ZIMBABWEANS yesterday said MPs were behaving like mercenaries after the legislators demanded allowances for taking part in an outreach programme to publicise the draft constitution ahead of the referendum on March 16.
Report by Moses Matenga
The MPs made the demands during a workshop held in Harare on Wednesday which was organised by Copac to educate them on the draft constitution.
Legislators are expected to drum up support for the draft that has been endorsed by the three parties in the inclusive government. But Copac has made it clear to the MPs that it does not have money to pay them for the publicity campaigns.
University of Zimbabwe political science lecturer Eldred Masunungure said the demands were “regrettable and unforgivable” given the government’s precarious financial position.
“I would say it appears to be a contagion spreading in many African countries like in Kenya where MPs want $10 000 each before the end of their tenure,” he said.
“It’s part of the mentality that we have to eat before Parliament is dissolved fearing that they will not come the next time.
“It’s regrettable in Zimbabwe because of the state of the economy. “It’s unforgivable for MPs to demand new vehicles and all sorts of demands that are unreasonable in this status.”
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Combined Harare Residents’ Association (CHRA) chairman Simbarashe Moyo said the legislators had been exposed as mercenaries who sought public jobs in order to enrich themselves.
“They are known for making strange demands when an opportunity arises,” he said.
“They made demands for exit packages and now they are making these demands wanting to take the opportunity of the referendum. They have no national
vision, they are opportunists who are there to milk suffering Zimbabweans.”
Another University of Zimbabwe lecturer Charity Manyeruke said MPs wrongly assumed that their roles were a form of employment.
“Being an MP is not a form of employment, it’s national service and should not be a self-enriching project,” she said.
“These MPs made themselves available to serve the nation and they are supposed to have their own resources.
“If there is an exercise, why not have MPs in their constituencies to minimise on the costs.”
Her sentiments were echoed by Zapu leader Dumiso Dabengwa who said the current crop of MPs was selfish.
“They are outrageous demands,” he said.
“During our time as MPs until 2000 we bought vehicles through a Parliament scheme and those are the vehicles we used (for the outreach programme).
“We paid for them and if you left Parliament without finishing off the debt, the company would pursue you until you finished paying off.
“I bought the Prado that I am still using until today in 1996 and if you were a minister you would get the vehicle after using it for four years.”
He said most people now sought political positions to enrich themselves rather than to serve the people.
“We went to Parliament because we agreed to work for the people and we sacrificed a lot of time for the people, but it looks like Parliament has now become a way of enriching people,” the former Home Affairs minister said.
Copac co-chairperson Douglas Mwonzora (MDC –T) said the MPs would “only get what they are entitled to by law”.
Odinary Zimbabweans who spoke to NewsDay said the demands by the MPs must come as a warning to the electorate ahead of elections expected in July.
Nkosinathi Moyo, reacting to the story on NewsDay’s Facebook wall, said the MPs must “not get even a penny because they were useless and always fighting” for themselves.
“Our MPs are fortune seekers without a heart for their people. They are somehow self-centred,” said Regayi Steven Katikiti on the social network site.
Last year Finance minister Tendai Biti rejected pressure from MPs to set aside money for their exit packages in this year’s budget. But the government was the same year forced to write off $9 million in MPs car loan scheme after the legislators failed to repay the money.
The MPs were supposed to pay $30 000 each for the cars. In 2011, Treasury gave legislators a lump sum of $15 000 each for outstanding salaries following pressure from the MPs. The current MPs have also been given at least three top-of-the-range vehicles since their election in 2008.
