Chaos stops Zimbabwe constitution conference

HARARE, Monday

A Zimbabwean conference to draw up a new constitution descended into chaos today as riot police broke up clashes between rival delegates, underscoring the tensions within a unity government formed this year

But authorities vowed to press ahead with the meeting, which is part of a process which should lead to the adoption of a new national constitution and fresh elections in about two years.

However, six months after Zimbabwe’s biggest opposition party to emerge since independence from Britain agreed to join President Robert Mugabe signs that Zimbabwe is changing have become unmistakable.

Economic Planning and Investment Promotion Minister, Mr Elton Mangoma told a weekend Intenational Investment Conference that Zimbabwe’s economy that had been in decline for the past decade was responding well to the new policies.

“The economy will enjoy double digit growth from next year onwards and I project that this will continue for the next 10 years,” Mr Mangoma said.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) projects that the economy will grow by 2.8 per cent in 2009 after contracting by 14 percent last year due to the political infighting and Zimbabwe’s isolation from the international community.

Meanwhile, the chaos at the conference reflected the divisions within the coalition government set up between President Mugabe and old rival Morgan Tsvangirai in February to try to end political paralysis and reverse a decade of economic decline.

Zimbabweans hope a new charter, replacing one inked in 1979 before independence from Britain, will strengthen the role of parliament and curtail the president’s powers, as well as guaranteeing civil liberties and political and media freedom.

Trouble broke out between delegates from Mr Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and Mr Mugabe’s ZANU-PF during an opening statement by the speaker of parliament.

Riot police drove them out of the conference venue. MDC lawmaker and co-chairperson on the parliamentary committee driving the constitutional reforms, Douglas Mwonzora, told Reuters the conference would resume following an agreement by political leaders.

“We cannot give in to hooliganism. We have agreed as political leaders that the conference will reconvene at 3 pm (1300 GMT),” Mwonzora said. “The principals of the three main political parties will address the conference today.”

The conference was mired in controversy and administrative glitches from the start. Some delegates could not be accredited on Sunday night and slept outside.

The conference, which was initially scheduled to be opened by Mr Mugabe, with Mr Tsvangirai also expected to speak, was running late even before the scuffles broke out.

When Zimbabwe speaker of the lower House of Assembly, Lovemore Moyo, from Tsvangirai’s MDC, got up to deliver his opening speech, he was drowned out by youths singing revolutionary songs and delegates heckling each other.

The youths were waving fists, a traditional symbol of Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party and singing the veteran leader’s praises.

MDC secretary general and Finance Minister Tendai Biti told reporters that his party would press on with the drive to write a new charter.

“Quite clearly, there are some people who don’t want a new constitution ... who view a constitution as an enemy to this country,” Biti said.
“Those of us who believe in the need for a new constitution will write this constitution, with or without them.”