Staff Reporter

Failure to re-join the Commonwealth should not be considered as a political victory by political parties, the Commonwealth Assistant Secretary-General Professor Luis Franschesci has revealed.

Speaking to members of the media in Harare today (yesterday), Prof Franschesci asserted that the Commonwealth club was not a political platform, hence all political players should embrace it without using instinct or emotions to gain political ground.

“Zimbabwe has approached this matter of coming back to the family with wisdom, and not being directed by instinct and not being directed by emotions. I would encourage everyone in Zimbabwe to approach this matter in the same spirit. It is not a political decision and coming or not coming back is not based on success or failure of a political party,” he said.

According to Prof Franschesci, Commonwealth is a club where the biggest or richest countries and the smallest or poorest countries all benefit from on an equal footing.

“It is very important for everybody to understand that the Commonwealth is not a club of former colonies but it is club of wonderful nations who are both former colonies and non-colonies that are united in search of friendship with a purpose.

“All the countries in the Commonwealth from the biggest, richest and most important ones to the least, smallest and least developed share the same ideas,” said Prof Franschesci.     

Prof Franschesci’s remarks come soon after the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) sponsored media houses are already in political overdrive as they try frantically to link the release of CCC legislator Godfrey Sithole a few days back with the arrival of the Commonwealth assessment team.

Political commentators have commended Prof Franschesci’s remarks highlighting that there is need for various stakeholders including political parties to unite and push for the readmission of Zimbabwe into the Commonwealth club as this move could be the required steps towards re-engagement between Zimbabwe and Britain.

Activists have also implored on opposition CCC party to exercise political maturity and restraint as the party has a long history of creating artificial abductions and political violence scenarios during events such as this one so as to try and portray a scenario of a tense and ungovernable country.