The past week Members of Parliament (MPs) coming together across all the political divide, calling for the government to handle their welfare well the same way as other arms of government, which are the Executive and the Judiciary.
By Hanyani Matitemba,our Reader
The legislators argued that they were losing respect from the public as they were treated differently from other arms of government.
In addition, the MPs pointed out that they were living like paupers when they were supposed to look big as they are the ones representing the electorate in their different constituencies. They further argued that since they are the ones representing the electorate around the country, they were supposed to be respected the same way as the Executive and the Judiciary are respected in the country.
Those parliamentarians believe that their positions in the House of Assembly entitle them to look great, hence there was no need for them to be looked down upon by government and its institutions.
That debate in which the MPs called for equal standing with the Executive and the Judiciary came after Buhera West MP Oliver Mandipaka had brought forward a motion which called for MPs to have an oversight role over the Executive.
Mandipaka brought the motion when some MPs were debating a report from Zimbabwe’s delegation on consultations with the Pan African Parliament and other regional parliaments on the provision of constitutionalism and the rule of law in Africa, that was held last year in South Africa.
Such a motion by Mandipaka was met with resistance from the MPs as they said that they could not have an oversight role over the Executive since they were treated like ordinary people in the country. They further said that they were living like paupers yet the Executive and the Judiciary were enjoying their positions in government as they are supplied with necessary resources to tackle their duties well without problems. They also said that they need to have diplomatic passports since the Executive and the Judiciary do possess the same.
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Reading such concerns raised by the parliamentarians makes one feel pity for them, but others would also want to ask the same whether they real know their objectives of being in Parliament.
Some parliamentarians are of the mistaken belief that they were elected into Parliament to appear big and live lavishly at the expense of the electorate. It should be known by these parliamentarians that they should spend their time with the electorate and not to cry for lavish spending when the economic situation in the country does not allow that.
These MPs should be aware that the economic situation does not allow for any unnecessary spending of taxpayers’ money. They need to realise that when they were voted into Parliament, they went there as representatives of the masses, not for their personal enrichment.
It should be known by these MPs that the people they are representing need development in those constituencies which they represent.
While they have a genuine reason that they are the arm of the State, hence they should be treated equally the same as the Executive and the Judiciary, that should not make them forget their mandates of being in Parliament. While it should be realised that they need to be treated the same way as the Executive and the Judiciary, they also need to realise that they should spend most of their time with the electorate finding means to develop their constituencies.
Those MPs should not waste time by coming up with some misplaced priorities as such moves would come to haunt them after the 2018 harmonised elections since the electorate would have dumped them out of that august House.
