A prominent member of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), Fadzayi Mahere says the party’s legislators are ready to withdraw from Parliament if the Citizens’ National Assembly instructs them to do so.
Mahere, who is the MP for Mt Pleasant, however, warned that if CCC withdraws its legislators from Parliament, ZANU PF will be able to amend the Constitution willy-nilly and create a one-party State. She wrote on X (formerly Twitter):
I can assure you that if the @CCCZimbabwe’s Citizens’ National Assembly resolves that we should withdraw from Parliament, we will.
To put the matter to bed, in October, Parliamentarians and Councillors were ordered to disengage from Parliament pursuant to a resolution of the CNA. This was complied with by everyone.
Missing from the discourse, however, is a critique of the consequences of such a withdrawal. Are citizens prepared to hand Zanu PF a two-thirds majority on a silver plate?
Are we aware that they’ll be able to wantonly amend the Constitution including removing term limits for a sitting “President”?
Do we know this means ED could rule for life? What will the withdrawal mean for policymaking? Are we prepared for budgetary discussions to happen under the cover of night with no representation?
Will parliamentary committees be effective if politicians of the same party only are investigating each other’s work?
Will the threat of the whipping system not hamper the necessary oversight function? Would we be happy to have statutory instruments considered in our absence and deemed constitutional without scrutiny?
Are we happy to have legislation passed without any contribution from the citizens through committees or debates?
Are we okay with reports of national institutions being swept under the carpet? Would we be comfortable with Question Time being reduced to a box-ticking, choreographed exercise because nobody is there to ask the hard questions?
Are we happy to surrender to a one-party state? What would be the next step and how will be achieved?
Or are we prepared to fight hard under tough conditions for the citizens’ voices to be heard in spite of the odds?
I don’t know what the answer is but I know that being an MP is gruelling, time-consuming and requires a lot of hard work, thinking and service.
Some MPs can earn in an hour what Parly “pays” in three months. Many sacrifices are made.
May the voice and best interests of the people win as we all work towards a better Zimbabwe.
More: Pindula News