MDC-T complains about ZANU-PF walkouts that are killing debates on its motions in Parliament

The end result was that no business could be transacted and the House had to adjourn to the 23nd August since there was no quorum and the ZANU PF Members present had risen to 8. On Tuesday this week, Honourable Chamisa again presented his motion but in a predetermined move, the Speaker warned that this would be the last chance.  Again the MDC T mustered the required numbers in support of the motion and in a repeat performance, no ZANU PF MP saw it fit to support the discussion of this critical and crucial motion. This time they did not even allow the House to sit up to the appointed time for the adjournment of the House to debate the motion but instead began to move out of the House before 5pm and thereafter the issue of quorum was raised and the bells were rung and the House again had to adjourn to Wednesday the 23rd August 2016.

What is disturbing and disgusting is that this was not the first time it had happened because similar tactics were used to kill debate and discussion on the disappearance of Itai Dzamara in March 2016 and also on the motion to discuss the appalling behaviour of Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko who in addition to overstaying his welcome at Rainbow Towers Hotel had also gone to a police station to unprocedurally secure the release of his “boys” from ZINARA who had been arrested.

It is regrettable that the August House has failed to discuss the definite matters of urgent public importance and history will judge the anti- people behaviour exhibited by ZANU PF Members of Parliament.  One does not need a degree in nuclear physics in order to figure out why they are behaving in this manner.  They definitely have something to hide.

The motion by Honourable Chamisa is clearly targeted at what are believed to be rogue elements in the Police “Service”, but the reaction of ZANU PF leads to the inescapable conclusion that the behaviour of the police has been sanctioned at the highest level. We have a new Constitution in terms of which the Police Force is supposed to be transformed into a Police Service but the mentality of the police has not changed from colonial times and one is tempted to believe that the acronym ZRP stands for Zimbabwe Rhodesia Police as it appears that the same brutal force used against blacks by the racist regime is similar to the tactics used by the ZRP against peace loving Zimbabweans who are merely exercising their rights as enshrined in the Constitution of Zimbabwe.

Furthermore, the powers that be have not condemned this behaviour leading to suspicion that the behaviour is at their command and behest.  The conduct of ZANU PF Members of Parliament seems to suggest that they do not only condone this appalling conduct but that in fact they are complicit and acting in collusion with the perpetrators of police brutality and are in fact accomplices.  Genuine and rational representatives of the people cannot stoop so low as to suppress the right of the August institution that they are part of from doing its duty and carry out its work.  However, the MDC T Caucus will not be deterred and we shall continue to champion the rights of the people who elected us to represent them as opposed to those who rigged their way into Parliament.

Innocent Gonese
MDC Chief Whip and Member of Parliament for Mutare Central

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