Mliswa calls for amendment of Zimbabwe Constitution to stop recalling of MPs

HON. T. MLISWA:  No, ndini ndavhura iyi ndakaita research ka, not zvekutamba.  Pane research apa, bvunzai Hon. Dr. Khupe, vanokuudzai kuti pane research.  Kana ndave kutaura nyaya dzeScottish Parliament iresearch, aah ndakashanda apa.

So you know, the constituency is suffering because you are not sticking to core issues yet the party strength is in representing people.  The party must be geared on developmental programmes.  I challenge any political party in this country to show me the development programme that they have of their ward, constituency and so forth where they can show me the money because political parties only fundraise during elections but never fundraise for Members of Parliament or councillors to work yet they are allowed to do so.  I have never seen a budget of development issues from a political party. I have never seen a political party saying that we want to do 20 boreholes, here is the money and I have never seen a political party coming up with a sanitary wear campaign.

So now you have people involved in party politics and it is no wonder why 50% of the Members of Parliament, in most sessions do not come back.  It is because they are absent from the constituency but they are present at gossip meetings for political parties.  So the electorate watches and when it watches, it makes a determination pertaining to that.  As such, it is policy symbol of what many perceive to be wrong with our politics that is played by internal rules of the Westminster class.  When we debate and talk about the Westminster elite, it is important that it is respected without enough regard to the people we are supposed to represent.

Whipping belongs to the time when class identities were stronger and two parties took the vast majority of the votes.  Then there was perhaps some justification for organising Parliament into two highly disciplined teams.  This bipolar partisanship is now out of date.  I repeat – the politics of not putting national interests first is out of date. No wonder why this House is the National House of Assembly, so national issues must be prioritised and not party issues.  When we vote for a Bill or an amendment, it does not serve the party; it serves the nation because we do not know who the next leader will be.  So we do that fully understanding that this is something for the party.

A good example is the late former President R. G. Mugabe.  We moved the first amendment in this House and that first amendment was to appoint a Chief Justice but within the Constitution, there was also a section to impeach him due to misconduct, which then haunted him.  So the very same Constitution that you talk about has got provisions of whoever you give power to and they fail to discharge their power – mistakes arise.  The more power you have, the higher the failure rate is.  So Parliament again, has got that aspect of ensuring that there is scrutiny on whatever happens.

I am never worried about giving anybody power because I know that the very same Constitution takes you out of work as well if you fail. It is like a contract at work, while you are employed to pay a lot of money and you know that most people paid a lot of money in these contracts and when the company is closing, they are the first ones to be fired. We must understand that it also comes with a price, that is why I never worry about that.

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