adminNqobile Tshili Chronicle Correspondent
PRESIDENT Mugabe has turned down a request by Members of Parliament to issue all lawmakers with diplomatic passports, Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said. The President gave the nod for only a few MPs who travel on government business to get the passports. During Wednesday’s question and answer session, VP Mnangagwa said the Government was not mandated to allocate all MPs with diplomatic passports as they rarely travel on Government assignments.
He said this while responding to Zanu-PF’s Buhera South MP Cde Joseph Chinotimba and MDC-T’s Highfield East MP Mr Erick Murai who had queried why some MPs were issued with diplomatic passports while others were not given.
“Let me tell you the truth on this matter and this is a fact. Whether you like it or not, it does not matter. A diplomatic passport is not a right, we should be aware of that. There is nowhere in our Constitution or wherever, where it is said a Member of Parliament should be given a diplomatic passport. It is not a right but it is a privilege,” said VP Mnangagwa.
He said the issue of issuing diplomatic passports to all MPs was tabled before President Mugabe but the Head of State rejected their proposal. VP Mnangangwa said after an appeal was made to the President, he only agreed to the issuance of the diplomatic passports to a selected few who conduct government business globally.
“We then approached His Excellency on the issue. We said, these people travel a lot around the globe on business, please give them that diplomatic passport. After a long discussion, the President agreed and he said those few selected should be given and Honourable Mumbengegwi (Minister of Foreign Affairs) was advised to give those diplomatic passports. The Speaker then said, now that we have these few people who have been given the passports, let us give the President time, because we cannot just go to him after such a short period,” said VP Mnangagwa.
Online Reporter