By Paul Nyathi
Residents Associations are preparing a voice against the ongoing recalls and defections by MDC councillors within local authorities.
Sources have provided ZimEye.com with the proposed strategy as provided By Precious Shumba, Harare Residents Trust. below:
Greetings Cdes. Residents Associations have no business getting entangled in Political Parties factions. I will attempt to trace the political developments in the MDC T, the creation of the MDC Alliance, the Constitution and the Electoral Act. I argue that the rule of law means respecting court judgements irrespective of our personal preferences.
1. The MDC T, under Morgan Tsvangirai forges an electoral political pact with six other political parties ahead of the 30 July 2018 Harmonised Elections.
2. The coalition of these political parties is named MDC Alliance.
3. The MDC T is the leader, which provides the President of the MDC Alliance.
4. Morgan Tsvangirai appointed Nelson Chamisa, then one of three Vice Presidents of the MDC T as the MDC T representative to the MDC Alliance.
5. MDC Alliance contested the 2018 elections. Transform Zimbabwe abandons the MDC Alliance after the elections, but six others remained.
6. Morgan Tsvangirai dies on 14 February 2018.
7. Nelson Chamisa assumes the presidency of the MDC T. Thokozani Khupe, the only MDC T Vice President who had been elected by their Party Congress opposes the Chamisa presidency. A fight ensues among the two MDC T leaders.
8. A disgruntled MDC T member from Gokwe challenges the appointment of Nelson Chamisa as MDC T President.
9. The High Court rules that Thokozani Khupe is the legitimate Acting President of the MDC T, and therefore should facilitate the holding of an extraordinary Congress of the MDC T to elect the successor to Morgan Tsvangirai.
10. The MDC T led by Nelson Chamisa holds its Congress as the MDC Alliance in Gweru. Members of the other Political Parties on the MDC Alliance participates in the Gweru Congress.
11. The MDC T under Nelson Chamisa appeals against the High Court ruling which declared illegal the appointment of Nelson Chamisa and Engineer Elias Mudzuri as Vice Presidents of the MDC T, and the appointment of Chamisa as MDC T President.
12. The Supreme Court upholds the High Court ruling and declares Thokozani Khupe as the Acting President of the MDC T. The Supreme Court further directed that Khupe organises the convening of their Party Congress in three months.
13. The MDC T begins a process of recalling MDC T officials in local authorities and Parliarment who openly rejected the Supreme Court ruling affirming Thokozani Khupe as the MDC T Acting President.
14. The Supreme Court ruling and Section 129 (j) and (k) give effect to the recalls. This is the Constitution that came into effect in 2013.
Residents were denied the powers to recall underperforming and corrupt Councillors and Members of Parliament in the Constitution. That power was given *only* to political parties on whose ticket the official would have been elected into office. The MDC T deployed the MDC Alliance into the election with other Political Parties. Therefore According to the Court ruling the MDC Alliance is an electoral pact institution with a lifespan of five years. The MDC T may only recall MDC T members on the MDC Alliance network. You will find that PDP members in the MDC Alliance will not be recalled because they do not belong to the MDC T.
Recommendations
1. Residents Associations should unite and lobby the Central Government to fully implement Devolution, and enact all necessary legislation to give effect to Devolution.
2. Residents Associations should uphold the rule of law and avoid being involved in MDC T factional fighting between Nelson Chamisa and Thokozani Khupe.
3. The Devolution Acts of Parliament should provide for the full involvement of Residents in the process of recalling elected representatives.
4. The ongoing recalling of MDC T officials, elected on the MDC Alliance ticket, is an internal Political Party conflict that has nothing to do with service delivery, corruption, abuse of office or underperformance. There is nothing in all this for the residents. These are partisan fights.
Conclusion:
Genuine Residents Associations should avoid partisan narratives when fighting against on behalf of Elected Councillors defying their own Political Parties. Residents should fight against the exclusion of residents in local authorities processes that are crucial for the provision of social services.