via ‘Greedy’ parliamentarians demand more – NewsDay Zimbabwe April 2, 2016
AFTER begging voters to elect them to the legislature on the promise to serve, Zimbabwe’s parliamentarians have turned into a “moaning group” wailing for remuneration, but failing to deliver on their promise.
BY RICHARD CHIDZA
President Robert Mugabe’s overbearing government has been accused of failing to adequately remunerate legislators. Southern African Parliamentary Support Trust (SAPST) boss, John Makamure said government should honour its constitutional obligation to pay the legislators.
“We must look at the requirements of the Constitution. The provision of resources to parliament is a statutory obligation. All over the world MPs are paid, it is nothing unique to Zimbabwe; they are an equal arm of the State,” he said.
“The Constitution requires that Cabinet provide adequate resources to enable parliamentary committees to meet and perform their oversight role on the Executive. Parliament has a mandate to protect the Constitution and promote democratic governance, but it cannot do that while it is hamstrung by lack of resources held back by the very arm of the State it is supposed to watch.
“It could be a deliberate ploy by the Executive to make sure Parliament remains subservient and not perform its constitutional obligations.”
Other analysts, while agreeing Mugabe’s government has done little to promote democracy or allow other arms of the State to perform their mandates, contend the current crop of lawmakers, most of whom were elected at the general elections in 2013, have failed to represent the interests of the electorate.
Zimbabwean politics remain a minefield but still would-be Members of Parliament go to extremes to get a ticket into the August House. They have maimed and even killed for the plum position to represent their parties.
Election Resource Centre (ERC) director, Tawanda Chimhini said most of the legislators have turned into benchwarmers, with no substance at all.
“When people decide to join the race for Parliament, we suppose it is to serve. They cry at the top of their voices and plead with the electorate to send them to the legislature to represent their interests. It is shocking that they are now crying for pay,” he said.
“One would ask what happens to the interests of the majority. The interests of the electorate now take a back seat while they fight for remuneration and other benefits.”
Chimhini, however, said the MPs should blame the whipping system, where parties order legislators to vote or behave in a certain manner.
“They could argue that the whipping system tends to be a drag on what they can or cannot do, but we have not seen rebels, those who would go against the grain, as it were. Some of these lawmakers have not been seen since being elected into office and three years after the end of the campaign they remain visitors to the August House. I am not saying all of them are benchwarmers but most are,” he said.
Former Highfield MDC MP, Munyaradzi Gwisai belongs to a group of mavericks, after he went against
his party’s policy over the land redistribution programme. Gwisai was subsequently recalled from Parliament by an angry party leader, Morgan Tsvangirai. Other examples are the late firebrand Zanu PF lawmaker Lazarus Nzarayebani and Dzikamai Mavhaire of the “Mugabe must go fame”. Mavhaire later repented before he was kicked out as part of the anti-Joice Mujuru purge that has rocked Zanu PF since 2014.
“This group of parliamentarians have failed to force through the realignment of laws. For this club of MPs to focus on remuneration to us of voter expectations,” Chimhini said.
Zanu PF Buhera West lawmaker, Oliver Mandipaka a former police officer brought the issue of remuneration and conditions of service for MPs into focus during a motion on the Pan-African Parliament and democracy, demanding the Executive “bring back our dignity”.
Mandipaka and other MPs who contributed to the motion claimed “we are now living like paupers and have nothing to show when we go back to constituencies hence are ridiculed”.
He was supported by MDC-T’s Concillia Chinanzvavana and Zanu PF’s Irene Zindi, who claimed “the Executive we are talking about has got a package which is way above everybody else”.
The MDC’s Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga, known for unrelenting activism in the National Assembly, described Parliament as “the poor cousin of the three arms of the State”, adding the judiciary is seen by government as “special to the extent of getting farms and cars”.
While the Executive and the judiciary live in the lap of luxury, it is the legislature that has been turned into the State’s sick-child, starved of resources but expected to deliver.
London School of Economics PhD student, McDonald Lewanika said the State must pay what it owes to those who are in its service, including legislators, but agreed the MPs do not deserve much.
“The demands by the legislators are not unique and are symptomatic of how the State is treating people in its service across the board. However, the issue of payment is a two sided equation — for them to have fair pay, it is assumed that they have provided fair work. Unfortunately, the record is not inspiring,” he said.
“Zimbabweans will be hard-pressed to see how Parliament has been working in their favour. We have an errant Executive, which acts as if Parliament does not exist and, thus, perhaps sees no reason why they should be paid.
“The legislature, which has not performed its balancing and checking role in a satisfactory fashion — in a period when we expected the legislature to be at its busiest because we got a new constitution three years ago. Yawning gaps in aligning laws still exist. However, a deal is a deal — if the parliamentarians are owed, they should be paid.”
Political analyst, Maxwell Saungweme, concurred with Lewanika, saying the MPs should be sensitive to the environment they are operating in.
“I think they like all Zimbabweans, want better remuneration. But they have to be sensitive to the issues on the ground, an empty public purse, and suffering masses wallowing in poverty.
“That they are demanding better working conditions to perform their duties just shows they want to join the Executive and judiciary on the feeding trough and strip the country of its resources. It is testament that they don’t represent the people but their bellies,” he said.
In all, Mugabe has successfully made sure Parliament turns into a talking chamber, with no substance and dignity that Mutoko East MP, Ricky Mawere of Zanu PF said they had been turned into caricatures of “cattle herders and touts”.
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