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The three parties committed themselves to solving “. . . once and for all the current political and economic situations and chart a new political direction for the country”.

The GPA was created among other things, to restore economic stability and growth, remove all forms of measures and sanctions against Zimbabwe, accept the irreversibility of land acquisition, write a new constitution for Zimbabwe, promote national healing and unity, respect for national institutions and events, stop external interference, recognise free political activity, rule of law, respect for the constitution and recognise the freedoms of assembly, association, expression and communication.

The lifespan of the GPA ends next month necessitating the need to hold elections soon after. There are so many signs that show that the coalition government ought to be immediately dissolved at its expiry date and not to moot any idea of extending its lifespan.

It is indeed regrettable that the objectives of the GPA have been far from being fulfilled. While we have experienced some degree of socio-political stability, the nation by and large has continued to bear the brunt of incessant bickering by signatories to the GPA much to the detriment of national progress.

The GPA which created this Government of National Unity (GNU) has caused a lot of instability in the country’s socio-economic and political spheres.
The people are definitely exasperated by the continued bickering in the power sharing government. The GNU is not inclusive in both character and practice but instead it is a fragile alliance of antagonistic parties and this explains why such a political scenario should not be allowed to continue at the expense of national development.

This arrangement of a coalition government has provided a fertile ground for the breeding of sectarianism within the nation’s social fabric. Taking positions along party inclinations has tended to influence people’s behaviour as judgments on our daily lives now seem not to be based on bare facts but on the thinking of the party one belongs. Innocent facts are denied in favour of biased political persuasions. Any changes, confusions and infighting that might occur in one political party have proved to have a contagion effect to upset the smooth operations of the GNU.

For example, if one party either demotes or promotes any individuals in government structures, the composition and focus in the GNU is impinged upon, thereby disturbing the continuity in the implementation of government decisions and programmes.
This is exemplified by what happened when the MDC-T party demoted certain of its ministers and promoted others from outside government structures.

This had the consequence of causing abrupt modifications that had a bearing on the efficient running of the GNU. Such changes caused by independent and exclusive events in one party alter not only the composition of the GNU but also affect its rhythm. So the management of the GNU is being affected by events taking place in one of the parties. It is also most likely that the ascendancy of Professor Ncube to the presidency of MDC party will affect the composition of the GNU as he brings new ideas.

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Also, appointees to the GNU, report to their respective principals. That means ministers from different parties invariably implement decisions as directed by their respective parties and not consensual agreements by the GNU in implementing decisions. Such a scenario has compromised the cohesion in the GNU which operates as three distinct and separate centres of power without the necessary compulsion to report to the President. This has also caused anarchy as parties continue to pull in different directions hence militating against the promotion of unity which is one of objectives spelt out in the GPA. Quite to the contrary of the intended objectives, the principals to the GNU seem to be working towards its disintegration.

We need to remind ourselves that the GNU itself is a temporary arrangement that was intended to stabilise the socio- economic and political environment in Zimbabwe following the elections in 2008. Since it is a temporary administrative set up designed to put the warring parties together, no one either within or outside it is really committed to it. No one is prepared to obligate themselves to any binding arrangements with a temporary government set up.

It is an open secret that the principals to the GPA together with their respective followers are ever endeavouring to outwit and score goals against each other in a bid to strategically and ultimately position their parties to take over power.

It is apparent that each party is using this coalition arrangement to strategise for possible eventual takeover of the reins of power. This stems from the realisation that the GNU is a coalition of people of diverse political and ideological persuasions who obviously do not trust each other as political rivalries. It is evident that the GNU is an establishment which is neither good for the protagonists nor right for the generality of the Zimbabwean people.

It is also a truism that the GNU itself is a creation that came about as a result of the polarisation of our society as depicted by the 2008 election results.
The GNU exists to remind us of how divided the nation is. It is a creation that epitomises a divided society. The polarisation of our society on political grounds has been entrenched with the creation of this temporary government.

The people are being constantly reminded to continue to align themselves to their respective parties and principals in the GNU thereby fermenting conditions for further polarisation and civil strife.  Zimbabweans are a people known for their unhu/ ubuntu and are naturally a peace loving people.

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It is easy to decipher correctly that the polarisation in Zimbabwe is a Western sponsored project. A divided society is susceptible to attack from any direction and form possible and we stand as witnesses to a society that has been rendered vulnerable and weak by this polarisation. We can only regain our strength if we do not postpone holding elections when they fall due.

It is imperative to mention at the onset, that the results of the 2008 elections did not in any way suggest that the people no longer supported and trusted the revolutionary party. It was just a protest vote, perhaps and more correctly a misguided protest vote.

People were confused, disgruntled and terribly scared by the economic quagmire that prevailed then which was evidently caused by the illegal sanctions that were imposed by the US, Britain and the EU. The social and economic milieu at that time was so vexing and terrifying and indeed lives were lost due to hunger and disease. Given such horrendous circumstances, the politics of the stomach outweighed the intuition of rationality given that people had never witnessed such a horrific situation in living memory.

The regime change agenda sought to tear our society. Incessant bombardment of our people with Western propaganda saw some of our people accept the mistaken belief that a change of leadership was the only panacea to the biting economic situation. While the Western-induced economic malaise did manage to wreak havoc in our society at that time, the people are now fully aware of the trickery of Westerners to weaken their resolve at charting their own destiny and to indigenise and economically empower themselves. It is correct that some of our people inadvertently supported the Western project of regime change by not voting for the revolutionary party.

In that regard, it should be borne in mind that the thinking by some of our people in the period leading to the 2008 elections has noticeably changed. People are now wiser than before and are cognisant of what is right or wrong for them. The formation of the GNU was not what the people wanted or expected in the first place. It was a creation foisted upon the people and not necessarily what the people clamoured for. That is why a recent survey by the Mass Public Institute (MPI) indicated that 70 percent of our people wanted elections this year.

The argument that holding harmonised elections soon after the expiry of the GPA next month would destroy the economic recovery path is a naked lie. Our people are aware that economic recovery efforts are being hampered by the Westerners who imposed sanctions on us and own and control key economic enterprises in the country. Westerners are obviously not committed to improving the economy and are accordingly influencing some of the partners in the GNU to implement their destructive policies. These imperialists believe that if Zimbabweans continue to suffer, they would be forced to vote Zanu-PF out of power.

That is why they have continued to maintain sanctions on Zimbabwe.

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As a result of the foregoing, one wonders in whose interest it is not to hold elections after the expiry of the GNU, which is due next month? Is it business, citizens or foreigners? We need to mention that our people have become more innovative, resourceful and entrepreneurial to survive even in the most debilitating situations like what we experienced in 2008.

Is it that those who imposed sanctions on us have realised that those they sponsor in the coalition government are not ready for elections hence the hullaballoo being made as they try to find scapegoats for postponing elections against the legal requirement of dissolving the GNU in February 2011?

Is it that the enemies of Zimbabwe have realised that the revolutionary party has awoken from its slumber and have already seen the signs on the wall that holding elections this year after the expiry of the coalition government would give Zanu-PF an outright victory? If it is not in the interest of foreigners and imperialists not to hold elections this year, then for whose benefit is it not to have elections this year? If it is for business, how can the holding of peaceful elections endanger business? A lot of privately owned newspapers pander to the whims of Westerners who happen also to be the paymasters are against the holding of elections at the expiry of the GNU arguing that it is too early. But the big question that continues to linger in our minds is early to whom? The publicly owned newspapers appear to be in favour of elections at the expiry of the GNU. Who therefore is correct here?

It is my strong proposition that the holding of elections this year will indeed strengthen Zimbabweans as a people because the elections will result in one party winning leading to the formation of a single government that will be accountable to the people.

A single government is committed to improving conditions in our society and economy and will be respected by the outside world. A one party government is trusted with binding agreements with those who intent to do business with us as a country. One of the contributors to the READER’S FEED BACK column in The Sunday Mail issue of 9-15 January 2011 correctly summarised what would happen if elections were postponed by remarking that “carrying an albatross for three more years is tantamount to allowing a coup in Zimbabwe. We need to have elections now please”.

The suggestion that elections should be postponed because the people do not want elections this year because no one is prepared for them is a fallacy. The argument postulates that elections should be held at a time when the electorate is ready for them to be acceptable. What measure is being used to gauge the readiness or even lack of it by the people in this country? Who is calling the shots?

It is also a misleading notion that any election outcome would be acceptable to all. History has shown that elections are rarely acceptable by all in Africa where the visible long destructive hand of imperialists fiddles with internal governance  causing turbulence much to the advantage of these foreign powers who then create conducive conditions for the looting of our resources. The nation needs to forge ahead and develop our own democracy independent of foreign manipulation. Westerners have been the major spoil-spots in our developmental efforts.

There is also evident lack of common purpose in this three-party government arrangement. Examples  abound to support this assertion.  Elections at the expiry of the GPA will bring a government from a winning party and lead to nation building. This also justifies the need for early elections. One other pertinent illustration is the alleged treasonous behaviour of certain parties in the GNU as disclosed by the WikiLeaks who insisted sanctions must be kept in place despite the principals’ agreement to have them removed in their totality, upon inscribing their signatures to the GPA. This again shows how the temporary government is a major source of the furtherance of polarisation, divisionism and retrogressivism in Zimbabwe.

Extension of the temporary government might insinuate the continuation of sanctions with the attendant problems given that the people calling for their maintenance make up this coalition government.

Again the parties to the GNU are ideologically different and have shown that they are incapable of finding common ground to the detriment of national building. For instance, ministries controlled by the various parties are implementing different party policies and programmes as dictated by their respective principals and are not operating as a unified force with a common vision and destiny. Ministries controlled by one political party follow different goals to those of other ministries controlled by the other two parties. For example, while some support indigenous economic empowerment policies, others are opposed to it. Such a scenario does not promote social cohesion and is contributing immensely to the polarisation of society.

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Members of one political party in the GNU have been calling for the scrapping of the Unity Day on 22 December despite the fact that it is an important event on our calendar where we celebrate the signing of the Unity Accord between the country’s liberation movements. This also shows how the coalition government has become a source of dissenting views which party followers may take hook, line and sinker thereby widening rifts in our society. What we in fact need is to promote unity not disunity in Zimbabwe. The principals in the coalition government are not pulling in one direction. They are in fact engaged in vicious campaigns in readiness for the impending elections at the cost of nation building.

The results of the 2008 elections have also been erroneously interpreted on numerous occasions to mean that the people wanted the three parties which won seats in the national assembly to form a coalition government. Who said this is what the people wanted? Was this arrangement a reflection of the outcome of the elections? How can three parties with fundamentally different economic, social and political persuasions and more so competing for power harmoniously come together to share power and form a coalition government that fosters growth and development?

That is why soon after the creation of the GPA, we found ourselves in a situation where each party was vigorously striving to position itself for victory in the event of the country holding any future elections and the parties have not necessarily been committed to the development of the country.
In a coalition arrangement like ours, whom do we blame for any bungling and whom do we praise for any progress? Who gets the credit for any positive developments that may occur and who gets the blame for any wrong doing? We definitely cannot continue with such a scenario where people are not sure of who has caused what in government. This arrangement is not benefiting the nation at all.

To buttress the assertion that people want an election after the expiry of the coalition government, a survey conducted by the Mass Public Institute (MPOI) and commissioned by Afro-barometer showed that 70 percent of Zimbabweans want elections this year.

Certain quarters that do not want elections this year are hiding behind the proposition that elections should be held under a new constitution. We all want this to happen provided the elections take place this year. If in any way elections are to be held after the completion of electoral and constitutional reforms, then the processes should be speeded up to have elections this year.

The lifespan of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) ends next month and elections should be held soon after. The President as the custodian of the constitution cannot allow the GPA to cntinue against the laws of the land because that would be illegal. If it is agreed by all that it is prudent to have elections under a new constitution, we should not try to postpone the polls. We should speed up the crafting of the new constitution including the accompanying electoral reforms in order to hold elections this year without fail.
The GPA is not in agreement on an array of measures that include among others, issues on sanctions, appointments personnel to senior positions in government, interference by external forces on governance issues, ideological differences among others. The absence of an even political playing field caused by the illegal sanctions may be the only major threat towards the holding of free and fair elections.
Sunduza Tungamirai Maxwell is an educationist and social commentator.