|
MDC MPs� Parliament boycotts irresponsible to express disagreement Opposition MDC legislators took their denigration of the House to another level this week, boycotting the 15th State of the Nation Address by President Mugabe. The legislators� move showed their disrespect of the Head of State, the national flag and the national anthem. The MDC MPs forget that when they took the oath of loyalty only two years ago, they promised to respect national institutions. They said during their swearing-in ceremony that they would be faithful and pay allegiance to Zimbabwe and observe the laws of the country. But their actions this week showed they are far from committing themselves to serving the institutions of the country. President Mugabe�s address is an important part of the proceedings in the House and all MPs have to attend despite their differences. It is interesting to note that the MDC MPs are involved in debates in the House which emanate from what the President said. This means the legislators cannot contribute efficiently as they failed to attend the proceedings when the address was made. In other words, the MDC MPs are doing a de-service to their constituencies that need to be updated on the developments taking place in the country. They cannot update people on the developmental issues touched by President Mugabe because they were not in the House when he spoke on them. The behaviour of the MDC MPs was roundly condemned, with the Leader of the House, Cde Patrick Chinamasa, promising tough measures next year to curb such action. "We will seek to introduce measures to put to stop this delinquent behaviour," said Cde Chinamasa. This was not the first time the MDC legislators boycotted the address to Parliament by President Mugabe. They started boycotting him when he opened the Third Session of the Fifth Parliament in July and also went on to boycott debate on the motion on the address. They also boycotted the address to Parliament by Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila last year, saying they did not recognise him. The MDC has taken their dispute on the outcome of the March presidential election to the High Court, arguing that it was not free and fair. The MDC legislators have to seriously reflect on their boycott of Parliament as it is not doing them any good. They are forgetting that they were elected to speak on behalf of the people in the House and contribute to changes that can improve the lives of the majority. It is also doubtful if the opposition legislators consulted their constituencies to endorse the boycott of such important national events in the House. While the MDC MPs were not in the House during the address, people in their constituencies were glued to their television sets to hear the President's address. It is time constituencies represented by the MDC legislators take them to task. That President Mugabe�s speech touched on important issues such as the food shortages and other developmental issues leaves the MDC MPs needing a serious reflection on their behaviour. Meanwhile, Parliament this week passed the Finance Bill, the Appropriation Bill and the Labour Relations Amendment Bill without amendments. The Finance Bill will enable the Government to raise funds to support the 2003 national budget, while the Appropriation Bill will enable it to access those funds. The Labour Relations Amendment Bill seeks to harmonise labour laws in the country that were fragmented. The three Bills were passed after strong resistance by the MDC MPs who opposed most of their provisions. The other highlight for the week was the issuing of a ministerial statement on the Harare City Council by the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, Cde Ignatius Chombo. Cde Chombo condemned Harare executive mayor Engineer Elias Mudzuri, saying his election was irregular and his behaviour arrogant. He warned Eng Mudzuri to change his attitude and work with the Government and hinted he might be forced to revoke powers bestowed on him by the Urban Councils� Act to deal with the entire council. Cde Chombo said Eng Mudzuri was increasingly becoming partisan when dealing with council matters, dismissing workers he thought supported Zanu-PF. "In the event that the mayor and his council will continue to mismanage and defy well meaning advice and instructions, I may indeed be left with no option, but to recommend that stern measures be taken against them," said Cde Chombo. Cde Chombo alleged that Eng Mudzuri was corruptly awarding tenders and favouring companies aligned to the MDC. Eng Mudzuri allegedly manipulated a computerisation contract with a South African company by re-awarding the same company a contract without going to tender. In another case, he was accused of causing an alteration in tender procedures with regards to refuse collection in a bid to benefit new players. The statement invoked an outcry from the MDC MPs who accused Cde Chombo of victimising Eng Mudzuri. The reaction of the MDC legislators led to the expulsion of Mr Giles Mutsekwa (Mutare North, MDC) from the House for disturbing proceedings by interjecting unnecessarily. The week also saw the election of Mr Innocent Gonese (Mutare Central, MDC) as the acting speaker in the absence of both Speaker of Parliament Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa and his deputy, Cde Edna Madzongwe. Mr Gonese beat Chief Jonathan Mangwende by seven votes to assume the position, but it was to be for only one day because of the presence of Cde Madzongwe the following day. Otherwise debate this week was lively with MPs from both sides participating and contributing important points. The week was only spoiled by the boycott by the MDC legislators, a move that is fast becoming traditional for the opposition MPs. But what they fail to realise is that boycotting debates is not the effective way of making their point known. If the MDC MPs have a point, they have to participate in the debate and contribute so that their concerns are known. The Mulindwas
communication group
"With Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is in anarchy" |
