MOVEMENT FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE
MDC

NOW IS THE TIME!

MAITIRO CHINJA! CHINJA MAITIRO!


The NATIONAL WORKING PEOPLE'S CONVENTION held in Harare on February 26-28 1999, gathered people from all over Zimbabwe to identify problems besetting the nation, and to map out the way forward. The participants at this historic gathering comprised representatives of over 40 organisations which included trade unions, students, women, the disabled, the unemployed, professionals, academics, business people, residents assoications, human rights watchdogs, war veterans, peasants and informal traders.

The Convention noted:

*The disempowerment of the people and the breach of the rule of law through state-sponsored violence and abuse of human rights;

*The inability of the economy to address the basic needs of the majority of Zimbabweans as evidenced by the hungry and starving masses, skyrocketing prices of basic commodities, runaway inflation and the fall of the Zimbabwe dollar;

*the severe decline in incomes, employment opportunities, health, food security and the wellbeing of Zimbabweans;

*the unfair burden borne by working women and the persistence of gender discrimination in practice;

*the decline and in some cases collapse of public services;

*the lack of progress in resolving land hunger and rural investment needs;

*the weak growth in industry and marginalisation of the vast majority of the nation's entrepreneurs;

*the absence of a national constitution framed by and for the people of Zimbabwe;

*the persistence of regionalism, racism, and other divisions undermining national integration;

*widespread corruption and lack of public accountability in political and economic institutions.

The National Working People's Convention noted that for these problems to be tackled, a detailed Agenda for Action had to be formulated. But such an Agenda will not be fruitful without a strong, democratic, popularly driven and organised movement of the people. Such a movement should recognise and protect the discrete and independent role and mandates of the various organisations of the people.

The Convention thus resolved to take these issues to the people across the country, to mobilise them towards the Agenda for Action, and to implement a vigorous political movement for democratic change. This has since witnessed the birth of the MOVEMENT FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE (MDC).

Trudy
trudy@harare.iafrica.com
http://users.harare.iafrica.com/~trudy