HARARE – Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC party has lodged an official complaint with the committee that oversees implementation of Harare’s power-sharing agreement – Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee (JOMIC) – about “unjustified arrests and harassment” of its officials and supporters by state security agents.

MDC’s secretary for legal and parliamentary affairs Innocent Gonese earlier this week wrote to the current chairperson of JOMIC registering the party’s concerns over the violations of the “letter and spirit” of the global political agreement (GPA), that gave birth to the Harare coalition, and the wanton arrests of its members blamed on harline elements in President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party.

“In the spirit of inclusiveness we would expect the police to acquaint themselves with provisions of the law and to make value judgments before making wanton arrests,” wrote Gonese, who is also the party’s Member of Parliament for Mutare Central.

Gonese said the MDC was particularly concerned with the fact that there were no similar arrests of members of ZANU PF despite the fact they are holding meetings in their constituencies.

“This clearly shows that there is still selective application of the law. Article VI of the GPA provides that political parties which are signatory thereto are determined to create conditions for the people of Zimbabwe to write a constitution of themselves and it is in this vein the we find the overzealousness of the police to be disturbing,” complained Gonese.

Gonese said on January 30 2010, 52 MDC members were arrested were while holding a district meeting in Mt Darwin to discuss among other things issues relating to the new constitution.

He said 11 of these are still detained facing charges under the Public Order and security Act (POSA).

“On January 23 2010, the MP for Mabvuku-Tafara and the district chairperson Shepherd Madamombe was arrested and questioned at Harare Central Police Station facing similar allegations,” wrote Gonese.

Gonese said the MDC meetings were of the district assemblies of those constituencies where it is not necessary to notify the police of such meetings.

Bonafide meetings of political parties are exempted from seeking police clearance following amendments made to POSA in 2008.

Tsvangirai’s party has previously said it would remain in the unity government despite attempts by ZANU PF hardliners to frustrate it into quitting. – ZimOnline