Motor mouth Professor Jonathan Moyo (Zanu PF Tsholotsho North MP) may just have provided the MDC-T the ammunition it lacked in fighting the Roy Bennett persecution
Professor Jonathan Moyo the Zanu PF MP for Tsholotsho North has confirmed national sentiment about the ongoing persecution of MDC-T Treasurer General Roy Bennett in unambiguous terms that leave no room for error in interpretation.
Tsholotsho North MP Jonathan Moyo said delays in swearing in Bennett had nothing to do with his trial but “his abominable Rhodesian past”.
“The quandary has never been a legal one but rather a political one. For the record, Roy Bennett must not be part of any government in free Zimbabwe because he represents the unacceptable face of the murderous Rhodesian infantry whose bloodletting during the liberation struggle knew no bounds.
As such, the question whether Bennett should be sworn in as deputy minister of agriculture has absolutely nothing to do with his acquittal but his abominable Rhodesian past.
The MDC-T can have Bennett as their treasurer, agriculture secretary or even their president, but the majority of Zimbabweans simply can’t stomach him as a member of their government in any capacity whatsoever,” disclosed Professor Moyo in an interview with the Herald on 14 May 2010.
The MDC –T has never believed otherwise and now has the confirmation from the persecutor –Zanu PF that has been missing and thus reducing the fears in MDC-T to mere speculation and must act on it.
The swearing in of Roy Bennett as Deputy Minister of Agriculture following his nomination to the post in terms of Constitutional Amendment No 19 has been unilaterally set aside by President Mugabe who is also the First Secretary and President of Zanu PF.
President Mugabe has always highlighted that he would be in dereliction of is constitutional responsibility if he was to appoint Roy Bennett into the government before he was exonerated of serious charges of conspiring to commit acts of banditry, terrorism and insurgency against an elected government that had been preferred against the MDC-T nominee .
Not that there was anything in the constitution allowing him to do so, the nation has grudgingly given the President the benefit of doubt and allowed the president to get away with an obvious breach of the Constitution afraid to be accused of agitating for going against the rule of law that the nation and international community had always vilified Zanu PF of.
That fear no longer has any basis following the acquittal of Roy Bennett by the High Court on Monday 10 May 2010.
Not even in the face of a frivolous and vexatious appeal by the State against the acquittal that has been exposed as a Zanu PF inspired appeal to buttress the real motive of the appeal as disclosed by professor Moyo.
There will be objections that when he disclosed the reason behind the prosecution of Roy Bennett, Professor Moyo was airing his personal views as he holds no position in Zanu PF entitling him to speak for and on behalf of the party and or government.
That would be acceptable if Zanu PF had always distanced itself from the vociferous Professor.
Zanu PF has always identified and supported the vociferous rants of Professor Moyo as a former Minister and Party deputy spokesman and lately as MP for Tsholotsho.
It was the same Professor who as Information and Publicity Minister in the Zanu PF government crafted the draconian legislation like AIPPA and POSA that have caused so much pain and suffering to the nation.
It is the same Professor who is in Court with Zanu PF approval and backing to try and reverse the election of current Parliament Speaker Lovemore Moyo from MDC-T.
As an MP and Member of the Zanu PF Central Committee professor Moyo is no lightweight member of the party and given the history of success his initiatives through Zanu PF have been implemented and the fact that Zanu PF has not officially distanced itself from his disclosures about the reasons behind Bennett’s prosecution, the MDC-T will be within reasonable grounds to consider political initiatives to counter Zanu PF initiatives through abuse of judiciary systems to achieve political ends.
Obviously the MDC-T leader will be meeting the other Principals and taking up the Bennett persecution case to try and get it resolved without the need to wait for the outcome of a dubious and politically motivated appeal whose only chance of success is in delaying the swearing in of Mr. Bennett as Deputy Minister rather than a conviction of Mr. Bennett over the allegations he is accused of.
But that alone is not enough to show the president how a self confessed politically compromised Attorney General is a liability in the Judiciary system of the nation and a source of unhealthy conflict in government.
What is needed is for the MDC-T to roll out a well coordinated political program that will target those that rely on political patronage for jobs to pay the political practice that politicians pay when they fail to serve their constituencies.
A starting point would be a massive protest against the AG at the courts whenever the appeal is set down for hearing.
In tandem with that there must be a parliamentary initiative by the MDC-T that sends an unambiguous message that the party does not condone any breaches of the Constitution from anyone starting with a motion to impeach president Mugabe if he refuses to swear in Roy Bennett on the grounds of an appeal that his party has already said has nothing to do with seeing justice in action but rather a political initiative to stop Bennett access to a seat in government because of his past.
The likelihood that such a motion will not succeed is very high as the MDC-T alone does not command sufficient numbers in parliament to push through the motion on its own.
However there are immense political benefits that will accrue to the party if it risks losing the motion than if it continues to use methods that President Mugabe has scoffed at in the past like discussions with coalition government Principals.
First a motion to impeach President Mugabe for failing to uphold the Constitution will send him the message that he does not enjoy popular support in Parliament in that regard.
Secondly the MDC-T will send a message that the electorate has been waiting for that nobody is above the Constitution and the Party will not stand by and be counted among those that willfully disregard the Constitution.
Finally President Mugabe is not guaranteed success against such a motion given his unpopularity within Zanu PF.
There are several among his lieutenants who would want to see his back out of the party and government but would never publicly voice their intentions for fear of reprisals but would in their secretive factions within the party caucus to support the motion if they believe voting will be in secret and the MDC formations will support it.
It happened when Lovemore Moyo was elected Speaker and it can be repeated against President Mugabe but only if the MDC-T takes the risk.
The risk will not be as politically damaging for the party as would otherwise be the case if the impeachment motion was premised on fabricated political malice against the President at the same time its benefits far outweigh disadvantages be it won or lost.
Professor Jonathan Moyo, Emmerson Mnangagwa, Patrick Chinamasa, Johannes Tomana, Michael Mugabe and Christopher Mutangadura will be in real trouble with Zanu PF over such a motion and the MDC-T will relieve itself of pressures exerted by the Bennett dispute.
Are there any takers in the Party though or are they now risk averse given the personal benefits that are flowing their way from their seats in government.
Whatever the MDC-T party will settle on in respect of the persecution of its Treasurer General it must never forget that political battles are never fought and won in courts but in political institutions like Parliament, through demonstrations and or crisis negotiations.
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