The reason I am talking like this Mr. Speaker is that there are many people who are unable to speak for themselves – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] – and if we do not speak for them, they will be looking and saying, what are we coming to Parliament for. The rate of accidents that have been happening on our highways has been very high. I travel a lot, I am 400km away from Harare and every time I come to Harare, there will be an accident on the road.
Mr. Speaker Sir, when you look at it, the people who are affected are the same people who elected us to come into this august House. The loss of one life is one too many – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] – Mr. Speaker, talking about this, we have third party insurances which, before you even licence your vehicle you are told to go and get your insurance and a third party is meant to cater for deaths and injuries. However, Mr. Speaker, I am sorry to say that it is almost a scam of making money.
We, as Parliamentarians in this august House, from Ministerial to whatever position from the lowest paid member of Government, contribute towards medical aid. The reason why we contribute is because we know that anything can happen. Mr. Speaker Sir, in life, your health comes first and everything else, whether it is your position, your money or whatever that follows. With no good health, all that falls away. I am saying all this because we have people like Cuthbert Dube, who took our money and nothing was done to him. He walked away scot free with millions of dollars but when one of our relatives – I mean my wife takes medication every month and without that medication, it is a problem. She cannot sustain it but she has to get that medicine. So, I always have to make sure that I have got extra funds, yet I am paying medical aid.
What more when I am in Harare, in Parliament, busy debating and one of my six children at school need the services of a doctor and they do not accept medical aid. What is going to happen, yet month after month I contribute. Whether the money reaches the society or not, it should not be upon us, especially in Government institutions. We thought that maybe by clearing Cuthbert Dube out of the system, something would happen. Now, we are allowing organisations to make certain statements and to actually say what they are going to do.
Mr. Speaker, this is a very important issue and I feel that the Minister of Finance and Economic Development should come and address us regarding this issue. I say that because Treasury releases money and if it is not releasing money, tell us then give it to us to pay for ourselves. But if we say we are up-to-date with our medical aid payments and we have no overdraft on the medical aid but still find that at the end of the day, Holder will not be treated simply because he needs $25. It is not every minute that a person can have money in his pocket. This is why it is important that we need to make sure that on some of the laws, Hon. Members have to put mechanisms in place so that at least a person will be compelled by the law.
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