News / Local
Prof Jonathan Moyo must be expelled from parliament - MDC-T
16 May 2012 at 05:14hrs | Views
MAGWEGWE MP Mr Felix Sibanda (MDC-T) yesterday said he will soon move a motion calling for the expulsion of Tsholotsho North MP Professor Jonathan Moyo from the House of Assembly for allegedly failing to attend Parliament.
Mr Sibanda said Prof Moyo has been drawing salaries and benefits, but not attending sittings of Parliament.
The legislator was making a contribution during a debate on a Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Women, Gender, Youth and Community Development on challenges faced by vocational training centres.
The committee, chaired by Sunningdale MP Mrs Margaret Matienga (MDC-T), had tabled a report which painted deplorable conditions at the vocational training centres.
Mr Sibanda seemed to have been riled by the criticism by Prof Moyo of the Constitution Select Committee.
The Zanu-PF Politburo member has accused Copac of failing to include people's views in its first draft of the Constitution. In his proposal, Mr Sibanda said legislators were doing a national service, yet Prof Moyo was attacking them.
"I am soon going to move a motion that people who have been defrauding Parliament by not attending Parliament be fired. Jonathan Moyo has not been attending Parliament but he has been attacking us, we have been performing a national service for the country," said Mr Sibanda.
Prof Moyo yesterday dismissed Mr Sibanda's motion as illegal and baseless.
"I have not missed 21 consecutive days. When people raise such an issue, it means there will be law that will have been offended. The situation for such a motion to be debated has not arisen. Even if you check with my chief whip (Cde Joram Gumbo) and Clerk of Parliament (Austin Zvoma), they will tell you that there is nothing that warrants that," he said.
"The member in question thinks that he is making political capital when he knows that what he is doing is not permissible. They are the ones who always say they follow the rule of law, yet in actual fact they are in contempt of the rule of law. This will be a baseless and an illegal motion," he said.
"I have been subjected to unlawful acts and threats such as this before and I have never lost sleep over that and so I will not lose sleep over this naked attempt at illegality and desperate political act by people who claim to respect the rule of law when they are, in fact, its worst enemies who should be rejected at the next polls which are long overdue."
Prof Moyo said he hoped the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Mr Lovemore Moyo, will handle the matter professionally. Clerk of Parliament Mr Austin Zvoma last night said records at Parliament indicated that Prof Moyo had not failed to attend sittings for more than 21 days.
"That is what our records show, and if that motion comes, it would not be admissible," he said.
Ironically, Mr Sibanda did not raise the issue of his party treasurer and non-constituency Senator Roy Bennett who has not been attending Parliament business ever since he was appointed non-constituency senator as he is in self-imposed exile.
The Constitution provides that if a sitting MP fails to attend Parliament for more than 21 consecutive days without reasonable cause, a member can move a motion calling for his expulsion.
However, no one has raised a motion to have Bennett fired. The House has to debate the motion, and a resolution can be made by dividing the House. In 2001, Parliament debated the absence of former Zengeza MP, Mr Tafadzwa Musekiwa (MDC-T) who fled the country to the United Kingdom claiming that his life was in danger. Zanu-PF and MDC were divided along party lines until Mr Musekiwa wrote a letter resigning from Parliament, paving the way for a by-election.
Meanwhile, the Speaker of House of Assembly, Mr Moyo, yesterday suspended debate on a private member's Bill to amend the Urban Councils Act.
The suspension followed a decision by Local Government, Urban and Rural Development Minister Ignatius Chombo to approach the Supreme Court challenging the proposed amendments.
Buhera Central MP Mr Tangwara Matimba (MDC-T) had moved a private member's Bill amending the Act whose effect was to limit the powers of the minister. But Mr Moyo yesterday said the Bill, now at Second reading stage, would now be held in abeyance.
"I have to inform the House that following the minister's decision to approach the Supreme Court regarding the proposed amendments to the Urban Councils Act,
Order of the Day number 18 is suspended in terms of the Standing Orders until a judicial decision is made," said Mr Moyo.
In his proposal to amend the Act, Mr Matimba had argued that the Act provided excessive powers, which the minister was abusing.
Mr Sibanda said Prof Moyo has been drawing salaries and benefits, but not attending sittings of Parliament.
The legislator was making a contribution during a debate on a Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Women, Gender, Youth and Community Development on challenges faced by vocational training centres.
The committee, chaired by Sunningdale MP Mrs Margaret Matienga (MDC-T), had tabled a report which painted deplorable conditions at the vocational training centres.
Mr Sibanda seemed to have been riled by the criticism by Prof Moyo of the Constitution Select Committee.
The Zanu-PF Politburo member has accused Copac of failing to include people's views in its first draft of the Constitution. In his proposal, Mr Sibanda said legislators were doing a national service, yet Prof Moyo was attacking them.
"I am soon going to move a motion that people who have been defrauding Parliament by not attending Parliament be fired. Jonathan Moyo has not been attending Parliament but he has been attacking us, we have been performing a national service for the country," said Mr Sibanda.
Prof Moyo yesterday dismissed Mr Sibanda's motion as illegal and baseless.
"I have not missed 21 consecutive days. When people raise such an issue, it means there will be law that will have been offended. The situation for such a motion to be debated has not arisen. Even if you check with my chief whip (Cde Joram Gumbo) and Clerk of Parliament (Austin Zvoma), they will tell you that there is nothing that warrants that," he said.
"The member in question thinks that he is making political capital when he knows that what he is doing is not permissible. They are the ones who always say they follow the rule of law, yet in actual fact they are in contempt of the rule of law. This will be a baseless and an illegal motion," he said.
"I have been subjected to unlawful acts and threats such as this before and I have never lost sleep over that and so I will not lose sleep over this naked attempt at illegality and desperate political act by people who claim to respect the rule of law when they are, in fact, its worst enemies who should be rejected at the next polls which are long overdue."
"That is what our records show, and if that motion comes, it would not be admissible," he said.
Ironically, Mr Sibanda did not raise the issue of his party treasurer and non-constituency Senator Roy Bennett who has not been attending Parliament business ever since he was appointed non-constituency senator as he is in self-imposed exile.
The Constitution provides that if a sitting MP fails to attend Parliament for more than 21 consecutive days without reasonable cause, a member can move a motion calling for his expulsion.
However, no one has raised a motion to have Bennett fired. The House has to debate the motion, and a resolution can be made by dividing the House. In 2001, Parliament debated the absence of former Zengeza MP, Mr Tafadzwa Musekiwa (MDC-T) who fled the country to the United Kingdom claiming that his life was in danger. Zanu-PF and MDC were divided along party lines until Mr Musekiwa wrote a letter resigning from Parliament, paving the way for a by-election.
Meanwhile, the Speaker of House of Assembly, Mr Moyo, yesterday suspended debate on a private member's Bill to amend the Urban Councils Act.
The suspension followed a decision by Local Government, Urban and Rural Development Minister Ignatius Chombo to approach the Supreme Court challenging the proposed amendments.
Buhera Central MP Mr Tangwara Matimba (MDC-T) had moved a private member's Bill amending the Act whose effect was to limit the powers of the minister. But Mr Moyo yesterday said the Bill, now at Second reading stage, would now be held in abeyance.
"I have to inform the House that following the minister's decision to approach the Supreme Court regarding the proposed amendments to the Urban Councils Act,
Order of the Day number 18 is suspended in terms of the Standing Orders until a judicial decision is made," said Mr Moyo.
In his proposal to amend the Act, Mr Matimba had argued that the Act provided excessive powers, which the minister was abusing.
Source - TC
