Zimbabwe Air Marshal Perrance Shiri (center) has given an address on the situation in North Africa and the Middle East. His comments were published recently in the state sponsored Zimbabwe Herald newspaper., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
Plot to outsource security exposed
Tuesday, 23 April 2013 00:00
Tendai Mugabe Senior Reporter
Zimbabwe Herald
MDC-T plans to fire all serving security chiefs with a Zanla or Zipra background and hire what it termed senior police staff from Western countries to instil “professionalism” in the force should it attain power.
The party also seeks to whittle the number of serving soldiers, arguing the country was not “confronted with an imminent war.”
As part of its restructuring exercise, MDC-T argues that the Zimbabwe Republic Police should be renamed the Zimbabwe Republic Services.
The party said it would draft a new Constitution which it claimed would be an improvement on the one spearheaded by GPA parties through a select committee of Parliament.
MDC-T failed to have its preferred issues like same-sex marriages and dual citizenship included in the draft Constitution.
The MDC-T plan is contained in the party’s classified policy documents drafted in February during a retreat in Nyanga.
The document, which was leaked to The Herald, is titled “Policy Discussion Papers — Security Sector Cluster: 1. Defence and National Security 2. Home Affairs”.
It was drafted under the tutelage of a CIA operative whose name could not be verified by the time of going to press.
Sources said this position would be officially announced at the party’s national policy conference slated for next month.
MDC-T spokesperson Mr Douglas Mwonzora yesterday confirmed the policy conference, saying it would deal with various policy matters.
“We are going to have the national policy conference on May 17 and it will deal with government policy issues.
“It is an annual conference where we discuss government policies,” he said.
When asked on the document detailing the party’s position on security, Mr Mwonzora skirted the issue, referring all questions to the party’s defence secretary Mr Giles Mutsekwa who could not be reached for comment.
“It is not our intention to render anyone redundant, but I can refer you to the party’s secretary for defence (Giles Mutsekwa).”
In the document, MDC-T argued that under successive Zanu-PF Governments, the security sector had been manipulated and it was important to ensure that it becomes “representative of the Zimbabwean population”.
“In order to secure the legitimacy of the armed forces, the process of rationalisation must be committed to the long-term goal of overcoming the legacy of Zanu-PF Government and ensuring that the Zimbabwe Defence Forces and its leadership in particular is representative of the Zimbabwean population,” reads part of the document.
The party asserted that for political, strategic and economic reasons, the ZDF would be a volunteer force consisting of a small full time force.
“It (ZDF) will comprise a relatively small full time (or permanent) force, backed up by a sufficiently large controlled reserve which consists of trained personnel who have served but have since departed from the ZDF.
“These people can be called up again if required. A basic structure of this nature is extremely flexible and cost effective.
“It will also provide ongoing interaction between career soldiers and citizen soldiers.”
MDC-T claimed that Zanu-PF abused the ZDF hence the need to overhaul it.
“The goal of the security under Zanu-PF Government was to perpetuate their rule against domestic electoral resistance and international censure on the abuse of citizens’ rights by armed state organs.
“This goal was pursued through extensive use of military and police force, and in many situations drafting ill-trained and ill-disciplined party supporters,” reads the document.
It is further pronounced in the same document that Zimbabwe was not confronted by an immediate conventional military threat and an ‘MDC-T government’ wouldn’t have any aggressive intentions towards any state and does not anticipate external military aggression in the short term.
The party added that ZRP had lost two thirds of experienced staff in the last five years and it was crucial to hire services of other experts abroad.
“It may also be necessary to recall retired police officers to active duty and to request the assignment of senior staff from other police services elsewhere in the world.
“In addition to this emergency staffing programme the MDC Government will undertake a comprehensive review of the staffing needs of the police.
“This will include the restructuring of the senior ranks where it is considered that there is some overstaffing at present,” reads the document.
MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai recently claimed that his party would not fire anyone from the security sector if it attained power in the next elections.
No comments:
Post a Comment