MDC to bring land issue to finality

A Movement for Democratic Change government will ensure that the land issue is brought to finality and will ensure that there is security of tenure, restoration of market for land and more importantly that every Zimbabwean despite race or political affiliation is entitled to own land.

This was one of the resolutions passed at the party’s third congress which ended at the weekend.

Here are the resolutions in full:

RESOLUTIONS OF THE MDC 3^RD NATIONAL CONGRESS OF HELD AT BARBOURFIELDS STADIUM, BULAWAYO BETWEEN THE 28^TH TO THE 30^TH OF APRIL 2011

CONGRESS met in Bulawayo and;

NOTES, acknowledges, celebrates and hails the Party for surviving 11 years of tyranny, violence and repression by an unloving criminal predatory State and political party.

EXPRESSES its indebtedness to the people of Zimbabwe for standing by it and its leadership and for remaining firm and resolute for fighting for democratic change in Zimbabwe.

FURTHER hails and acknowledges the importance of broad and strategic alliance it has with the working people of Zimbabwe through organisations such as the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, National Constitutional Assembly, Crisis Coalition, Zimbabwe National Students Union, Media Institute of Sothern Africa, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, the Church, progressive businesses and many other organisations.

RECOGNISING and acknowledging the roots of our Movement, our umbilical cord to the struggle for the national liberation in Zimbabwe and our mandate of fulfilling the ideals of the liberation struggle.

CELEBRATING the lives of the millions of Zimbabweans that have been butchered, tortured traumatised and victimised at the hands of the regime and remembering the lives of our own martyrs and heroes including Isaac Matongo, Gift Tandare, Gertrude Mthombeni, Tichaona Chiminya, Talent Mabika, Nomore Sibanda, Trymore Midzi, Joshua Bakacheza, Tonderai Ndira, Learnmore Jongwe, Machiridza, Remius Makuvaza, Susan Tsvangirai, Nicholas Mudzengerere, Shepherd Jani and many others whose blood and bravery continues to water the tree of our struggle.

COGNISANT of the strategic importance of entering into dialogue with the regime but fully aware of the limitations of the GPA and the Inclusive Government.

MINDFUL of the obligation to completing the struggle for democratic change in Zimbabwe and that of establishing a New Zimbabwe.

FULLY aware the obligation on an MDC government of constructing a New Zimbabwe based on a common vision founded on key foundational canons.

RECOGNISING the role of our African brothers and sisters and the rest of the international community in solidarity with our cause and for standing with us through all these years.

NOW we as Congress;

1. Recommit ourselves to the continued obligation and vision of completing the struggle for democratic change in Zimbabwe through peaceful, Constitutional and non-violent means.

2. Recommit ourselves to the key values of the Party which include democracy, transparency, equality, freedom, justice, humble and obedient leadership, nonviolence and love for our people.

3. Restate our commitment to the drafting by Zimbabweans and for Zimbabweans of a new people-driven Constitution and while supporting the constitution-making process envisaged in the GPA, recognise the right of Zimbabweans at any stage in the future of exercising the right to make a Constitution by themselves and for themselves.

4. Acknowledge the strategic importance of the GPA and the transitional government and calls for the holding of a credible, legitimate and free election only in terms of a Roadmap guaranteed by SADC and the African Union.

5. Abhor the use of violence, in particular Zanu PF and State sponsored violence in Zimbabwe and anywhere else as a means and tool of achieving political aims and restate the commitment that the MDC will never use violence as a means of political arbitration.

6. Aware of the trauma caused by violence and other illegal actions by the State, call for the completion of a restorative and rehabilitative programme of National Healing and more importantly the implementation of a matrix of transitional justice in Zimbabwe.

7. Acknowledge the critical role of State institutions and security organs in preserving the integrity of the national State but express deep disappointment with the partiality of some State institutions, in particular a minority section of the Securocrats, thus restate that State institutions do not belong to any political party, they must remain neutral and must serve the Constitution and the people of Zimbabwe.

8. Acknowledge the importance of united or popular alliances and recommit the unequivocal commitment of the Movement of working together with civic society in particular the Unions, the Constitutional organisations, the Church and all other democratic and like-minded organisations in the task of dislodging dictatorship in Zimbabwe.

9. Recommit ourselves to the struggles and suffering of the working people of Zimbabwe, in particular, the pursuit of pro-poor economic policies, a decent living wage and guarantee the rights of the worker including the right to strike.

10. Restate our commitment to gender equality and the upliftment of women and endeavouring to ensure that women hold 50 percent of all elected positions in within and outside the Party.

11. Equally, restate the unquestionable commitment and solidarity with regional and international organisations including other likeminded political parties.

12. Fully aware of our role in Government and the disruptive actions, omissions and commissions in Government and trusting that the Party will receive the full mandate of the people in the next election, we undertake as a Government, to pursue the implementation of a New Zimbabwe blueprint that will;

• 1. Establish a transparent Government based on the principle of equality, openness, accountability and consultation.
  2. Respect the Constitution and the rule of law.
  3. Respect the people and at all times consult the people on the basis of tripartite consultations between labour, business and Government.
  4. Embark on a transformative social development agenda to uplift the lives of our people.
  5. Execute a pro-poor, inclusive economic programme that will pursue growth with inclusivity and growth with jobs based on sound and pro-poor macroeconomic policies.
  6. Push the agenda of a knowledge driven society and champion the causes of information and communications technologies.
  7. Recognise and mainstream gender in all its policies and recognise the important role of women in the political, economic and social sectors.
  8. Recognise the danger of global warming and climate change and pursue policies that are environmentally conscious and preserve our land and environment for future generations.
  9. Pursue policies that eradicate poverty, underdevelopment and in particular polices that intend to liquidate Zimbabwe’s dual enclave economy.
  10. Ensure that every child goes to school and that the nation’s health is protected.
  11. Push for full regional integration of Zimbabwe into Africa and indeed full integration into the world economy through establishing a competitive economy.
  12. Ensure that there is meaningful broad-based empowerment of Zimbabwe through the creation of jobs and foreign direct investment as opposed to narrow and elitist indigenization policies that promote cronyism, self aggrandizement, clientelism and the destruction of the economy.
  13. Ensure that the administration of national resources particularly diamonds, gold, platinum and other resources benefit all the people of Zimbabwe.
  14. Ensure that finality is brought to the land question in Zimbabwe and that there should be security of tenure, the restoration of market for land and more importantly that every Zimbabwean despite race or political affiliation is entitled to own land.

Congress acknowledges the people of Zimbabwe and more importantly God the almighty for guiding and protecting us at all material times.

GOD BLESS OUR PARTY; GOD BLESS ZIMBABWE

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