Members of the Diplomatic Corps and the Press, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Fellow Zimbabweans;
Today, I want to take this opportunity to highlight developments
within the Transitional Government a mere two weeks after my
inauguration as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe.
Firstly, I would like to commend the Ministers for the work they have
been doing in the very short time that they have been in office.
They have managed to begin to address some of the many issues facing
the country and I am encouraged by the open and constructive debates
within Cabinet and the Council of Ministers.
In particular, I would like to recognise the efforts of the
Ministries of Health, Education and Finance. The latter has mobilised
funds that have enabled this government to pay the first round of
allowances to the civil service, particularly the army, police and
teachers.
Not only did this allow these valuable members of our community to put
food on their tables and travel to work, but has also served as a
vital stimulus to our ailing economy. Those who have not yet received
their allowance will do so in the near future.
In addition I have kept the SADC Chairman, President Motlanthe,
appraised of developments and today our ministers are meeting with
SADC ministers concerning the Zimbabwe recovery programme.
However, it is also my responsibility to bring to your attention a
number of outstanding issues that continue to act as an impediment to
our progress as a Government and our ability to truly resolve the
issues facing our country.
These are:
• The Appointment of Senior Government Officials, such as Permanent
Secretaries and Ambassadors
• The Appointment of the Governor of the Reserve Bank and the Attorney General
• The Appointment of Provincial Governors
Yesterday’s announcement of the appointment of Permanent Secretaries
is in contravention of both the Global Political Agreement and the
Constitution of Zimbabwe which is very clear with regard to Senior
Government Appointments.
It states in article 20.1.7 of the Eighth Schedule that:
“The Parties agree that with respect to occupants of senior Government
Positions, such as Permanent Secretaries and Ambassadors, the
leadership in Government, comprising the President, the
Vice-Presidents, the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Ministers, will
consult and agree on such prior to their appointment.”
No civil servant has the authority to make such appointments or
announcements, therefore the announcement of the Permanent Secretaries
has no force of law and is therefore null and void. The Permanent
Secretaries who were in position as of September 15th will remain in
post in an acting capacity until the matter is resolved.
This government will not allow a parallel force within its structures
or any unconstitutional or unilateral actions which serve to impede
progress.
It is also important that the appointments of the Governor of the
Reserve Bank, Gideon Gono and the Attorney General, Johannes Tomana
are dealt with and resolved immediately.
This is in line with the SADC communiqué issued in Pretoria on the
27th of January 2009, which states that “the appointments of the
Reserve Bank Governor and the Attorney General will be dealt with by
the Inclusive Government after its formation;”
Similarly the appointment of Provincial Governors is an issue that
must be resolved forthwith.
As long as these matters remain unresolved, it will be impossible for
the transitional government to move forward with the reforms that this
country so desperately needs.
Most significantly, the rule of law continues to be flouted by some
sectors of the community and this must stop immediately. In
particular, a new wave of disruptions of farming operations, in
contravention of the Memorandum of Understanding, is undermining our
ability to revive our agricultural sector and restore investor
confidence.
I have tasked the Ministers of Home Affairs, Giles Mutsekwa and Kembo
Mohadi, to bring the full weight of the law down on the perpetrators
who continue to act within a culture of impunity and entitlement. No
person in Zimbabwe is above the law.
With respect to detainees, the Principals to the Global Political
Agreement, namely myself, President Mugabe and Deputy Prime Minister
Mutambara, last week agreed that all political detainees who have been
formally charged with a crime should be released on bail and those
that have not been charged should be released unconditionally. This
has not yet happened.
Indeed, rather than allowing the judicial process to take its course
with regard to the granting of bail, the Attorney General’s office is
wilfully obstructing the release of all detainees by abusing the
appeal process and this must stop forthwith.
There have also been disputes over the mandates of various ministries.
While this is natural in a new transitional arrangement such as this,
issues of overlap and duplication will be resolved by my office.
With respect to the Ministry of Media, Information and Publicity and
the Ministry of Information, Communication Technology, the functions
of the former Department of Communication within the Ministry of
Transport and Communications shall be the responsibility of the new
Ministry of Information, Communication Technology.
Therefore, for avoidance of doubt, Telecommunications falls under this ministry.
Ladies and Gentlemen, there is only one government running Zimbabwe -
one government, with one vision and one agenda – democratisation and
stabilisation. There is no room for residual parallel structures that
attempt to manipulate the process and procedures of government for
personal or political gain.
I urge all members of the civil service to undertake their duties in a
professional and patriotic manner and in the spirit of the Global
Political Agreement and to the letter of the Constitution.
As a nation we still have a long way to travel until we are truly
free, democratic and prosperous. I am confident that by working
together we will achieve this goal.
The vast majority of members of the civil service and Cabinet are
eager to work together and I am encouraged by the momentum that this
government is developing towards finding solutions to the problems
facing the country.
I thank you.
No comments:
Post a Comment