MDC legislators have today found themselves in huge trouble
after Parliament constituted a Privileges Committee to investigate whether
their conduct was not in contempt of Parliament when they boycotted sittings
that were attended by President Mnangagwa.
Speaker of the National Assembly, Advocate Jacob Mudenda
announced that Parliament’s Committee on Rules and Orders Committee had
appointed an eight-member Committee to be chaired by Mudzi South legislator,
Cde Jonathan Samukange (Zanu-PF) to come up with appropriate punishment should
they find the opposition legislators guilty of contempt of Parliament.
The decision followed successive incidents since 2017 when
MDC Alliance legislators would refuse to rise or recognise the presence of the
Head of State and Government each time he attended the Chamber in line with
Parliament’s customs and practices.
Other members of the Committee are Cde Omega Hungwe
(Dzivaresekwa), Cde Cecil Kashiri (Magunje), Cde Kindness Paradza (Makonde),
Cde Alignia Samson (Proportional Representation), Cde Levi Mayihlome
(Umzingwane), Cde Stars Mathe (Nkayi South) and Senator Joseph Chirongoma
(Mashonaland West).
Adv Mudenda gave the detailed terms of reference.
“The terms of reference for the Privileges Committee are as
follows: to investigate the conduct of MPs of the MDC-A in consecutive
instances whereby they (1) (a) did not rise for His Excellency the President
(b) walked out of Parliament on His Excellency and (c) did not bother to attend
Parliament whenever His Excellency the President attended,” he said.
“(2) To establish whether such conduct as outlined above
constitutes contempt of Parliament and any other incident that may arise from
the investigation, and to report its findings and recommendations to the
National Assembly by the 28th of February 2020.”
He said the decision to constitute the Privileges Committee
by the Standing Rules and Orders Committee followed a point of privilege raised
by Zanu-PF Chief Whip Cde Pupurai Togarepi regarding the conduct of the
MDC-Alliance where he said since 2017, they did not rise as a mark of respect
or walked out of the Chamber each time President Mnangagwa attended sittings in
his official capacity.
The Standing Rules and Orders Committee (SROC) is made up
of senior representatives of all parties.
“Honourable Togarepi found the behaviour by the MPs to be
grossly disrespectful of the office and person of the Head of State and
Government in terms of Parliamentary customs and practices which the
institution of Parliament in any jurisdiction is expected to observe,” said Adv
Mudenda.
“He also found such conduct to undermine the dignity and
integrity of the August House. The Speaker ruled that there existed a prima
facie case of contempt of Parliament and accordingly the National Assembly
resolved that the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders appoints a Privileges
Committee to investigate the conduct of the MDC-A and come up with corrective
punitive measures.”
Three months ago, Adv Mudenda directed that MDC Alliance
legislators lose their sitting allowances for the day when they failed to
attend the State of the Nation Address (SONA) delivered by the President.
Herald
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