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The First Session of the Eighth Parliament was opened by President Mugabe amid pomp and fanfare yesterday with the MDC-T, which participated actively in the selection of mayors and council chairpersons countrywide on Monday, ironically boycotting the event ostensibly to protest the outcome of the harmonised elections.
It was lost on the blundering greenhorn party that the local authority elections derived from the harmonised elections whose result they claim they do not recognise.
Be that as it may, boycotting the Opening Session and then attending the First Session is an oxymoron in that the Bills the MDC-T legislators will debate were set by President Mugabe yesterday.
The Opening Session was a very important event where the Head of State and Government laid out the legislative agenda for the First Session.
We were not surprised by the MDC-T action since it is now common knowledge that the party entered politics for personal benefit and not for the people.
Be that as it may, Zimbabweans need to critique the MDC-T’s continued stay in Parliament.
If they boycott the very event that gives Parliament, as another arm of Government, the agenda for the entire year, how will they justify attendance of subsequent sessions?
The Clerk of Parliament, Mr Austin Zvoma, argued that “the only effect of the boycott by the MDC-T is that they will be conspicuous by their absence.”
He also said that the boycott by the 70 MDC-T National Assembly members and 21 Senators would not have a bearing and that the programme would proceed as scheduled.
The Clerk of Parliament also argued, “They can decide not to come and this does not have any effect, but after the subsequent seating coming after the official opening, the issue of 21 days comes into place.
If someone fails to attend Parliament for 21 consecutive days, he or she will face punitive measures.”
Those are the Parliamentary Standing Rules and Orders. But then, yesterday was not an ordinary parliamentary sitting.
After the short adjournment, Zimbabweans will be watching to see if the MDC-T legislators would attend the sessions.
If they indeed do, would the boycott be treated as a passing and inconsequential event and it would then be business as usual?
Should this not be treated as contempt of Parliament and eventually, of the people they represent?
The norm after each official opening of Parliament is for legislators to debate the President’s speech.
What will the MDC-T members be talking about over the next 12 months?
There was also a line-up of Bills that will be before the Parliament during this session.
Since they spurned the official opening, why should they participate in the enactment of the laws?
It’s high time the MDC-T took national issues seriously.
As people who chose to represent the people, they cannot display that childish mentality of supporting things where they think they have a fair advantage over other parties.
Zimbabwe cannot tolerate such levels of immaturity.
Although we understand the importance of upholding our Constitution and the rule of law, we also feel that those who pass those laws should live by example.
If the Standing Rules and Orders do not protect the interests of the people, it’s time that some of these rules should be amended.
They are not cast in stone that they cannot be changed.
Online Reporter