He said President Robert Mugabe’s winner-take-all stance virtually reduced cabinet ministers to employees of Zanu (PF). “Cabinet will be accountable to Zanu (PF), whose policies will prevail for the next five years,” said Hamauswa.
“The fact that most parliamentary committees would be predominately chaired by Zanu (PF), objective reports like the one compiled by the late legislator Chindori Chininga on ‘scandalous’ diamond mining activities by some big fish, will not see the light of the day,” he added.
In such a situation the watchdog role of the media was of utmost significance, he said, and objective, non-partisan and informative reportage was vital. He lamented the polarised nature of media that had resulted in hate speech and unfair reporting by journalists.
Zanu (PF) spokesperson, Rugare Gumbo, said Zanu (PF) dominance in Parliament would help speed up the country’s democratisation process. “The current parliamentary composition is the best arrangement Zimbabwe will ever get regarding the delivery of democracy,” Gumbo told The Zimbabwean in a telephone interview.
MDC-T shot down Gumbo’s position and said nothing positive would come out of the Zanu (PF) dominated parliament.
“Zanu (PF) is not a reformist party and will not further democratic interests in Parliament,” said MDC-T spokesperson, Douglas Mwonzora. But he added that Zanu (PF) would have to repeal laws that were outlawed by the new constitution, expressing hope that the Public Order and Security Act and the Access to Information and Privacy Act, would go.
The next Parliament is set to be officially opened on September 17.
Post published in: News