MDC Senate chief whip Lillian Timveous says her party legislators
will next week enter Parliament with their mouths gagged in protest over Zanu
PF MPs’ disruptive behaviour during committee meetings.
They are also bitter over an unofficial gag order imposed
on them by Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi.
The opposition legislators said they were also concerned
over the push to have them investigated and punished for refusing to recognise
President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
The MDC chairs eight portfolio committees in the National
Assembly and two thematic committees in the Senate and their sittings have
often been disrupted by the ruling party in revenge to the opposition snub of
the President.
Timveous, who also sits in the Standing Rules and Orders
Committee (SROC), told NewsDay recently that the MDC was tired of the
squabbling and had no option except to protest. She said Zanu PF was planning
to change the standing rules and orders and form a Privileges Committee to
investigate MDC legislators for walking out on Mnangagwa in Parliament.
“They are disrupting the committees chaired by the
opposition because they do not want to be investigated for corruption,”
Timveous said.
“Next week, we will come with sellotape wedged on our
mouths in protest that we have been gagged in Parliament as an opposition and
we are not allowed to speak anymore,” she said.
Timveous said when the SROC sat last Thursday to try and
resolve the impasse; Zanu PF attempted to set up a Privileges Committee made up
of its members only to investigate the MDC legislators for walking out on
Mnangagwa.
“We then walked out of the SROC because we cannot allow a
Privileges Committee composed of members of Zanu PF only to investigate us.
Parliament is not Zanu PF headquarters. It uses public funds and the Zanu PF
chief whip Pupurai Togarepi cannot even tell us that we do not deserve the
Parliament vehicles because they are not funded by Mnangagwa. Those are
Parliament funds.”
Togarepi confirmed that his party wants the MDC legislators
investigated for snubbing Mnangagwa.
“Yes, we want them investigated because in our view they
are violating both the Constitution and the Standing Rules and Orders. We would
like Parliament to use powers vested in it to deal with the opposition MPs’
disorderly behaviour,” he said.
“The decision of the Constitutional Court in the election
dispute is final. They are actually in contempt of court and we cannot allow
such intransigence to go unchallenged. Funny enough, they do not raise the
legitimacy issue when there are benefits coming from government, but they do so
when they are expected to represent the electorate.
“The President together with Parliament forms the
legislature. They debate Bills which cannot be laws without the signature of
the same President they do not recognise. Such hypocrisy cannot be allowed in
our democracy and violating the Constitution in Parliament should be totally
condemned. These terrorist tendencies should be stopped immediately,” Togarepi
said. Newsday
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