THE Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Finance and Economic Development has complained over the paltry $20 million 2016 budget allocation for the Parliament of Zimbabwe, saying it is unconstitutional.
BY VENERANDA LANGA
While presenting the committee’s report on the 2016 National Budget, chairperson of the committee David Chapfika said the under-funding of Parliament breached section 325 of the Constitution.
“Your committee has observed with serious concern that Parliament has been allocated a paltry $20 255 000 against a bid of $48m for the 2016 financial year,” the committee report read.
“This allocation is not consistent with section 325 of the constitution which provides for adequate funding of Parliament, given its size.” Section 325 of the Constitution instructs the government to fund constitutional bodies and other institutions, including Parliament to enable them to perform their obligations effectively.
The committee said despite the paltry allocation, the Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa is aware that Parliament failed to effectively execute its mandate in the past, due to resource constraints.
Parliamentarians have often been kicked out of hotel rooms due to non-payment of bills, a move which they have always said is very embarrassing. In July this year, more than 40 MPs were chucked out of their hotel rooms because their bills had been unpaid.
In October, some MPs also revealed that due to failure by Parliament to pay them their $65 sitting allowances, they had resorted to selling their fuel coupons for cash in order to be able to serve their constituencies and to make their weekly trips to the capital to attend Parliament sittings.
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MPs sitting allowances amounts to $75 per day, but since the time of the Seventh Parliament, the institution has been failing to pay MPs the allowances and as a result, has accrued millions of dollars owed to legislators for sitting allowances.
However, Clerk of Parliament Kennedy Chokuda early this year told NewsDay that the amounts owed to current MPs in sitting allowances will be forfeited, so that it goes towards paying off their motor vehicle debts.
According to the 2016 budget statement, other priorities for Parliament in 2016 to 2018 include establishing a budget office, in-house digital printing press, live broadcast of Parliament and automation of key business processes at Parliament among others.
