MPs’ disdain for Parliament disgraceful!

Lloyd Gumbo Mr Speaker Sir
Our Members of Parliament love travelling outside the capital for a number of reasons. There are some who want allowances from both the Government and the hosts, others just want to be away from the madding crowd in Harare while others want to fulfil their legislative role. Some MPs have mastered the art of lobbying officials from companies that appear before portfolio committees to facilitate that they visit their companies especially outside Harare.
There is also a group of MPs who want their portfolio or thematic committees to go out for public hearings.

There is certainly nothing wrong with MPs exercising their oversight role by visiting companies and going out for public hearings.
It becomes a problem when Government, out of a distressed purse, sacrifices the little money there is for that purpose and MPs decide to snub their mandate.
Worse still, there are MPs who show total disdain for parliamentary work by absenting themselves from important duties that are expected of them.

When Members of Parliament forward their names for election, they should know what tasks lie ahead of such positions of influence.
Parliament is home to dedication to duty for both the executive and the legislature.

It is pointless that day-in day-out Members of Parliament lament the absence of Ministers during question time and committee meetings when they also absent themselves from their own meetings soon after signing attendance registers.

They make it a point that they sign attendance registers so that they get allowances regardless of the duration of their stay in the committee.
It is mind boggling that some of these MPs who play the disappearing act seem to always appear when it comes to visits to certain quarters where there are freebies, brown envelopes or tokens of appreciation.

This dodging, ducking and diving is unacceptable in this day and age and must be condemned by all well meaning Zimbabweans.
There was chaos in Harare recently during a public hearing on the Electoral Amendment Bill after legislators walked out of the meeting resulting in MPs failing to meet the quorum.

The hearings that saw MPs going across the country to gather people’s views on the proposed amendments had been facilitated by Parliament and its partner, the Southern Africa Parliamentary Support Trust (SAPST).

The full complement of the portfolio committee on Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs chairperson Jessie Majome, Godfrey Beremauro, Leonard Chikomba, David Chapfika, Nyasha Chikwinya, Innocent Gonese, Newton Kachepa, Christopher Kuruneri, Roseweater Makoni, Shepherd Mashayamombe, Remigious Matangira and Mapetere Mawere.

Other members are Chriswell Mutematsaka, Tariro Mtingwende, Evelyn Masaiti, Marbel Nkatazo, Daniel Shumba, Brian Tshuma, Arnold Tsunga and Irene Zindi.
Only five out of 22 committee members went to the public hearings in various districts i.e Majome, Gonese, Makoni, Nkatazo and Mtingwende.

In Harare, those who were present when the meeting started were Majome, Nkatazo, Gonese, Zindi, Mtingwende, Masaiti and Mashayamombe.
But midway through the meeting, five MPs — Gonese, Zindi, Mtingwende, Masaiti and Mashayamombe — started walking out until there was no quorum, leaving Majome and Nkatazo to face restive members of the public.

These MPs walked out to attend to other business they considered more important than Parliament.
They did this in the full view of the electorate.

Those who walked out and absentees never bothered that Treasury had squeezed out of little to make sure Parliament performs its mandate.
They did not care that a development partner, SAPST had sacrificed for them to gather people’s views on the Bill.

Surely if Parliament can be treated with such disdain by MPs in the face of the electorate, do they expect the same people to respect the House?
Those members of the public who attended the public hearing in Harare and witnessed its premature ending, are unlikely to hold parliament in high regard.
What is disturbing is that some of our MPs appear determined to erase the little honour the House has left given some of the disgraceful stuff that happens there.

“It shows that we don’t have MPs in Parliament but greedy people who are only after money,” said a resident, Philosophy Nyapfumbi, after the meeting was aborted.
“They just attended this meeting so they could register their presence.

“We came here in large numbers to contribute our views and now you are telling us the meeting is aborted due to lack of quorum.
“You are not serious and please do not take voters for granted otherwise you are not coming back in the next elections.”

In some jurisdictions, there is behaviour that is expected of MPs once they assume this honourable post.
A sort of gentlemanly and lady like code of conduct that inculcates discipline into the hearts and minds of MPs should be adopted.

Why would one come to a public hearing in the first place when they know that they will walk out?
Had this to do with fulfilment of allowances, public posturing or what?
We regard our MPS as very important people (however unworthy this importance is).

They appear on TV and are splashed in papers and if this goes unchecked becomes the source of arrogance.
If the definition of Parliament in its royal sense is anything to go by, then we should be expecting more from our MPs.
Andrew Adonis, in Parliament Today, 1990 says; “To understand Parliament , it is essential to understand that it is fundamentally a royal creation.

“Its name derives from the Latin word Parliamentun, first used in medieval England to denote a formal council of great men (and women) summoned periodically by the King and to treat of the common business of the Kingdom and the king likewise. . . Parliament remained a royal institutions, summoned by the King, deliberating on his business, bringing grievances and looking for remedies.”

It is from this background that we have our committees embark on public hearings to source for people’s views in order to bring our democracy and parliamentary democracy to maturity.

But can we in Zimbabwe appropriate this definition and find it applicable here when our MPs do not show respect for that royalty?
We, therefore, should not expect our Members of Parliament to play hide and seek as they consult with the people in the same manner it is disgraceful for those who decide to abscond from processes of national importance.

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