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Youth Forum condemns Zimbabwean senate
Youth Forum
October 30, 2013

View this article on the Youth Forum website

In an article written in the Newsday on October 23, 2013 it was brought to our attention that the Senate adjourned after sitting for only 18 minutes when senators failed to contribute to debate on two motions one for the presidential speech and the other one on the report of the 62nd session of the executive committee of the African Parliamentary Union (APU).

As Youth Forum we believe that the state incurs huge expenditures in bringing these ‘honourable’ men and women to the August House to debate bills and motions of critical national importance.

Sitting for only 1080 seconds, enjoying luxurious accommodation and being paid exorbitant allowances only goes miles to show that our elected leaders lack seriousness or knowledge of what is expected of them by the electorate. While some are enjoying all these luxuries in the name of government business, 2.2 million Zimbabweans face starvation with multitudes of young men and women already dropping out of school due to gnashing hunger in their communities. Unemployment hovers over 80% with social services delivery (water, health, electricity supply etc.) in intensive care unit.

This is made worse by the fact that the new Constitution has made the 8th parliament unnecessarily huge; with more than 300 MPs squeezing for space in a Parliament that was initially build to accommodate less than 120 members. This is putting unwarranted pressure on the fiscus, further frustrating an electorate/tax payers who are expected to foot the luxury bills for their non-performing elected leaders.

Contacted for comments, Youth Forum National board Chairperson Ms Sally Dura, strongly condemned that with the myriad of problems which the country is facing, the House of Assembly is failing to discuss and take actions on the many economic and social difficulties bedeviling the young people in Zimbabwe.

The chairperson further calls on the members of the Senate to vacate their positions now without wasting government resources if they are not competent and capable to execute their duties properly.

Building on this, Youth Forum Chitungwiza District Chairperson Philemon Jambaya, realizes on a disappointed note: “Our senators are not serious, how can they fail to bring a motion in the upper house but at the same time succeed in fattening their pockets by collecting traveling and accommodation allowances”.

It is reported that the first motion on the presidential speech failed to attract debate while the other motion on the report of the 62nd session of the executive committee of the African Parliamentary Union (APU) was wound up by the mover Matabeleland North senator Thokozile Mathuthu and was adopted within a few minutes.

After encouraging masses of youth to vote in the last 2013 harmonized elections, the Youth Forum members feel cheated by their elected leaders since they seem to be clueless on what ought to be done to solve the challenges that they are facing.

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