News / National
Parliamentarians struggle to get allowances - Mudzuri
13 Feb 2016 at 08:32hrs | Views
A House of Assembly member Elias Mudzuri has said MP are struggling to get their allowances which made it difficult to do their duties.
"My point of order comes in the area of privileges for Parliamentarians. While Government is trying to find finances to sponsor whatever they are sponsoring, Members of Parliament are having problems in getting allowances," he said. "They do not get allowances and fuel. It is difficult for them to do their duties, taking into consideration that in other countries, a Member of Parliament has got an office, which is properly manned and there is proper research for a member to be able to debate and come up with informed information."
He said whatever is happening, this House is not being properly financed to ensure that Members of Parliament are doing their duty.
"While it has come to your attention that some Members of Parliament leave this House when it is not yet time up for the sitting; it is because they are going out to look for money to make sure that they survive. It is not enough to sit in Parliament for four days and end up with nothing at home in this economy," Mudzuri said.
Speaker of the house Jacob Mudenda said Mudzuri's point of order was noted but he had reservations in terms of your seriousness of that point of order.
"When we debated the budget, that is the time when you should have raised the issues to beef up our budget so that it would adequately take care of the requirements of Parliament. The point is taken and we will ensure that remedial action is considered to put things right," Mudenda said.
Mudzuri said the speaker had misunderstood him because he was talking of Members of Parliament.
"If a Member of Parliament comes from Victoria Falls, he travels here to do work. He does not get fuel; it is not about the budget. It is about their travelling here and just surviving. There is no maintenance of the vehicle, it is purely fuel. It is running of the portfolio of a Member of Parliament for him to be efficient, visit his constituency and to talk to the people," he said. "There are so many responsibilities given to a Member of Parliament which are never discussed and understood by the community. They do not understand that Members of Parliament are not given enough resources to run those constituencies."
He appealed that whatever is there must be there to assist the work of the Members of Parliament to oversee central government.
Mudenda said Mudzuri's point was valid but there was a need for an understanding that they they had an inherited debt from the Seventh Parliament and they received a delegation twice beginning of last year when it was pointed out to him by Members of the Seventh Parliament who did not come back that they were in dire straits.
"From a humane point of view, we approached the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to expedite the outstanding amount of about US$6 million – to pay off that debt which is a right outstanding to them. That has since been rectified. Now, I am hoping that whatever we are owed, Treasury will respond accordingly," Mudenda said.
"Furthermore, the point of order raised normally should be appropriately addressed through the Committee on Welfare of Members of Parliament. It is there and it is chaired by Chief Whips from both sides."
Mudzuri said the mere fact that the Seventh Parliament is owed money and this Parliament's Members are owed fuel for more than 20 weeks and they are also owed allowances for more than two years, Mudenda was making them not to respect themselves by not presenting it to him.
"The subcommittee you are talking about is more of a social gathering. It is not really in any structure of Parliament. All the Caucuses are more of social gathering than what you should be appreciating. You are the most senior person in this House. You should be helping us to present this case as it is, say how much is owed and make sure that MPs are efficient in the discharge of their duties," he said.
"This year, we have a lot of work because we want to come in with the Acts of Parliament. We need to consult and we have to move everywhere, but if we look back and talk about yester-year or yester two years and we are not rectifying that, then we are actually making this House defunct. I therefore appeal to you Hon. Speaker, not to compare what happened in 2007. Some of the Members here are still owed from the other Parliament. So, we are rendering all those Parliamentarians ineffective. One of these days we may bring a motion on this and then we can debate it if we fail to get a proper answer."
Mudenda accused Mudzuri of not listening.
"If I inherit debts concerning your erstwhile fellow Hon. Members, I should make sure that they are taken care of as well and cleared out of the way. From a humane point of view and what is owed to the 8th Parliament, it is being addressed by the Chair in the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders. So, the point is taken and the appeal is taken," Mudenda said.
"My point of order comes in the area of privileges for Parliamentarians. While Government is trying to find finances to sponsor whatever they are sponsoring, Members of Parliament are having problems in getting allowances," he said. "They do not get allowances and fuel. It is difficult for them to do their duties, taking into consideration that in other countries, a Member of Parliament has got an office, which is properly manned and there is proper research for a member to be able to debate and come up with informed information."
He said whatever is happening, this House is not being properly financed to ensure that Members of Parliament are doing their duty.
"While it has come to your attention that some Members of Parliament leave this House when it is not yet time up for the sitting; it is because they are going out to look for money to make sure that they survive. It is not enough to sit in Parliament for four days and end up with nothing at home in this economy," Mudzuri said.
Speaker of the house Jacob Mudenda said Mudzuri's point of order was noted but he had reservations in terms of your seriousness of that point of order.
"When we debated the budget, that is the time when you should have raised the issues to beef up our budget so that it would adequately take care of the requirements of Parliament. The point is taken and we will ensure that remedial action is considered to put things right," Mudenda said.
Mudzuri said the speaker had misunderstood him because he was talking of Members of Parliament.
"If a Member of Parliament comes from Victoria Falls, he travels here to do work. He does not get fuel; it is not about the budget. It is about their travelling here and just surviving. There is no maintenance of the vehicle, it is purely fuel. It is running of the portfolio of a Member of Parliament for him to be efficient, visit his constituency and to talk to the people," he said. "There are so many responsibilities given to a Member of Parliament which are never discussed and understood by the community. They do not understand that Members of Parliament are not given enough resources to run those constituencies."
He appealed that whatever is there must be there to assist the work of the Members of Parliament to oversee central government.
Mudenda said Mudzuri's point was valid but there was a need for an understanding that they they had an inherited debt from the Seventh Parliament and they received a delegation twice beginning of last year when it was pointed out to him by Members of the Seventh Parliament who did not come back that they were in dire straits.
"From a humane point of view, we approached the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to expedite the outstanding amount of about US$6 million – to pay off that debt which is a right outstanding to them. That has since been rectified. Now, I am hoping that whatever we are owed, Treasury will respond accordingly," Mudenda said.
"Furthermore, the point of order raised normally should be appropriately addressed through the Committee on Welfare of Members of Parliament. It is there and it is chaired by Chief Whips from both sides."
Mudzuri said the mere fact that the Seventh Parliament is owed money and this Parliament's Members are owed fuel for more than 20 weeks and they are also owed allowances for more than two years, Mudenda was making them not to respect themselves by not presenting it to him.
"The subcommittee you are talking about is more of a social gathering. It is not really in any structure of Parliament. All the Caucuses are more of social gathering than what you should be appreciating. You are the most senior person in this House. You should be helping us to present this case as it is, say how much is owed and make sure that MPs are efficient in the discharge of their duties," he said.
"This year, we have a lot of work because we want to come in with the Acts of Parliament. We need to consult and we have to move everywhere, but if we look back and talk about yester-year or yester two years and we are not rectifying that, then we are actually making this House defunct. I therefore appeal to you Hon. Speaker, not to compare what happened in 2007. Some of the Members here are still owed from the other Parliament. So, we are rendering all those Parliamentarians ineffective. One of these days we may bring a motion on this and then we can debate it if we fail to get a proper answer."
Mudenda accused Mudzuri of not listening.
"If I inherit debts concerning your erstwhile fellow Hon. Members, I should make sure that they are taken care of as well and cleared out of the way. From a humane point of view and what is owed to the 8th Parliament, it is being addressed by the Chair in the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders. So, the point is taken and the appeal is taken," Mudenda said.
Source - Byo24News
