Zimbabwe Elections Update: Govt. Says Nothing to Hide

[XXPANTHAXX]

Wednesday, 9 March 2005

We’ve nothing to hide, says Government

Zimbabwe Herald Reporter

Government yesterday dismissed as nonsensical claims that it
has something to hide during the forthcoming parliamentary
elections and had, therefore, allegedly not invited the
Southern Africa Development Community (Sadc) Parliamentary
Forum to observe the polls because the body had produced a
damning report on the 2002 presidential election.

The Secretary for Information and Publicity in the Office of
the President and Cabinet, Cde George Charamba, said the
Government interacts with countries, national political
parties, and regional, continental and international bodies
in respect of observation of elections.

"It does not descend to departments or offices of those
countries or institutions. Zimbabwe has extended a formal
invitation to Sadc and this implies an invitation to any arms
of Sadc which have a bearing on election observation.

"And that includes the Sadc Parliamentary Forum unless, of
course, the forum considers itself outside Sadc, above Sadc
or an alternative or even bigger than Sadc, which we do not
believe it is.

"Sadc Parliamentary Forum cannot merit an invitation on its
own as if it is a sovereign entity," said Cde Charamba.

He said the forum cannot claim to have better eyes than all
the observer missions invited put together.

Cde Charamba’s statement comes in the wake of media reports
in South Africa and on the Internet claiming that Zimbabwe
had banned the Sadc Parliamentary Forum from observing the
March 31 polls because it had produced a disapproving report
on the 2002 presidential election won by President Mugabe.

But there were allegations in 2002 that the Sadc
Parliamentary Forum was manipulated and funded by some
Western powers opposed to the Government.

Cde Charamba said the fact that the forum in 2002 received
funding from the West "coloured its view" of the election.

"Since then, attempts have been made to make it authentically
Sadc, including linking its chairmanship to the office of
speakers of parliament of the region.

"As Zimbabwe, we hope that the matter of its foreign funding
has been addressed to free it from undue foreign influence,"
he said.