Zimbabwe’s new power sharing deal between the seemingly indomitable forces of ZANU –PF led by the ruthless Robert Mugabe and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) led by Morgan Tsvangirai is certainly imbued with many flaws.
However, it is nothing short of seminal and historic in this turbulent and politically volatile region. The power- sharing deal, brokered by the efforts of South African president Thabo Mbeki saw an end to months of a bitter political feuding between the two forces. The power sharing deal may not result in a swift end to a seemingly never ending political and economic crisis but it does mean that even Mugabe can be subject to such scrutiny that he is willing to concede political power.
The new deal envisages Tsvangirai as the Prime Minister, in charge of the police force and the National Security Council. Mugabe is then, under his role as the President is in charge of the Army.
The new deal further creates the role of a Deputy Prime Minister and Arthur Mutambara, the leader of a splinter faction of the MDC, occupies that role in the new cabinet.
This arrangement has also been utilized in Kenya after the December 2007 elections that resulted in an intensified battle between Raila Odinga and incumbent president Mwai Kibaki. The aftermath of the violence also resulted in a power sharing deal between the two rivals. However, in as much as these power sharing deals may result in a formidable yet temporary peace settlement between rivals, the question on everyone’s mind is that is this really a feasible and tangible substitute for democracy and democratic governance. The overarching aim of the deal was to envisage a wielding of equal power based on co-leadership but some may question if this truly reflects the democratic will of the Zimbabwean people. Some dispute that this was a vigilant attempt by Mugabe to hang onto power, after having declared himself president in the June presidential run off, as a result of neither party acquiring the majority vote in the March presidential election this year.
That may be the case but one thing that we know for certain, Mugabe’s fondling with political power and destruction of democracy will no longer go unchecked.
Without vindicating South Africa’s president too much, I would like to believe that president Mbeki deserves the reverence and admiration for brokering such a painstaking agreement. When the rest of the international community stood in unanimous condemnation over another attempt at an undemocratic seize of power, South Africa’s president Mbeki who also received criticism for his soft stance on Zimbabwe, concluded that it was certainly in nobody’s interest to alienate Mugabe. Let’s think about this logically, if President Mbeki alienated Robert Mugabe, like many of his international and African counterparts, Mugabe would not listen to anyone. By using this brave form of soft power; Mbeki may have brought Mugabe to his senses.
It is even suggested that this deal is a significant shift in South African foreign policy which since the crisis erupted in 2000 resulted in a policy of quiet diplomacy. Now what makes this deal incredibly seminal and leaves the international community with some hope, is that for the first time in many years, Mugabe may have yielded to international pressure. With the country's inflation rate at 11 million percent and an unemployment rate of 80%, it is to no one surprise that for the first time Mugabe may have yielded to the concerns of the international community. Even the International Monetary Fund has expressed it’s willingness to negotiate for Zimbabwe’s re- entry into the institution, following Zimbabwe’s suspension in 2003. Perhaps this may be an attempt to appease the international community and even more so the African Union who described the deal as a turning point for Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe’s growing economic woes may not be solved immediately and only time will tell if Mugabe can co-operate with the MDC.
Many political commentators do not believe that the deal can be sustained simply because it’s impossible for Mugabe to share power with the leader of the opposition when many of Tsvangirai's supporters still perish in prisons. Zimbabwe may be ridden with political volatility but the new deal is certainly a step in the right direction and who knows, maybe Mugabe will ultimately yield to a new democratic dispensation and realize that it is high tide for a new leadership committed to democracy, good governance and accountability, something that the Mugabe regime has dismally failed at, whenever that may be.
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