What Zimbabwe MPs said about the Constitution Amendment Bill- Part Five

One thing that I would like to urge Zimbabweans and Members of Parliament, both sides of the House, when we speak about the President, let us separate between the incumbent President and the presidency, the institution. When we talk about the President of Zimbabwe and we are debating amendment of the Constitution, let us not talk about the President with President Robert Gabriel Mugabe in mind. Let us talk about the Office of the President as an institution. We have lived with President Mugabe for the past 37 years and we know what he can do and what he cannot do. I am actually very encouraged because the President allowed the current Chief Justice to be appointed using the process which is in the Constitution – it is because the President as a lawyer and as a person who has been in politics for as long as we can all remember, he recognises the importance of the Constitution and he knows that the process that is in the Constitution works. That is why he was able to apply it.

What we are saying is that the President, soon after using a process which he knows works, we are saying no the President should not have used that process which he knows works; let us now amend this process. The reason why there is all this debate from Members of this House, I and myself in particular want my son later on in life to then be able to carry the Hansard and say baba vangu vakazviramba izvi. This process does not work and my father stood up in Parliament and he said no to this process. That is the only reason why I am standing to debate . I know this amendment will go through because we are not in the majority – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – I can count from 1 to 397 and I know ZANU PF has a majority in this House. When it comes to voting they will be able to mobilise two thirds majority and this will go through. I know that. Hon. Majome and Hon. Misihairabwi-Mushonga know that this amendment will go through.  The reason we are debating is that we are putting it on record that we have said no to this process. That is the only thing that we are doing. History judges us by what we have done. If we are not careful, our children will spit on our graves to say you were in Parliament for five years and you allowed this deformity to go through; what were you doing?

 I then want to come to what Hon. Ziyambi said. I am thankful for his wisdom.  The reason why the Attorney General is not here is because the Attorney General knows that ZANU PF has a two thirds majority, so it will go through. The Attorney General should have been here to defend this because he is the person who give advice to Government. He is the architect of this amendment. He gives advice to the President and the Vice Presidents. He should have been here to defend the advice that he gave to the Vice President. The reason why he is in his office and saying allowing those fools in Parliament to make noise because he knows there is a two thirds majority in the ruling party, so it will go through. We cannot allow that to happen. He must come and subject himself to this Parliament and to this debate.

Continued next page

(223 VIEWS)