Full statement
Monday, 18 December 2017
MDC welcomes decision by soldiers to return to the barracks
For a very long time now, the MDC has been calling for the return to their barracks of members of the military who had been deployed on the streets of various cities, towns and growth points. The MDC believes in the institution of a civilian as opposed to a military government to run all the operations of the State. Indeed, Section 212 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe states that the function of the Defence Forces is to protect Zimbabwe, its people, its national security and interests and its territorial integrity and to uphold the Constitution.
We appreciate the fact that our Defence Forces are disciplined and we trust that the other law enforcement agencies such as the Zimbabwe Republic Police will continue to effectively and competently discharge their constitutional mandate of maintaining law and order in our beloved motherland. More particularly, we call upon the Police force to be professional at all times and not to resort to intimidation, bribe – taking and all other forms of malfeasance.
Zimbabweans are a peace–loving people who shouldn’t be unnecessarily subjected to unjustified harassment by members of the law enforcement agencies. In similar measure, the MDC is convinced that the Defence Forces shall continue to defend Zimbabwe’s national security and national interests.
The perception that Zimbabwe is now being run by the military doesn’t augur well for our country’s political stability and socio – economic development. As such, recent utterances by Chris Mutsvangwa to the effect that the Defence Forces and traditional leaders will assist Zanu PF to campaign in the forth–coming elections are most unfortunate and thoroughly misplaced. Members of the security services are bound by the Constitution not to operate as political activists of any political party, including the ruling party. The MDC would be very pleased if the responsible authorities within our Defence Forces can categorically dissociate the security services from Mutsvangwa’s rather reckless and ill–thought out remarks.
In similar measure, the MDC reiterates our support and recognition of the institution of traditional leadership and we trust that all out traditional leaders shall maintain their constitutional mandate of being custodians of our cultural values and ethos without reducing themselves to becoming political activists. Put differently, our traditional leaders should be apolitical; as is provided for by the supreme law of the land.
The MDC would like to remind all eligible citizens of Zimbabwe to ensure that they register to vote under the on–going biometric voter registration exercise. It is indeed the patriotic duty of every eligible Zimbabweans to register to vote and also to cast their vote on polling day. The destiny of our beloved country is in our own hands and it is our sacrosanct patriotic obligation to establish a peaceful, stable and progressive nation state in Zimbabwe.
MDC: Equal Opportunities for All
Obert Chaurura Gutu
MDC National Spokesperson
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