper with the army which he described as one of the best on the continent.

“Which reforms?  They want us to destroy the army for example, they don’t want the army as it is. Who really is there to say the army as it is, is not well organised, it must have another, they must be another arrangement and certain persons must go, certain commanders …you don’t play with the army that way,” he said.

“Every one of the commanders from the police, air force, army, then combined forces, prison service, they all are commanders deriving from the struggle. All of them, they fought the struggle. Tsvangirai ran away from the struggle. He actually ran away.

“And they are the protectors of the nation, you cannot tamper with an army, we put it together for that matter, including the Rhodesians, battalions that is Zanla and Zipra plus Rhodesians and that’s what we have now. It’s an army we rely on, look at their performance in the DRC as we fought side by side with you against Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda.”

President Mugabe insisted he would not do anything to jeopardise the healthy relationship between the armed forces and the presidency.
“And look at also the role they have played against Renamo here. And even now, as I speak, we have some of our men going, being required by the United Nations peacekeeping forces across the world including the police force. So we pride our army, as one of the best armies in Africa,” he said.

Asked why on one hand leaders of the MDC formations in the inclusive government bemoan the continued existence of the coalition government and yet on the other do not seem to want to go to the elections, President Mugabe lambasted the formations for being cheats who wanted a ‘free ride on a chariot” of the government of national unity.

“Well, it’s just that they are afraid of elections. Many of their members were never elected before this. They were rejected in 2008 and they are riding on this, it’s a free ride on a chariot, that national chariot that they have been enjoying.

“You know when you are enjoying free service, there is delivery of lovely goods as you travel on the chariot, you want to go on and on, on and on and that’s cheating the people. You can’t cheat the people and where is your practice of democracy? And we are saying, well, you people say you believe in democracy, let’s go for elections   so   that   you  can   be   properly   elected.   No, no, no they are giving all kinds of reasons,” the President said.

He remained steadfast on election dates insisting elections would go ahead as planned despite court challenges and calls for security and legislative reforms by his opponents.

“And anyway, doomsday is coming for them on the 29th of June, how many days have we to go? It’s on Saturday (tomorrow)…. and then the life of Parliament comes to an end and this Parliament dies and they die politically also. Those of them who are MPs, you see, all MPs cease to be MPs and we can’t continue without a Parliament but some of them say we go on and on.

“Ah!  What sort of people are we to suggest that we have elections August next year, oh! it’s this year I suppose, even this year, a person is completely, completely defiant of the tenet of democracy and is saying it doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter, we can go on without Parliament as what? You can’t do that, no, no.  We never, never went without Parliament, every five years we had Parliament since 1980, you see and I don’t want our nation to be taught that a sitting Government can prolong the term, the life of Parliament, this life without a mandate from them. That’s wrong, we must seek a mandate from the people.”

President Mugabe proclaimed 31July as the date for harmonised elections. However, Justice and Legal Affairs Minister Patrick Chinamasa on behalf of the Government approached the Constitutional Court of Zimbabwe seeking an extension of the poll date to 14 August.