President Robert Mugabe ceded some power in Zimbabwe for the first time in 28 years, signing a power-sharing deal Monday with opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai amid questions on how the fierce enemies will work together to fix the collapsing economy. Thousands of supporters of the rival parties threw stones at each other as the ceremony got under way and several hundred broke through the gates of the convention center where it took place. Police fired warning shots and set dogs on the crowd, which calmed and cheered as their leaders left after the signing.
Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara, leader of a faction that broke away from Tsvangirai's party, all pledged to make the deal work. But long-simmering and bitter differences as well as the nation's economic collapse — inflation is officially running at 11 million percent — have put the deal under intense pressure. It has already been criticized privately by some opposition leaders, who are unhappy that it leaves Mugabe as president and head of the government. They fear Mugabe will exploit that, especially by playing on tensions between the two opposition groups. Nine African leaders including mediator President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa witnessed the signing in a show of commitment to the deal, which the African Union is underwriting. Aid agencies welcomed the deal as a hopeful sign they will be able to step up food deliveries to millions of people facing hunger. Mugabe's government restricted the work of aid agencies in June, accusing them of siding with the opposition before a presidential runoff. The ban was lifted last month, but aid agencies say it takes time to gear up.
Mugabe, 84, has been in power since independence in 1980 and went from being praised as a liberator who freed the former British colony from minority white rule to being vilified as an autocrat. He and Tsvangirai, 56, have been enemies for a decade, and Tsvangirai has been jailed, beaten, tortured and tried for treason — charges that were dismissed in court. Under a complicated arrangement, Tsvangirai is the prime minister with executive powers to chair a new council of ministers responsible for forming government policies. He is deputy chairman of a Cabinet of ministers that Mugabe will head. The agreement provides for 31 ministers — down from 50 — 15 nominated by Mugabe's party, 13 by Tsvangirai and three by Mutambara. The parties began negotiating Monday which ministries they would hold and an announcement was expected later this week. Opposition leaders want the Home Affairs Ministry that would give them charge of the police who have terrorized them and their supporters this year, and Mugabe would retain the Defense Ministry. Tsvangirai saluted members of parliament for their willingness to work across party lines.
Tsvangirai said his first priority would be getting food to hungry Zimbabweans. Mugabe, in a speech that was often combative, again accused Britain and the United States of wanting regime change in Zimbabwe and sneered at the democratic process. Western countries say they will withhold the aid vital to help the country rebuild until it is clear Mugabe is committed. European Union foreign ministers meanwhile welcomed the deal but said Mugabe must prove he is willing to restore democratic rule before EU sanctions can be lifted. [End of report]
Well, it has been a long time coming but who would expect both Mugabe and Tsvangirai, a long time rival, sharing the same stage and looking as if there had been no problem between them in the past. However, behind all the smiles and the handshakes, I think there is still some elements of mistrust and hatred between the both of them. If given a choice, Im sure Mugabe will want to control everything for himself while Tsvangirai would want to see Mugabe disposed as the president of the country. The one thing that they would agree on is that they want to make the country better and they want to do it as soon as possible. I mean Zimbabwe has not had the best of time over the past few years or so, majority of its people are living in poverty, not having enough food to eat, and their economy is at all time low. So its easy to see where the anger towards Mugabe are coming from, which explains why the opposition party of Tsvangirai did fairly well in the recent elections. Considering everything that has happened in the country, I think Mugabe will feel much more happier about the deal. Although some of his power has been restricted, he is still the president of the country and he is still able to make some of the major calls in the government.
The deal hasn't been easy to come by though. Neither Mugabe nor Tsvangirai made any secret of their difficulties in accepting the accord. Tsvangirai has said that he signed the deal because he thinks that it was the only way to move the country forward but Mugabe was much more reluctant to sign it as demonstrated by the speech he gave after the conclusion of the deal. His speech managed to draw jeers from the crowd as he took swipes at Tsvangirai and lashed out at the United States and Britain, which Mugabe has blamed for undermining his regime and sowing the seeds of the country's crisis. It is not that difficult to see why he was reluctant to share some of his power, I mean he has been the president for almost 28 years. I think the reason why he finally decided to go through with the deal was because he knew he couldnt do it all alone if he wish to see the country getting better. It needs help from the U.S. and other western countries too to get Zimbabwe back on track and the only way it can happen would be if Tsvangirai is allowed to run the country in some way or another. The question now is, whether the deal will actually work. Many analysts have note that the deal is fragile, and fraught with uncertainty over the practicalities of sharing power between such bitter enemies and I have to agree with them.
You just have a feeling that with Mugabe still in power, anything can still happen. Many expect that Mugabe will continue to do his utmost to undermine the deal and sideline his opponents, while the military, which supports Mugabe, strongly opposes MDC rule. I just find it really difficult that Mugabe, who has been in power for such a long time, would suddenly have a change of mind but then again I might be wrong. At least now, there is some kind of official agreement between the both sides, something that can be use as a starting point to get the country back on track. It is just the beginning though, there are a lot of challenges that they will have to overcome in the future Im sure, one which would test how strong the deal actually is and how committed the two sides are in working together.
*The report was taken from Associated Press.
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