Zimbabwe MP complains: what can I do with a paltry $1 000 a month

*HON. CHINOTIMBA: Madam Speaker, I am not sure when we have such problems for the Clerk of Parliament or you as the Speaker to invite the Minister of Finance and Economic Development to come and explain the position to the House. I am saying this because we are supposed to be debating other parliamentary business yet we are here debating on our welfare.

If this was happening at the trade unions, we would summon the managing director of a company because he knows that there is no progress from aggrieved workers. Why are we not summoning the respective Minister who is responsible for this portfolio to come and address this issue once and for all? Both Hon. Speaker and Chief Whips are here and yet we have the correct officials who are there. In our case, we even have the Chief Whips who can whip us into line. So what we do not want is for us as Members of Parliament to go on an illegal strike or job action and refuse to go to the committee tomorrow. That is why I am saying you should summon both the current and the former Minister of Finance and Economic Development to come and tell us where the money is and when it will be disbursed. I thank you.

*THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order Hon. Members. You have brought up a very noble idea that we have to invite the Minister but the Minister may tell us that he has some other commitments. What I would propose is instead of summoning him now, let us give him a date to come and respond to our grievances.

HON. MATUKE: Before I propose the adjournment of the House, I think the Members are complaining because they are owed by Parliament. They are not greedy because they also need to get their money that is owed to them by Parliament. Furthermore they are entitled to Constituency Development Funds, they deserve it because it is their right. So, because of the tempers that are in this House I do not think we can proceed with the debate. I move that the debate do now adjourn.

Motion put and agreed to.

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This post was last modified on October 20, 2017 12:40 pm

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Charles Rukuni

The Insider is a political and business bulletin about Zimbabwe, edited by Charles Rukuni. Founded in 1990, it was a printed 12-page subscription only newsletter until 2003 when Zimbabwe's hyper-inflation made it impossible to continue printing.