Controversial Zanu PF Mwenezi East MP whose sanctions motion has injected some life into the docile coalition Parliament that was content with sidelines bargaining before introducing lively debate on motions in Parliament for fear of rocking the fragile coalition government.
Zanu PF’s Mwenezi East MP Kudakwashe Bhasikiti deserves congratulations for opening a Pandora’s Box with his sanctions motion in Parliament.
The reason why Zanu PF organs believe they have concessions to give away to coalition government partners has been because the partners have failed to dictate the pace of Parliamentary debates by resorting to private party to party negotiations to achieve consensus before tabling motions that they were elected to represent in the august house.
But thanks to the Zanu PF hotheaded thuggish MP with a repute for violence all that...came to an end on Wednesday 3 February 2010 when he introduced a motion compelling the Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and his Deputy Arthur Mutambara to cause the US and EU to lift sanctions imposed against the Zanu PF regime that preceded the coalition government.
Suddenly Parliament which has been docile and passing motions unopposed erupted into life albeit in a manner unbefitting of behavior expected of members of the august house that Parliament is and must always be.
Stung by the undiluted manner the motion was brought to the House without prior inter party bargaining to gain support before its tabling as had become the norm, MDC-T MP’s tried in vain to stop the motion on frivolous grounds that the motion had ulterior motives to tarnish the image of the Premier and his Deputy who as co-principals of the coalition government must not be subjects of motions in parliament as there was the GPA forum in which issues pertaining to the trio were supposed to be resolved.
That was most disingenuous coming as it did from the MDC-T which has the most trust of ordinary Zimbabweans in matters relating democratic governance which Parliament is the highest institution.
Now we hear what we have always yearned to hear from the MDC-T that it will table the National Healing and Reconciliation motion in Parliament in retaliation to Bhasikiti’s sanctions motion.
We now hear that the MDC-T National Healing and Reconciliation motion has been gathering dust in the party archives after MDC-T legislator and Parliamentary Chief Whip Innocent Gonese was dissuaded from tabling it by Zanu PF Chief Whip Joram Gumbo.
The motion, we hear, petitions President Mugabe to instruct the Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri and Attorney General to arrest and prosecute named electoral violence messengers roaming the streets after murdering nearly 500 MDC-T supporters in the run up to the sham July 27 2008 Presidential runoff election.
This bodes well for a Parliament that had become so docile and irrelevant in articulating concerns of the electorate.
The MDC-T must realize that Zanu PF MP’s represent a constituency that has no obligation whatsoever to spare criticism of the Premier and his Deputies on matters that are of concern to the Zanu PF constituents.
In like manner MDC-T MP’s have no business defending the public image of a Zanu PF appointed Head of State in dereliction of duty simply because he is the Head of State and a co-Principal of the GNU.
If anything the MDC-T must capitalize on its numerical superiority in Parliament to take charge of the GPA which it has passed as Constitution Amendment No 19 (CA No 19) and table motions that hold the executive accountable for their signatures that converted the GPA into law.
We have in mind here motions to compel the President to dutifully convene the National Security Council meetings once every month as per CA No 19 Provisions.
How about a motion for the President to adhere to the spirit and letter of Constitutional Amendment No 19 and reverse the unprocedural appointments he effected after signing the GPA without consulting the other Principals stipulated in CA No 19.
Yet another motion the MDC-T must table forthwith is that compelling the President and Premier to institute the agreed Land Audit in CA19 and ensure the one man one farm concept is strictly enforced in land redistribution.
These are some of the issues the populace at large has been waiting to see addressed by Parliament but to their dismay are being left in the hands of the unelected inter party negotiating teams which are not making any headway in resolving the critical issues.
Instead there is much heckling about sanctions which no one other that disadvantaged Zanu PF bigwigs are interested in seeing lifted.
If such motions are tabled in parliament and defeated because of Zanu PF opposition the electorate will know what to do with those they elect to Parliament and then refuse to address their legitimate concerns in preference to defending their privileged positions.
It is all very well to resort to SADC mediation over GPA implementation omissions but if such approaches are made with supporting evidence that the Principals have ignored Parliamentary resolutions passed in motions the likelihood of SADC stepping in and compelling adherence is higher than when disputes are referred with no evidence of Legislative attempts to get the Executive to comply.
Bhasikiti may not have anticipated it but herein lies the best chance for the MDC-T to show the nation who is acting for the people or against them in the implementation of the GPA that the party can ill afford to miss.
Zanu PF propaganda will find it hard to report that MPs representing the party have voted against motions demanding prosecution of the people who killed opponents during the Presidential runoff and looted property from opponents.
If Zanu PF supports the motions it will lose the trust of the people it has relied upon to violently rig elections and either way the MDC-T will emerge stronger than it has ever been.
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