BY PRAISEMORE SITHOLE
The MDC has said it will use all the available platforms to halt the random constitutional amendments proposed by Zanu PF, which the opposition party says are moves by the ruling party to consolidate its stranglehold on power.
The Nelson Chamisa-led opposition party on Friday called on citizens including civil society, the clergy and labour movements, to defend the Constitution. The party said what was required were reforms that enabled the country to move forward.
Cabinet last week approved Constitutional Amendment Bill 2019 which repeals section 92 of the Constitution dealing with presidential running mates, giving the President power to hire and fire his deputies as well as appoint and promote judges.
Chamisa last week led a delegation of top party leadership to Bulawayo for National Standing Committee, National Executive and Structures meetings.
Addressing journalists in Bulawayo, MDC spokesperson, Daniel Molekele said as a party they were opposed to systematic constitutional amendments being carried out by Zanu PF and called on all Zimbabweans to defend the Constitution.
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“We are strongly against the constitutional amendments because it negates the gains of the 2013 Constitution. As the MDC we will use all platforms that are available for us to contest against any changes of the Constitution,” Molokele said.
“We will make sure that we contest in Parliament and all public spheres, we will even engage on a diplomatic initiative. We will go international and bring attention to this attempt to negate the democratic gains as gained in the 2013 Constitution.”
“We will come up with an advocacy campaign, we are calling civil society, faith-based leaders, labour movements, students, youth, women and every interested stakeholder to defend the Constitution of the country,” Molokele said.
He said their actions will not be a political process, but a national process.
“This Constitution was enacted after a referendum in 2013 and we are saying people of Zimbabwe if we allow Zanu PF to change the Constitution like any other act of Parliament we will have a big problem,” he said.
Molokele said the party condemns the actions of Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda who has succumbed to pressure and reduced Parliament to a captured entity.
“The party will escalate its quest to safeguard the independence of Parliament to appropriate international bodies,” Molokele said.
Last week opposition MPs confronted Mudenda over the alleged bias over Zanu PF.