MDC-T legislator for Zengeza East Alexio Musundire yesterday claimed MPs were now fundraising through crossborder trading due to withholding of Constituency Development Funds.
VENERANDA LANGA SENIOR PARLIAMENTARY REPORTER
Musundire said this while debating a motion he introduced in the National Assembly calling on government to disburse finances allocated to political parties through the Political Parties Finances Act and CDF for MPs.
His motion comes at a time when political parties are struggling to get funding from within and from outside sources.
“I brought this motion before the House because government has not been releasing money for political parties financing, CDF, fuel coupons and allowances for MPs and it makes it difficult for legislators to work at their constituencies because they have been incapacitated,” Musundire said.
“The Ministry of Finance has been refusing to release funds for political parties their reasons being that there is no money, but we have diamonds, gold and wildlife — and due to economic hardships in the country it is difficult for people to pay subscriptions to finance political parties.”
Musundire claimed while Zanu PF was withholding funds for opposition parties, it was bankrolling itself and claimed that was how they managed to pay NIKUV and allegedly rigged the July 2013 elections.
Seconder of the motion and MDC-T chief whip, Innocent Gonese said lack of financial support for MPs left them wallowing in poverty.
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“People think MPs are swimming in money when actually we are wallowing in poverty. When people see us going to South Africa or China they think we are going for holidays when in fact we are doing crossborder trading.
“We may have necessary legal frameworks like the Political Parties Financing Act but we have serious challenges in implementation,” he said.
Gonese said financing political parties would prevent corruption, ensure political change while reserving money for competitive political campaigns.
Zanu PF chief whip Joram Gumbo said the motion was good, but should not be politicised.
“If we try to play political with such motions, we will spoil their importance,” said Gumbo.
MDC (Ncube) MP Priscilla Misihairabwi Mushonga said if political parties were not financed through the fiscus they ended up looking for other means of financing.
“This removes accountability as political parties will not audit themselves and some political parties can end up being funded elsewhere by organisations such as Boko Haram,” Misihairabwi Mushonga said.
