Parliament is often regarded as an august house, which means an honourable and revered place, but lately there is little honour to it and is being reduced to nothing more than a partisan public house.
staff reporter
It is saddening to learn how parliamentarians are taking polarised and partisan positions on issues that affect the country and need to be resolved.
Last week, Zanu PF legislators walked out of the National Assembly after a motion to discuss police brutality was raised.
This forced another sitting on Friday, a day when the legislature does not normally convene, and again there was no quorum and they are supposed to sit again tomorrow.
The same situation prevailed when a motion to discuss missing activist, Itai Dzamara was introduced in the legislature and we begin to ask whether legislators, particularly Zanu PF ones, are averse to debating human rights issues.
Recent cases of police brutality are well-documented and this is tarnishing the country’s image.
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Right now Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa is going round the world pleading for a bailout, but nobody is going to give money to a country where police officers brutalise people whose only crime is to protest while carrying flowers.
Also, the country is not likely to attract significant tourism, when the picture of Zimbabwe — that many foreigners would have seen last — is of a police officer standing with his foot on the neck of a prostrate protestor.
Without realising it, Zanu PF legislators are shooting themselves in the foot and shortchanging Zimbabweans each time they walk out of Parliament when such motions are introduced.
It is in the country’s best interests that police brutality is debated in Parliament, as this will show that at least there’s some semblance of rule of law and that the legislature is seized with the matter, rather than the current scenario where it is seems impunity is encouraged.
There is probably a mistaken belief that police brutality is a preserve for opposition parties, however, as war veterans can testify, they were sent scurrying for cover, as their relations with Zanu PF began to cool.
Thus, these legislators must know that one day the shoe may be on the other foot and they may be victims, and the only way to stop that is by ensuring that police brutality is stemmed right now.
Walking out of Parliament is an infantile gesture and if Zanu PF legislators feel the police are doing a good job, then they should stay put, debate and put their points across.
What are they afraid of or whom are they trying to protect by walking out of Parliament when the motion is introduced?
