Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) demanded during the party’s negotiation process that the Zimbabwe National Security Council Bill be passed into law as a pre-condition to joining the inclusive government with Robert Mugabe and Arthur Mutambara’s smaller MDC faction.

MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai was sworn in on Wednesday as Prime Minister in line with the global political agreement signed in September last year.

The Zimbabwe National Security Council Bill which was passed by both houses of parliament unanimously without amendments follows a similar fast track of the constitutional Amendment No.19 which establishes the inclusive government.

The bill seeks to establish the security council whose functions include reviewing national policies on security, defence and law and order and recommending or directing appropriate action.

The council shall also “ensure that the operations of the security services comply with the Constitution and consider and approve proposals relating to the nation’s strategic security and defence requirements.”

Urging MPs to support the bill, MDC Secretary General Tendai Biti said: “The bill will ensure that there is no state institution, government department that can exist as an extension of any political party and that state bodies remain loyal to the state. The country is traumatized by the violence, intolerance and vandalism of state institutions and the bill seeks to ensure that those unfortunate things will not happen again. We are forming the security council to protect citizens of this country.”

More than 200 people mostly MDC supporters were killed in the run up to presidential run-off that was contested by Mugabe alone after Tsvangirai pulled out last year. But human rights activists have cried fowl urging Tsvangirai to withdraw from the ceremony unless jailed activists have been released.

The Zimbabwe Humans Rights Forum said that it was “deeply concerned and condemns” the failure by the political parties to ensure the release of jailed human rights activist Jestina Mukoko and political activists detained since October last year.
The NGO forum told journalists at a press conference in Harare that “the failure by the MDC and ZANU PF which used the abductions as political leverage in the negotiations to facilitate their release from prison.”

Mukoko and 30 MDC supporters remain in police custody despite the MDC demanding their release before the swearing in of Tsvangirai.

“The release of the abductees from prison was one of the conditions that had been set be the MDC as a prerequisite for the establishment of the inclusive government. However, now that the negotiated process is almost completed, it is alarming to note that the abductees have been relegated to the doldrums of obscurity and their plight ignored as collateral damage,” the NGOs said.

“It is our strong opinion that the MDC (both formations) should not be part of the inclusive government until and unless all abductees and political prisoners have been released and the charges against them dropped. Entering the government before the release of the abductees will be a grave betrayal of the people of Zimbabwe and their own commitment they had shown in their resolution on the abductees,” the NGOs said.