|
Back to Index
This article participates on the following special index pages:
NGO Bill - Index of Opinion and Analysis
The
NGO Bill process, as a matter of record
National
Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (NANGO)
December 16, 2004
- Nango was
invited by the government to input into the drafting of the new
NGO law as way back as 2002. NANGO extensively consulted its over
1000 members, came up with a model law and discussed it thouroughly
with the Ministry of Public Service Labour and Social Welfare
and the respective Portifolio Committee. Inpsite of NANGO having
been assured that government was going to take the concerns of
NGOs on board NONE OF THE ISSUES RAISED WERE INCORPORATED
IN THE NEW LAW
- In 2003,
NANGO, held several meetings with the Parliamentary Portifolio
Committee on Public Service Labour and Social Welfare- Chiared
by Hon Dokora [ZANU PF] to discuss submissions of NGOs [The Committee
agreed that the proposals from NANGO were sound - BUT
STILL NONE OF THE ISSUES RAISED WERE INCORPORATED IN THE NEW LAW
- On the 7th
of September 2004, at a Public Hearing on the NGO Bill, convened
by Parliament of Zimbabwe all NGO, students, beneficiaries and
individual delegates agreed that the proposed NGO law certainly
leaves a lot to be desired and as such should not pass in its
current state. Of the 455 delagates at the hearing, only one person
from the Zimbabwe Federation of Trade Unions said the Bill was
good- for the reasons you all know. A second hearing was convened
and all stakeholders unanimously agreed that the Bill was repressive,
full of inconsistencies and therefore needed to be amended. The
Parliamentary Commitee assured stakeholders that their views were
going to be considered- UNFORTUNATELY NONE OF THE ISSUES
RAISED WERE INCORPORATED IN THE NEW LAW.
- On the 24-
27 September NANGO convened a workshop of MPs from all political
parties [33 attended] on the NGO Bill. They all agreed that the
Bill needed to be amended. The workshop report was consequently
shared with all Parliamentarians BUT STILL NONE OF THE
ISSUES RAISED WERE INCORPORATED IN THE NEW LAW
- The Portfolio
Committee on Public Service Labour and Social Welfare, following
intense lobbying by NANGO and stakeholders, chaired by Hon Dokora-
ZANU PF, came up with a progressive report that the Bill needed
to be amended. BUT STILL NONE OF THE ISSUES RAISED WERE
INCORPORATED IN THE NEW LAW except a minor concession on the 6
months transition period
- NANGO also
had several bi-laterial meetings with Ministers and Politiburo
members- they too agreed that the Bill was far from being enabling
-BUT STILL NONE OF THE ISSUES RAISED WERE INCORPORATED
IN THE NEW LAW
- The House
went on to refer the Bill to the Parliamentary Legal Committee.
The committee, whose members include ZANU PF Heavyweight, Kumbirai
Kangai, came up with an adverse report. In very clear terms they
described the Bill as unconstitutional and "does not seek
to regulate but seeks to control, to silence, to render ineffective
and ultimately to shut down NGOs..." [BUT STILL NONE
OF THE ISSUES RAISED WERE INCORPORATED IN THE NEW LAW]
- During the
second and third reading,attended by NANGO representatives, a
lot of MPs raised pertinent issues and concluded that the Bill
certainly needed to be re-looked at.[BUT STILL NONE OF
THE ISSUES RAISED WERE INCORPORATED IN THE NEW LAW]
- On 9th December
2004, the Bill was passed, after deviding the house [knowing that
there are more ZANU PF MPs, whether they like or not.. who will
be 'whipped' to vote for the passing of the Bill. At the end of
it all the Bill was passed and NONE OF THE ISSUES RAISED
BY NGOs, PARLIAMENTARY COMMITEES, RESEARCHERS AND VARIOUS OTHER
STAKEHOLDERS WERE INCORPORATED IN THE NEW LAW]
This was the
NGO law making process in Zimbabwe where all views of stakeholders
were sacrificed for political expendiency.
Visit the NANGO
fact
sheet
Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
TOP
|