Speaker of the National Assembly Advocate Jacob Mudenda
yesterday thwarted attempts by MDC-Alliance legislator Innocent Gonese, to
raise through a point of privilege in the House the matter involving the
withdrawal of sitting allowances of members of the opposition party after they
walked out on President Mnangagwa during his presentation of the State of the
Nation Address early this month.
The opposition legislators had their sitting allowances for
the day of the walkout and the preceding five months withdrawn after they
refused to acknowledge the President when entered the chamber as a sign of
respect.
They subsequently walked out when he was presenting his
SONA and official opening the Second Session of the Ninth Parliament.
MPs receive $700 per sitting and Parliament has since
docked the allowances ranging from $9 000 to $15 000.
“On Tuesday October 1, 2019 in this august House, the chair
exercised certain powers which in my view were punitive and arbitrary in
nature,” said Mr Gonese.
He was, however, immediately ruled out of order by Advocate
Mudenda who said the matter could not be raised in the House since the
MDC-Alliance had already written to his office on the matter.
The MDC-Alliance MPs wrote to the Speaker seeking reversal
of the ruling arguing there was no legal provision that empowered him to dock
their allowances and said they will sue him after he ignored their demands.
Meanwhile, Advocate Mudenda said the judgment of the
Privileges Committee set up to investiagate allegations of corruption against
Norton legislator Temba Mliswa and three others would soon be tabled in
Parliament.
Mr Mliswa was accused together with Messers Anele Ndebele
(Magwegwe), Leonard Chikomba ( Gokwe North) and Prince Sibanda (Binga North) of
demanding US$400 000 from Mr James Ross Goddard as facilitation fee to enable
his company JRG Contracting (Pvt) Ltd mine coal at Hwange.
Advocate Mudenda said the report would be tabled in
Parliament once the chairperson of the Privileges Committee, Chief Fortune
Charumbira, who is out of the country, returned. Herald
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