adminSuch issues do not require one to be Zanu-PF or one of the MDC formations and thus they affect everyone regardless of political inclination, therefore, convergence on such issues should never be solicited.
One should just out of a sense of belonging debate for the good of the nation and ahead of any forces that may be. It is disheartening that most ministers dodged Wednesday’s Question and Answer Session thereby depriving legislators a right to question the executive on government policy.
The Q and A session is an opportunity for the executive to explain to citizens through their representatives government policy on most issues.
There are so many questions that have stayed on the order paper but have never been responded to, something that is in contravention of the law. This year, the leader of the House should make sure that ministers respond to legislators’ questions.
On another note there are some members of the executive who should display maturity when in the House but they continue to squabble and interject, a habit expected from backbenchers.
It is high time that Youth Development Indigenisation and Empowerment Deputy Minister Tongai Matutu contributed meaningfully in the House by shutting his mouth and listening when the backbenchers are heckling or if he feels like he is missing out, he should at least request his principal to reshuffle and send him back to the backbenchers.
In the Upper House mainly reserved for those who are 40 years and above, wrangling was usually limited probably because the occupants are mature or lack the zeal to take each other on. It is, however, worth mentioning that during oral evidence in Parliamentary Portfolio Committees, legislators displayed a lot of maturity and common purpose where it becomes difficult to identify which party one belongs to.
The year 2011 was no different from the other years because squabbling among the three parties represented in Parliament is still very much evident though some of the arguments are hollow despite being said in so many words.
The outgoing year had its share of events that made Parliament an interesting place to be. The mega event at Parliament last year was the dethroning of the Speaker Mr Lovemore Moyo by the Supreme Court following a lawsuit by Professor Jonathan Moyo.
The highest court argued that the initial election process was fraught with irregularities and in breach of the Constitution. The Bench said the Clerk of Parliament, Mr Austin Zvoma had failed to conduct secret ballot elections because senior MDC-T officials displayed their ballot papers before depositing them in the ballot box. After the dethronement, another election was called and Mr Moyo regained his seat courtesy of some rebel Zanu-PF MPs who did not cast their votes for the party’s choice, Zanu-PF national chairman Cde Simon Khaya Moyo.
The most recent one was a motion by MDC-T representative for Hwange Central Brian Tshuma calling for the dismissal of Clerk of Parliament Mr Austin on allegations of ineptitude. Mr Zvoma approached the courts seeking an interdict to stop the House from debating the motion. MDC-T, however, went ahead to debate and adopt the motion despite protests from
Zanu-PF who argued that debating the motion would be subjudice.
The MDC-T’s insistence of debating the motion resulted in Zanu-PF legislators walking out of the House. The sad development was the alleged physical assault of legislators and journalists by some hooligans at Parliament during the public hearings on the Human Rights Bill.
Most of the Bills that passed through Parliament this year are part of the 23 Bills that were announced by President Mugabe while opening the Third Session of the Seventh Parliament of Zimbabwe, last year.
Some of the Bills that passed through Parliament in 2011 are the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Amendment Bill,
Zimbabwe National Security Council Amendment Bill, Energy Regulatory Authority and the Attorney General’s Office Bill. The other Bills that passed are, The Deposit Protection Bill, General Laws Amendment and the Small Enterprises Development Co-operation Bill.
Parliament is yet to pass some of the Bills that were introduced this year and these are the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission Amendment.
The Bills have to be reintroduced in Parliament after they fell away when the Third Session lapsed.
The House is yet to debate the Older Persons’ Bill and the Urban Councils Amendment that was recently gazetted. Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Eric Matinenga bemoaned failure by the House to debate and pass some of the Bills that were supposed to be introduced in the House.
“This year was fad because the various pieces of legislation which aimed at creating a democratic space didn’t come to any fruition for instance the amendments to Posa mysteriously and erroneously got shot down in the Senate,” he said.
“Amendments to the Electoral Act and the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission Bill are still to be resuscitated especially
the ZHRC all of us should be keen to see the Bill coming into law so that the commission can be operationalised.”
He said it was important for Ministers to attend Wednesday’s Question and Answer sessions.
Southern African Parliamentary Support Trust Executive Director Mr John Makamure said 2011 had witnessed some positive developments in law making, executive oversight and representation.
“We saw Parliament, especially the House of Assembly portfolio committees, increasingly asserting their independence and refusing to be used to rubber-stamp executive decisions.
“Clear evidence of this was the refusal by the House of Assembly to fast-track the Human Rights Commission Bill and the Electoral Amendment Bill,” Mr Makamure said. “The introduction and debate of private member bills on POSA and Urban
Councils Act was another positive development as it clearly shows that Parliament is beginning to make laws in line with the constitutional principle of separation of powers where Parliament is there to make law, judiciary to interpret the law and executive to enforce the law.
“Those MPs that introduced motions and participated in question time demonstrated that they had carried out research.
“Budget constraints hindered the work of Parliament, especially committees who were unable to carry out field visits to monitor implementation of government programmes on the ground. Limited financial resources also resulted in fewer sitting days and inability by Parliament to pay members their sitting allowances,” he said.
On the negative side, Mr Makamure said polarisation was so glaring “when debating important motions such as the one on violence.”
In terms of Parliamentary business, some portfolio committees deserve special mention because of the way they conducted their mandate especially during oral evidence. The Committee on Mines and Energy is one committee that can take accolades for being the best because of the way they have fared.
This committee really meant business and all but two legislators were actively involved during the oral evidence meetings. The two MPs never open their mouth to say anything even in vernacular, they only speak when introducing themselves and that is it throughout the almost two hours meeting. This is the same scenario in the Senate where some Senators never say anything expect calling for the adjournment of the House barely five minutes after resuming their seats.
Journalists and members of the public have lost love for attending Senate sittings because of the silence and immediate adjournments that characterise the House. The fact that Senate is the Upper House created to among other things scrutinise the activities of the Lower House like the Bills that would have passed through the House of Assembly.
The Upper House is expected to panel beat any business that comes from the Lower House, thus this calls for people who have the expertise in key areas. This is a House that should be occupied by Professors, PhD holders and skilled men and women who can scrutinise, call for amendments and originate Bills that have far-reaching outcomes for the country.
The Senate was sometimes very dead that every motion on the paper kept being deferred and at some point Senate President Madam Edna Madzongwe asked the legislators to move for the adoption or removal of the motions on the Order Paper.
The year 2011 also took the lives of seven legislators, three House of Assembly Members and four senators.
Those who passed on in the House of Assembly are Cdes Neddie Masukume (Mwenezi West) and Ziteya Kingstone (Shamva South) both Zanu-PF and MDC-T’s Gutu South legislator Professor Eliphas Mukonoweshuro.
The senators are Chief Chimombe of Manicaland, Cde David Karimanzira (Zanu-PF), Mr Jabulani Ndlovu and Ms Gladys Dube both MDC-T. May their souls rest in eternal peace.
On a lighter note during a question and answer session about two months ago, a certain legislator asked Finance Minister Tendai Biti; “Is there going to be civil servant increment in the upper coming budget,” he said while gesturing in a diving motion.
Online Reporter