Q & A:
*HON. CHINOTIMBA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I did not want to debate but I wish to debate on the Privileges of Parliament. There was a question which I asked during your presence and I also held a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The question was that there are some Members of Parliament who were given red passports of privileges and some were not given. When you look at the Parliament of South Africa even Hon. Malema was issued a red passport. If you visit Europe, for the reason that one is a Member of Parliament, they are issued with diplomatic passports. However, I have heard that there are a selected few who have been given that privilege. I am not feeling well, I just stood up, that is why today you hear that my speech is not as vibrant as I use to be. We need clarification on that. I would like to go and seek medical attention and what happens because of the kind of passport we have. We are not accorded that privilege. We are stopped and searched at every roadblock, yet I was voted into this position by my constituents. Why then should I be denigrated? I have also been told that the chairmen of portfolio committees and other members of your circle are regarded as Hon. MPs and accorded that privilege. Mr. Speaker Sir, I am not only an MP but I am also a veteran leader of commendable background.
When I look back at myself, I went to Romania for training and I was given that diplomatic passport with privileges to go with. I went to Bucharest and many other places and I was given that honour and aura but now that I am an elected MP who fought for the freedom of his country, I am discriminated against. I am not given the privilege to hold a diplomatic passport and that really pains me. This may force me to give up my seat and just go and be an ordinary peasant in my rural home.
I asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs about the issue of the diplomatic passport and his response was; “the diplomatic passport does not concern me but it is up to the Speaker who is the one who selects who should get that privilege and who should be denied.” Are you then asking us to go back to the people and ask them to vote for people who are favourites because as it is, we are inconsequential or nonentities? I thank you – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
*THE HON SPEAKER: Order, order Hon. Members. In response to your question Hon. Chinotimba, I will start by apologizing and say to you; as Hon Chinotimba, you are not feeling well and I sympathise with you, but you had that urge to come and seek clarification regarding the diplomatic passports. I salute you for that. First and foremost, the Hon. Speaker does not have the prerogative on the issuance of passports. Passports emanate from the Registrar General’s Office, on the recommendation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Regarding the issuance of diplomatic passports, I did write to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the request was for all MPs to be issued with diplomatic passports. The reason was for our MPs not to have problems whenever they travel around the globe. They should get that respect which is due to them but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied this request. I then went and discussed the issue with the Leader of the House, the Vice President, Hon. Mnangagwa, trying to look for ways to accord all MPs diplomatic passports. We agreed that we had to approach the Head of State on this issue. The Head of State asked for names, especially of MPs who attend statutory meetings at IPU, SADC-PF etcetera. We put those names down and handed them over to His Excellency, the President. Therefore, that is work-in- progress.
Your request has been heard and another meeting will be held with the Leader of the House, Vice President, Hon. Mnangagwa. We look forward to seeing your issue solved amicably because as far as we know, we are equal Members of Parliament and we should have the same privileges. No one is above the other, we are all the same. His Excellency will give us a response. So, I am pleading with you Hon. Members to give us time to work on this issue. I thank you.
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