Source: Petitioners urged to use moderate language – NewsDay Zimbabwe June 27, 2017
DEPUTY Attorney-General Kumbirai Hodzi has commended the Election Resource Centre (ERC) and 14 other civic society groups for a temperate petition to Parliament calling for urgent reforms to the Electoral Act.
BY VENERANDA LANGA
Addressing stakeholders attending a workshop organised by the Southern Africa Parliamentary Support Trust (SAPST) and the Zimbabwe Institute to debate the alignment of the Electoral Act with the Constitution, Hodzi said unlike some other petitions, the ERC petition used restrained language that moved the government to see the importance of engagement on the issue.
“For the first time in the history of this country we are impressed by this petition because it was written in professional language with no insults,” he said.
“If there are issues that you need the Executive to address you use temperate language, but if you begin to shout the Tajamuka/Sesijikile way you will never be heard.
“Under ease of doing business we have been changing a record number of laws and the only directive we get from our principals is that we are making these laws not for the benefit of individuals, donors, South Africa or America, we are making laws for the benefit of Zimbabweans.”
Speaking at the same event, SAPST legal expert Phillip Muziri said there was need to adequately resource the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to enable it to efficiently discharge its duties.
Muziri said there was need to incorporate Diasporan votes, pointing out that Mozambique and Namibia had made similar arrangements without major challenges.
But, constitutional law expert Lovemore Madhuku said it would be difficult to win the war on Diaspora voting because of section 86 of the Constitution which says that some rights can be limited.
“What I am saying is that the right to vote may be limited even to people in the Diaspora. The debate is also going to involve a lot of political, moral and practical issues, and ultimately it is likely that the Diasporans will not vote,” Madhuku said.
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