The Constitutional Parliamentary Committee (Copac) Second All Stakeholders’ Conference started in Harare today. Below we give you live updates of what happened and who said what.
Today the 2nd All Stakeholders Conference (ASC) is at the Rainbow Towers
The mood at the ASC is merry and the venue is filling up. We are waiting for the three Principals to address the stakeholders
The ASC is very exciting. It is a historic moment for Zimbabwe and an important step to complete the Constitution making process
Delegates at the opening ceremony welcoming the Principals at the ASC
We can see President Mugabe, PM Tsvangirai, both VCs and deputy PMs.
Oliver Mtukudzi is playing at the ASC’s opening ceremony
Pres Mugabe, PM Tsvangirai, both VPs and Deputy PMs are dancing to Tuku
Constitutional Affairs Minister Eric Matinenga is giving an intro about COPAC
Matinenga: the COPAC will come to an end, it required political consensus and says he sensing a sense of political tolerance
Matinenga: the COPAC draft is a product of a collect effort, it is not a document written by one party
Matinenga: quoting Justice Albie Sachs from SA where he emphasize the importance of a Constitution & says it says something about a nation
Matinenga: asking Zimbabweans, what country do we want to live in?
Zanu PF Paul Mangwana: COPAC sourced views from across Zimbabwe to make sure the process is inclusive. Says he is “very satisfied” with it.
Mangwana: joking that they had to get consensus on the draft by sometimes visiting different locations for inspiration.
Mangwana: today you should give your inputs, we know it is not perfect and we need to ensure it is people driven.
Paul Mangwana at the COPAC Conference reports that, ‘about 1 million Zimbabweans participated in the outreach meetings.’
MDC-T Douglas Mwonzora: COPAC a product of outreach and negotiation. Says he wants to reaffirm what Mangwana said.
Mwonzora: all good things take time to make.
Mwonzora: You may criticize the COPAC draft today, but tell us how to improve it.
Mwonzora: when contradictions between national outreach data we had to negotiate it. We also compared it with constitutions around the world.
Mwonzora: negotiation in constitution making process very important – we benchmark our country against the best.
Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara now on stage.
Mutambara: keep in mind posterity, do not to write a constitution for today only.
Mutambara: a fundamental assumption of writing a constitution is that the governed should be protected from the government.
Mutambara: says there is also a need to build constitutionalism not just a new constitution.
PM Tsvangirai now on stage
Tsvangirai: the importance if today should not be lost in party politics
Tsvangirai: finalization of COPAC is an important precondition for a free and fair election. Sadc also reaffirmed this
Tsvangirai: this constitution making process is much bigger than @mdczimbabwe and other parties
Tsvangirai: the COPAC process has been long and Zimbabwe invested a lot in it
Tsvangirai: people’s views are pivotal to the drafting of this supreme law of the land
Tsvangirai: We have no interest in tempering with the people’s views, besides people still reserve their final judgement at the referrandum
President Mugabe now on stage
Mugabe: thanking COPAC for being able to get to this stage
Mugabe: now COPAC draft should be taken to ASC as per agreement
Mugabe: this process has taken long
Mugabe: The 2nd stakeholders is to see whether the draft contains your views as stakeholders
Mugabe: reflecting on the land issue of “willing buyer, willing seller”
Mugabe: We have been called an unholy trinitybut at least we have done some holy things like this one
Pres Mugabe giving history of Lancaster House constitution. Says like pair of trousers now heavy w/patches (amendments).
Pres Mugabe emphasizes all here today as Zimbabweans – we are all one, all welcome
The principals caused this process and we hav an interest in it being done properly
Mugabe: – when a vote is cast let us take it in the way it is cast- if it’s a yes vote it’s a yes vote, if it’s a no vote is a no vote
Pres Mugabe: Please let’s be peaceful. Let us shame our detractors who say Zimbabweans cannot solve their problems without violence.
Pres Mugabe: There will certainly be elections in March next year, hatinyangire vanhu. Even wen we go for elections,our campaigns must be clean.
Pres Mugabe at Copac: “I’m speaking to Zanu PF now, Tsvangirai is your neighbour. And to MDC, I am your neighbour. Love your neighbour”
Opening ceremony now about to end, Matinenga giving a vote of thanks, still verifying action of MDC N Members
Matinenga- there is nothing as primitive as violence
Matinenga- let us make this point every time we meet. A new constitution will not prevent a violent election but constitutionalism will
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Deliberations will be captured in video, audio and in written form by 3 rappatours from the 3 political parties
COPAC now tabling the draft constitution formally. Mangwana dealing with chapters 1-4
………………………….Many thanks to the Crisis Coalition in Zimbabwe, the Dutch and US Embassies in Harare for their twitter feeds
