Regime floats idea of government of national unity

By Tichaona Sibanda
23 April 2008

The Zanu-PF led regime on Wednesday floated an idea that it wanted to form a government of national unity led by Robert Mugabe. In an opinion piece published in the Herald, the official mouthpiece of the government, it was suggested that a unity government may be the only way out of the current political impasse.

The article called for the Southern African Development Community to help create ‘a new constitution for Zimbabwe, which would be adopted only after a national referendum. In collaboration with SADC and invited members of the international community, the unity government, should hold free and fair elections,’ the paper said.

The article claims that independent observers consider the recent elections ‘harmonised’ but laments they did not produce an outright winner, adding that it is unlikely that the ongoing recount will substantively alter that position.

‘Accordingly, it stands to reason that the transitional government of national unity, negotiated by the two leading contending parties, under the mediation of SADC, supported by the international community, should be led by the incumbent president,’

Jameson Timba, the newly elected MDC MP for Harare north said the whole idea does not make sense and defies logic. He is the author of an article that was widely carried by Zimbabwean newspapers and websites last week detailing how Robert Mugabe lost to Morgan Tsvangirai and he said it was too early to talk about a unity government.

‘It does not make sense unless it is a proposal taking into account the parliamentary results. As far as the presidential results are concerned people cannot talk of a government of national unity before they are released,’ he said.

Political commentator Bekithemba Mhlanga said people had to follow rules and procedures agreed to by all parties before ‘straying’ into unity talks.
‘As far as all Zimbabweans are concerned those rules have not been fulfilled to their logical conclusion. Presidential results have to be announced first before anything else,’ Mhlanga said.

Mhlanga believes the dilemma for Mugabe is that he is always saying that Morgan Tsvangirai will never rule Zimbabwe ‘not even over his dead body’.
The real election results would mean he would have to eat his words.