News / National
MDC pushes to regulate CIO operations
08 Jul 2011 at 21:09hrs | Views
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC party has drafted a Bill aimed at making the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) accountable to parliament, according to party secretary-general Tendai Biti, Daily News reported on Friday.
Biti told the newspaper that this was part of the MDC's push to regulate the operations of the CIO, whose work and funding have largely remained shadowy.
The Bill will be put on the table for consideration by the other political parties.
Thereafter, depending on the outcome of the political party negotiations, the Bill would be tabled before Parliament.
"This is what we demanded and Zanu PF agreed and we are going to do that and they will consider that. We have got a draft Bill already which in our own opinion should regulate the operations of the intelligence," said Biti.
"There is nothing new about what we are doing. We have used precedence from South Africa and other countries with a regulatory framework. The issue is not about regulating their operations and say you should follow this one and tape this phone. That's not the issue.
"The issue is that the institution definitely must be accountable to Parliament," he said.
Observers say Zanu PF is likely to strongly oppose the move.
The MDC has been vigorously pushing for security sector reforms in the ongoing discussions for an electoral roadmap for the country's next elections.
The party says Zimbabwe's politicised security sector, including the intelligence, remains one of the biggest obstacles to smooth elections and transfer of power.
The party has in the past accused the CIO, police and army of deliberately targeting its members to break their political spirit.
A document sent to the Joint Implementation Committee (Jomic) by the MDC last month chronicles how its members were abducted and murdered in political raids in 2008.
Jomic is an inter-party organ tasked with monitoring progress in implementing reforms agreed under the power sharing Global Political Agreement.
MDC blames the attacks on its members on the security arms of the state.
It also believes that the continuing violence in the country is being sponsored by the state and executed by security apparatus.President Robert Mugabe's Zanu PF denies the charges.
Zanu PF has also said security sector reforms are unnecessary because they are a threat to national security.
President of the smaller MDC party, Welshman Ncube told the Daily News that demands for the regulation of the activities of the CIO were legitimate.
"There is a legitimate debate on the reform of the intelligence services. Should they be regulated by an Act of parliament or should they be simply regulated as part of the President's office without an Act of parliament?" queried Ncube.
"Therein lays a legitimate debate. If you do a research, you will realise that almost half of the countries in the world have pieces of legislation regulating the intelligence services," said Ncube, a professor of law.
The affairs of the CIO are currently regulated under the President's Office.
Biti told the newspaper that this was part of the MDC's push to regulate the operations of the CIO, whose work and funding have largely remained shadowy.
The Bill will be put on the table for consideration by the other political parties.
Thereafter, depending on the outcome of the political party negotiations, the Bill would be tabled before Parliament.
"This is what we demanded and Zanu PF agreed and we are going to do that and they will consider that. We have got a draft Bill already which in our own opinion should regulate the operations of the intelligence," said Biti.
"There is nothing new about what we are doing. We have used precedence from South Africa and other countries with a regulatory framework. The issue is not about regulating their operations and say you should follow this one and tape this phone. That's not the issue.
"The issue is that the institution definitely must be accountable to Parliament," he said.
Observers say Zanu PF is likely to strongly oppose the move.
The MDC has been vigorously pushing for security sector reforms in the ongoing discussions for an electoral roadmap for the country's next elections.
The party says Zimbabwe's politicised security sector, including the intelligence, remains one of the biggest obstacles to smooth elections and transfer of power.
The party has in the past accused the CIO, police and army of deliberately targeting its members to break their political spirit.
A document sent to the Joint Implementation Committee (Jomic) by the MDC last month chronicles how its members were abducted and murdered in political raids in 2008.
Jomic is an inter-party organ tasked with monitoring progress in implementing reforms agreed under the power sharing Global Political Agreement.
MDC blames the attacks on its members on the security arms of the state.
It also believes that the continuing violence in the country is being sponsored by the state and executed by security apparatus.President Robert Mugabe's Zanu PF denies the charges.
Zanu PF has also said security sector reforms are unnecessary because they are a threat to national security.
President of the smaller MDC party, Welshman Ncube told the Daily News that demands for the regulation of the activities of the CIO were legitimate.
"There is a legitimate debate on the reform of the intelligence services. Should they be regulated by an Act of parliament or should they be simply regulated as part of the President's office without an Act of parliament?" queried Ncube.
"Therein lays a legitimate debate. If you do a research, you will realise that almost half of the countries in the world have pieces of legislation regulating the intelligence services," said Ncube, a professor of law.
The affairs of the CIO are currently regulated under the President's Office.
Source - Daily News
