MDC-T plus 6 other parties demand action from Cihuri to end political violence as if he can! by Patrick Guramatunhu.

“Opposition political parties yesterday demanded to meet Commissioner General of Police Augustine Chihuri following last weekend’s politically-motivated violence that rocked the city,” reported Newsday.

“The parties said they feared if the incident was not dealt with promptly, the country could slide back to the 2008 chaos.”

The fear of the country sliding back into the wanton political violence and chaos of 2008 is a distinct possibility; even if one person should be beaten let alone killed, it will be one person too many. The very fact we are fearful of this happening again is intolerable. I commend the seven opposition parties MDC-T, People First, National Constitutional Assembly, Transform Zimbabwe, People's Democratic Party, Zanu Ndonga, FreeZim Congress and African Democratic Party for demanding a meeting with Commissioner General to discuss this matter. However I doubt if the said meeting will accomplish anything even if it was to take place.

 

Commissioner Chihuri takes his instructions from President Mugabe and the Joint Operation Command and he himself is of the opinion that the ZRP duties are to “stop regime change” as he has stated in his recent doctorate thesis on policing in Zimbabwe. Call me a pessimist but I really do not see Commissioner Chihuri instructing his Police Officers to start carrying out their duties of maintain law and order without fear or favour as a result of the meeting with the opposition parties!

 

If the opposition party leaders and members and the public at large are serious about stopping the wanton violence and lawlessness that swept the nation in 2008, then they must demand the full implementation of the democratic reforms agreed in the 2008 GPA. One of the reforms is Police reform designed to end the undemocratic control and swear the State President has over the Police. 

 

The democratic reform of the Police would also give parliament to power and authority to demand detailed explanation on last weekend’s violence, for example, and to demand the sacking of Police Officers including the Commissioner if necessary. No one at the proposed meeting with Commissioner Chihuri will have any power or authority to force him to answer any questions or do anything; not even this parliament has any such power.

 

The GPA reforms should have been implemented during the GNU; sadly not even one reform was implemented. We are where we are what we have to realize is that if we want to stop the repetition of the wanton violence and mayhem of 2008, we must go back to the 2008 GPA reforms and implement them. There is no other way out!

 

Yes, “Zimbabwe Opposition leaders demand ZRP action to end political violence!” will make great newspaper headlines but that will not stop the repeat of 2008. If we want free and fair elections without the wanton violence, blatant vote rigging, etc. then we must implement all the 2008 GPA reforms. There is no other way out!