Prime Minister Tsvangirai, Why Did You Lie To Us?

Morgan Tsvangirai, who, it turns out has lied to Zimbabwe three times now in the last two months, is seen here leaving No 20 Downing Sreet after meeting Gordon Brown. It is now clear that the Prime Minister also wishes to be a dictator: "You'd better listen to me," as he said to Zimbabweans who booed him last weekend

On three seperate occasions this year, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai told the media, the nation (at the May Day Rally at Gwanzura stadium, in the presence of Dr Simba Makoni and thousands others) and in a meeting with the leadership of the National Constitutional Assembly, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai stated that the Kariba Draft Constitution would NOT be used as the basis for a new Constitution.

He lied.

Last week, his party, the MDC-T, as well as MDC and ZANU PF, published the Kariba Draft as an insert in the State media. The draft is now officially the basis for any new Constitution.

It may look like thePrime Minister and his party have capitulated to the fait accompli presented by ZANU PF, whose Supreme Body adopted the Draft as the basis of a new constitution only last week, despite the Prime Minister's assurances.

But he has not. He wanted the Kariba Draft all along. That is why he signed it in 2005.

Zimbabweans, I have always said, are not too fussed about the Constitution. Give them a strong economy and they will abandon that document. Which is a mistake, for the Kariba Draft, as a western diploamt said to us last week, is worse than the Constitution that was rejected by the people of Zimbabwe in 2000.

The most disturbing thing about the Kariba Draft, according to the western diplomat, is that it provides for an executive presidency that is much stronger than we have at the moment.

The strength of the current Executive Presidency makes it well-nigh impossible to get rid of an incumbent president.

It gives the president way too much power in the make-up of the Electoral Commission, the appointment of the judiciary and, in fact, all the most important aspects of governance in Zimbabwe.

A president under the draft constitution has more power of patronage thanMugabe has now.

"So, why did the MDC-T agree and to the Draft. Why did they sign it?" asked the Western diplomat.

He provided the answer.

It is because Tsvangirai and the MDC-T as well as the MDC-M, all want to have the power that the current regime enjoys, power to dictate to the people of Zimbabwe how exactly they should live and even die.

The people of Zimbabwe do not seem to understand this. Or to be bothered by it, if they do understand it.

They naively believe that whatever their party says is correct. Too trusting. Which is a mistake, because a politician should never be trusted to choose what is best for the man in the street.

MDC-T suporters have told me previously that Tsvangirai will not be a problem to them, that they can easily get rid of him, much more easily than is the case with Mugabe.

They are wrong.

Right now, Tsvangirai is telling them that Mugabe is here to stay, that he is not going nowhere until Zimbabwe "achieves positive results. In other words, until the economy improves. The UNDP and many other economists and agencies have said under the current conditions, it could take up to twelve (12) years for Zimbabwe to achieve this.

Which means, according to Tsvangirai, Mugabe can be with us until then.

They want Mugabe gone. Their leader disagrees. Yet they can do nothing to him. What more when he is president?

It now also emerges that Tsvangirai and his party have now resolved to push for the provision of the post of a Prime Minister in the new constituion, which post will go to the second largest party in parliament.

This will pass and Zimbabwe will be in a worse posiion than it is in now. We will bequeath to our children a regime and a state that is as bad or worse than the ZANU PF regime.