formations disagreed with their Zanu-PF counterparts over the methodology to use to capture views gathered during the constitutional outreach programme.
The meetings that began last week are supposed to produce reports that would be used as a basis for writing the draft constitution.
However, members of the two formations disrupted the meetings in the morning and maintained their presence, arguing that the proposed quantitative methodology would culminate in the dominance of Zanu-PF views.
Copac co-chairperson Cde Paul Mangwana (Zanu-PF) yesterday confirmed that the thematic meetings had been disrupted because of the MDC formations’ demands.
“We insisted that we use quantitative methods to collate the views because that is how you can determine the support of a view. It measures the frequency that a view was raised. This is what we have been doing since the thematic meetings started and we had done Mashonaland West and Matabeleland North provinces using that method. We are surprised why they are raising that concern now,” he said.
Cde Mangwana said the MDC formations were reneging on the agreement yet they were the ones who demanded that the views of the people be solicited.
“We were initially of the view that we use the Kariba Draft but they opposed that and said we should consult the generality of the population. Now that the people have spoken they are shifting goal posts,” he said.
However, his MDC-T counterpart, Mr Douglas Mwonzora disagreed saying the Copac management committee had recommended the use of qualitative methods.
“The Copac management committee recommended that we use the qualitative method because it was noticed that the quantitative approach had some shortcomings. Firstly, because of logistical issues, we agreed to hold three meetings in a ward in rural areas and one in urban areas. If we are to go by the frequency route as demanded by our counterparts, then it would exaggerate the rural voice and emasculate the urban voice,” he charged.
Mr Mwonzora concurred that quantitative methods had been used in the initial meetings because the members of the management committee, who are the negotiators in the inter-party talks, had been away in South Africa.
He said only the management committee was in a position to change the methodology.

During the official opening of the thematic committee meetings last week, Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Eric Matinenga, said both quantitative and qualitative methods would be used during the process.
The management committee was deliberating on the issue yesterday evening.
The constitution-making process has been intermittently stopped over the past two years over issues related to funding and differences between the parties.
The proposed new constitution is supposed to be completed before new elections are held.

 

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