THERE was drama in the National Assembly yesterday, which
resulted in Zengeza West MP Job Sikhala (MDC Alliance) losing his temper and
angrily labelling the Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda “a
dictator”, adding that he was “turning Parliament into a kangaroo House” due to
his rulings which were against opposition legislators.
Tempers flared after Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi and
the Speaker barred main opposition MDC legislators from asking ministers
questions relating to President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s State of the Nation
Address (Sona).
They said opposition MPs could not debate Mnangagwa’s Sona
since they boycotted the address early this month.
What triggered the melee was when Proportional
Representation MP Jasmine Toffa (MDC Alliance) asked Public Service minister
Sekai Nzenza why the aged, sick and other vulnerable people were asked to pay
for transport in order to receive food aid.
Instead of Nzenza responding to the question, Ziyambi
interjected and said: “In terms of our Constitution, there is a Cabinet
appointed by the President with a collective responsibility. In terms of the
same Constitution, there is a Legislature constituting of MPs and the President
who appointed Cabinet. If they (MDC) do not recognise the President, then they
cannot extend a question and expect an answer from a minister appointed by the
President.”
Mudenda then buttressed Ziyambi’s points and he ruled that
the Justice minister’s assertions would stand and Zanu PF MPs cheered.
Norton MP Temba Mliswa (Independent) then tried to stand
with the MDC legislators, saying that they had already been punished enough
after the Speaker ruled last month that they would lose five months’ allowances
for snubbing Mnangagwa. Mudenda ignored Mliswa’s point of order.
The Speaker ordered Toffa out of the House, and when she
refused, Mudenda then sent the seargeant-at-arms Nicholas Marufu to eject her
out of the chamber.
MDC MPs then cordoned off Toffa and vowed that she would
not go out as they challenged the Speaker and Ziyambi’s ruling barring them
from participating during question-and-answer sessions.
Police stationed at Parliament Building were then unleashed
on the MDC legislators to forcefully eject Toffa, but she was heavily cordoned
off by her colleagues, who also shouted at the police telling them that they
were not allowed inside Parliament and must leave. The police then left after
noticing that the situation might result in ugly scenes.
Seeing that the Speaker would not budge, Sikhala became
highly emotional and he started shouting at the Speaker after he tried to raise
a point of order and was denied.
“Having shown that you do not want to hold this institution
as a democracy, you have reduced this Parliament to a kangaroo Parliament. I
and my MPs tried to raise a point of order on the constitutionality of your
ruling, but you have denied us. As a result, I withdraw my sympathy for you for
what happened to you when you were eating ice cream (in Serbia). You are
turning this institution into a dictatorial institution,” Sikhala charged.
“You are torturing our MPs on a daily basis. It is not
allowed. Why are you abusing us? We are not kids.”
In Serbia, Mudenda was accosted while dining by a ZimEye
journalist, who accused him of being undemocratic and asking him why he cut
allowances for MDC legislators for snubbing the President.
Mudenda warned Sikhala to respect his authority as the
chair, but Sikhala dug in.
“I used to have huge respect for you, but today, that
honour has reduced to a quarter. You have disappointed me Mr Speaker.”
Mudenda responded: “I cannot accept to be challenged by an
MP. I ask you to leave the House.”
Sikhala then cooled down and apologised to Mudenda and
later he left, leaving Mutare Central MP Innocent Gonese to challenge the
Speaker demanding constitutional clarity as to the basis of his ruling to bar
the opposition from asking questions.
Gonese demanded that the Speaker explains the implication
as to whether this would mean that the opposition MPs were now barred from
debating motions and Bills before Parliament.
Mudenda refused to respond to him and he ruled that the
opposition chief whip Prosper Mutseyami and Zanu PF chief whip Pupurai Togarepi
had reached an agreement over the issue,
which Mutseyami was supposed to communicate to the
opposition.
The Speaker then ordered questions without notice to resume
and left, leaving acting Speaker William Mutomba to preside over the House.
Mliswa then asked Mutomba to explain how the written
questions would proceed as most were from members of the opposition and the
ministers were not around to respond to them.
He then started shouting at the few ministers present,
saying their counterparts were letting down Mnangagwa by truancy.
Mliswa then moved towards Zanu PF benches, where he pointed
at ministers and MPs, labelling them G40 members who were sabotaging Mnangagwa
by failing to attend Parliament.
Sensing that the situation was getting out of hand, Ziyambi
then moved for the adjournment of the House, and Zanu PF MPs left, leaving
their MDC counterparts singing “Chamisa, Chamisa”. Newsday
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