News / National
Chamisa chides Mnangagwa, MPs breaks into laughter
04 Feb 2014 at 06:27hrs | Views
MP's broke into laughter in Parliament on Wednesday when Kuwadzana MP Nelson Chamisa (MDC-T) chided Justice Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa for calling him a 'young man' while responding to a question he had asked.
Nehanda Radio reports that Chamisa wanted to know why uniformed forces and civil servants had not yet undergone lessons on the new Constitution and why laws were not being harmonised urgently to curb the rampant corruption in the country.
Mnangagwa began his answer by saying " I want to respond to the youngman," much to the annoyance of Chamisa who felt the Minister was trying to patronize him. Chamisa promptly rose up and appealed to the Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda saying;
"Point of order. I want to tell Honourable Mnangagwa that this august house is not a place for young men, if you want to see young men you must go to your constituency at some primary school, that's where young men are found."
Meanwhile Mnangagwa blamed a lack of funds for the inability of the government to train members of the uniformed forces and civil servants on the new constitution.
"The process of harmonising and aligning Acts of Parliament to the new Constitution is on course and we have already identified in excess of 400 Acts of Parliament which require substantially or consequentially to be aligned with the Constitution," Mnangagwa said.
"It is true that the Department of Constitutional Affairs in the ministry has done an exercise in compliance with the Constitution that we must make the public aware of the new Constitution, but the constraint that we have is funding," he said.
"The fact that you believe or you have the perception that members of the defence forces do not understand the Constitution is misplaced. The Constitution of the country was a product of a national exercise, the defence forces included. All who become officers in the military should undertake particular courses which relate to issues of the Constitution and human rights," Mnangagwa said.
Nehanda Radio reports that Chamisa wanted to know why uniformed forces and civil servants had not yet undergone lessons on the new Constitution and why laws were not being harmonised urgently to curb the rampant corruption in the country.
Mnangagwa began his answer by saying " I want to respond to the youngman," much to the annoyance of Chamisa who felt the Minister was trying to patronize him. Chamisa promptly rose up and appealed to the Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda saying;
"Point of order. I want to tell Honourable Mnangagwa that this august house is not a place for young men, if you want to see young men you must go to your constituency at some primary school, that's where young men are found."
"The process of harmonising and aligning Acts of Parliament to the new Constitution is on course and we have already identified in excess of 400 Acts of Parliament which require substantially or consequentially to be aligned with the Constitution," Mnangagwa said.
"It is true that the Department of Constitutional Affairs in the ministry has done an exercise in compliance with the Constitution that we must make the public aware of the new Constitution, but the constraint that we have is funding," he said.
"The fact that you believe or you have the perception that members of the defence forces do not understand the Constitution is misplaced. The Constitution of the country was a product of a national exercise, the defence forces included. All who become officers in the military should undertake particular courses which relate to issues of the Constitution and human rights," Mnangagwa said.
Source - nehandaradio
