THE Parliament of Zimbabwe has come under fire for failing
to play its oversight role on the use of public resources, amid indications
that several decisions have been made by the government without its
involvement.
The Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (Zimcodd)
said parliamentarians were supposed to be at the forefront of the response to
the COVID-19 outbreak, passing exceptional measures and emergency Bills to
address the health crisis.
Zimcodd said in Zimbabwe, Parliament was adjourned after
President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s declaration of COVID-19 a state of national
disaster on March 17.
“A month later, still Parliament has not issued even a
statement on how the institution is contributing to the fight against the
pandemic while maintaining their oversight role on the use of public
resources,” Zimcodd said.
Legislators attending a Zimcodd virtual indaba recently
confessed that they were only learning of what was happening in the country “through
social media and grapevine”.
“Several decisions have been made without the involvement
of Parliament, let alone the Portfolio Committees on Health and Child Care,
Budget and Finance and Public Accounts. In essence, there is no legislative
effort from the Parliament of Zimbabwe to limit the negative social and
economic impacts on the most vulnerable,” Zimcodd said.
Contributing to the meeting, Zimbabwe Congress of Trade
Unions president Peter Mutasa said: “The challenge we have is that the lockdown
did not only inactivate Parliament, but rather fragmented the voice of citizens
who have the right to demand for transparency and accountability in the
management of resources.”
Zimcodd said the conspicuous silence on the part of
Parliament leaves a lot to be desired considering that parliamentarians have a
crucial function to oversee this response, as well as evaluate and swiftly pass
emergency legislation to approve funds needed to meet the needs of the
populations they serve.
“This guarantees transparency and accountability which is
crucial in building public trust in the government’s response to the pandemic.
Without such, citizens tend to speculate, especially when all important
decisions are left in the hands of the Executive. In other words, the
Parliament of Zimbabwe is doing the nation a disservice,” the socio-economic
justice watchdog said.
“The effects of decisions being made today by functional
arms of the State will affect citizens now and post-COVID-19 crisis.”
Zimcodd said the government should put in place mechanisms
for ensuring that the management of public resources in response to disasters
should ensure that stakeholders are held accountable for the way they use
public resources and exercise authority.
Civic society organisation representatives, academics and
legislators that attended a Public Finance Management indaba held virtually by
Zimcodd on April 23 recommended that legislators and Parliament staff should be
designated as essential service providers.
They said the Speaker of Parliament should, as a matter of
urgency, come up with modalities for Parliament, (through its various
structures, committees) to reconvene and resume sittings where decisions of
national importance are made.
“If it is feasible for the Executive and Judiciary to
conduct business, arrangements should also be made to allow Parliament to
conduct business. Portfolio committees can meet on virtual platforms,” they
demanded.
The organisation said legislators should also be allowed to
conduct business in their constituencies in line with their representation and
oversight mandate.
“In line with the above, to ensure continued transparency
and accountability of public resources there is need for co-ordination with
local authorities in understanding the needs at the grassroot level.”
The MPs and civic society groups said there was also need
to devise ways of ensuring timely relief and disbursements of aid within an
acceptable degree of risk and that fiscal stimulus measures must be put in
place to support economic activity.
Reached for comment, the Speaker of Parliament, Jacob
Mudenda said they had not abdicated their role, but were just on recess until
the end of May.
“We have not abdicated our responsibility at all. We are on
recess until the end of May,” he said. Newsday
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