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The
men and women who serve Zimbabwe dishonorably
Nyasha Nyakunu,
MISA-Zimbabwe
Extracted
from The MISA-Zimbabwe monthly alerts digest, November 2004
December 03, 2004
The shrinkage
of Zimbabwe’s democratic space in the wake of repressive anti-media
freedom laws which have earned the country its pariah status is
the result of the unconscionable actions of the men and women who
continue to serve this country dishonorably.
Zimbabwe’s parliamentarians,
especially those drawn from the ruling Zanu PF, have unashamedly
demonstrated that they owe their allegiance to the whims and dictates
of the Executive and not to the electorate that voted them into
parliament.
To continue
to refer to them as ‘Honorable MPs’, as many of them are quick to
remind those who address them otherwise, is a misnomer.
There is nothing
honorable about parliamentarians who pass Bills that impact negatively
on Zimbabwe’s quest for basic freedoms only to whisper outside parliament
that the bills in question are indeed ultra vires the Constitution.
The month of
November saw the discussion of two controversial Bills, namely the
Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) Bill and the Access to Information
and Protection of Privacy (Amendment) Bill.
These are the
same men and women who passed the draconian Public Order and Security
Act, Broadcasting Services Act and the Access to Information and
Protection of Privacy Act.
Parliamentarians
are there to serve the interests of their constituents and ultimately
the entire nation.
What benefit
does the nation derive from parliament’s support of the Ngo Bill
which seeks to curtail civil liberties by banning foreign funding
to organisations that are involved in human rights and governance
issues.
The AIPPA Amendment
Bill 2004 passed on 9 November, criminalises the practice of journalism
without accreditation. It provides a penalty provision of a fine
not exceeding $600 000 or two years imprisonment or both such fine
and imprisonment.
What is sad
if not insulting to the electorate, is the fact that the parliamentarians
were ordered to ensure passage of the bills or risk being punished
by President Robert Mugabe, according to media reports.
In their cowardly
acquiescence, the Zanu PF legislators taking advantage of their
totalitarian majority in parliament even had the cheek to ignore
an adverse report on the Ngo Bill tabled by the parliamentary legal
committee.
As if that is
not enough, another Bill which contains harsh penalties for those
convicted for publishing statements prejudicial to the State, has
already passed the second reading stage in Parliament and is now
at Committee stage.
Clause 31 of
the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Bill criminalises publishing
or communication "to any other person a statement which is
wholly or materially false with the intention or realizing that
there is a real risk of:
- Inciting
or promoting public disorder or public violence
- Adversely
affecting the defence and economic interests of Zimbabwe
- Undermining
public confidence in a law enforcement agency, the Prison Service
or the Defence Forces
- Interfering
with, disrupting or interrupting any essential service.
This sycophantic
behavior which smacks of men and women incapable of original thought
is dishonorable and not deserving of the fanciful salutation ‘honorable
MPs’. There is nothing honorable in passing laws which serve the
interests of the ruling elite which is determined to die in office
at the expense of the wellbeing of the country.
It is high time
that parliamentarians realise that leaders come and go and that
there will be life after the present crop of ruling party leaders
and that the time will come when the masses will rise up in their
numbers and demand their freedom and ask them to account for their
actions.
In his book,
The Trouble With Nigeria, internationally renowned Nigerian
writer Chinua Achebe had this to say at the height of Nigerias’
socio-economic and political decay:
There is
nothing wrong with the Nigerian climate or land or air or anything.
The
Nigerian problem is the unwillingness or inability of its leaders
to rise to the responsibility, to the challenge or personal example
which are the hallmarks of leadership.
Substitute Nigeria
with Zimbabwe, and you have the present day Zimbabwean scenario
caricatured by Zanu PF parliamentarians who cannot stand up to an
Executive that literally shoves bills down their throats.
Whither Zimbabwe?
Visit the MISA-Zimbabwe
fact sheet
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