SW Radio Africa (London)
Tichaona Sibanda
13 July 2011
A security and defence expert has said the main key to security sector reform is to ensure the armed forces don’t influence the electoral process in favour of one particular party.
Dr Martin Rupiya told SW Radio Africa on Wednesday that it is not correct to suggest security sector reforms (SSR) are part of a regime change agenda by those opposed to ZANU PF.
He said SSR is the set of policies, plans, programs and activities that a government undertakes to improve the way it provides safety, security and justice to its citizens.
But ZANU PF has flatly refused to countenance security sector reforms, arguing they are designed to oust Robert Mugabe from power.
The MDC has demanded these reforms saying the military junta led by Mugabe loyalists has powers that put them above the law and that blocked the transfer of power when Mugabe lost the Presidential election to Morgan Tsvangirai three years ago.
Instead of serving the population the country’s army, police, CIO and airforce are used by ZANU PF to oppress Mugabe’s opponents. The Junta has been the most important instrument through which Mugabe and ZANU PF have maintained power since independence.
‘The reform of this sector is very important in order to break with the past. Zimbabwe is in this situation of an inclusive government because of the intervention by the security sector soon after the overwhelming vote for change by Zimbabweans in 2008,’ Rupiya said.
He added: ‘The overall objective of SSR is to provide and promote an effective and legitimate public service by the armed forces that is transparent, accountable to civilian authority and not what has been peddled by ZANU PF.’
Having been allowed to operate with impunity for almost 30 years the MDC-T now wants Parliament to debate how government can control the operations of the armed forces.
Settlement Chikwinya, the MDC-T MP for Mbizvo in KweKwe, was due to bring forward a motion in Parliament on Wednesday to discuss the army chiefs, calling on them to stop interfering in politics. At the time of our news deadline, discussions in parliament were ongoing and no information had emerged as to what had happened.
‘The issue is that we want Parliament to ensure these service chiefs reaffirm loyalty to the constitution and the laws of Zimbabwe such as the Defence Forces, the Police Act and Prisons Act,’ Chikwinya said.
Analysts believe that reforming the security sector in emerging democracies is one of the most important and difficult activities facing any government.
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Zanu Pf Misleading Nation On Security Sector Reform