adminHerald Reporter
GOVERNMENT should be given sufficient time to align existing laws with the new Constitution and the country will not be in a constitutional crisis while that is being done, a Zanu-PF legislator has said. Debating a motion by MDC-T Chief Whip Mr Innocent Gonese calling on the executive to urgently align the existing laws and the constitution last week, Zanu-PF MP for Chegutu West Cde Dexter Nduna said there was no need to push the executive on the matter.
“There is no constitutional crisis because there is enough time to align the laws,” said Cde Nduna. “This is a transitional period during which laws will be aligned.
“There is no vacuum whatsoever. Our colleagues from the opposition should know that aligning laws is not an event but a process. There is no emergency.”
In his contribution, MDC-T legislator for Mbizo, Mr Settlement Chikwinya claimed that Zimbabwe was facing a constitutional crisis as long as the existing laws were not aligned with the new Constitution.
“There are certain provisions which are currently contained in the new Constitution which one is supposed to enjoy, but simply because there is no enabling provision in the current Acts we may have problems in the Criminal Law and Codification Act.
Mr Chikwinya said there were a number of media laws that were not in sync with the new Constitution.
He hailed Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo for establishing a good rapport with the media.
Mr Chikwinya said it was important for media freedom to be underpinned by legislative provisions.
But Zanu-PF chief whip Cde Joram Gumbo criticised the MDC-T legislators for being hypocritical by bringing up debate on issues contained in the President’s speech which they boycotted.
He said President Mugabe, when he officially opened the first session of the Eighth Parliament, indicated that the House would be seized with alignment of laws so that they were consistent with the Constitution.
The MDC-T boycotted the President’s speech when he officially opened Parliament and went on to boycott participation on debate on the speech.
Online Reporter