News / National
We must stop making noise about nothing in the house - MP
29 Jul 2016 at 06:42hrs | Views
MDC-T MP Gift Chimanikire has urged the legislators to stop making noise about nothing while the country burns but focus on issues that may assist the people.
He said at some point the fact that the idea is coming from MDC-T that does not mean that it is not a good idea.
"Let us start listening to each other because by the end of the day, it affects all of us. If we are not careful, we will have a fossil type of development whereby we will be garbage collectors, but not for recycling but just collecting garbage. That is what we are doing in this country. So, when I was listening to the proposer of this motion when he was putting across solutions that we should actually embody so that we are able to move forward, I sat back and said yes, Zimbabwe is attending its own economic funeral," he said.
"When you are attending a funeral there are many mourners who cry, some sob and others like the Hon. Member who was sitting there make noise. We do not need political hooliganism when we are facing problems in this country. What we need is to be able to look at the problems and say what are the solutions."
Chimanikire said that is why they were elected to come into this House.
"We may be from the opposition or the ruling party but what should come from this House for the nation is solutions and not political hooliganism like what I was listening to. We should move from away from scavenging policies where we think that other people owe us our own living. We are here to exist and live as Zimbabweans and we should be proud of that," he said.
"I heard the Minister of Finance the other day referring to 'buy South Africa' and that they are very proud about it. In Zimbabwe instead of being proud about it, I support the idea that we should separate the goods produced. 'Kana ari mabhero ngaaende kuEurope' because that is where they are coming from. Those are the highest earners in terms of revenue to most of our informal sector. If it is quail birds, they should come to Zimbabwe because I think we are producing quite a number of them," he said.
"Number one solution is scrapping of the Indigenisation Bill. Let us swallow our pride, it is not bearing fruit. It only allowed a few individuals to build 50 bed roomed houses. We must be mad. Not even the Queen of England has such a house. Here we are, the Queen of England was robbing us and all the colonies and building overseas but she never built a 50 bed roomed house. Here in Zimbabwe people do that."
"We should also introduce property tax. If I build a $100 million house, you must check where my income came from and you must make sure that I paid tax equivalent to $100 million in my pocket. I am using the difference. Did I pay tax for what I accumulated? So, let us wake up as Zimbabwean legislators and come up with laws that actually make sure we are protecting people out there. We make the taxation laws and if we do not protect them, it means we do not deserve to be here."
"We should all resign en masse and join them in the streets so that we suffer the way they are suffering and we will realise that we were brought here by those people who voted us in. Like I said there is hooliganism politics. While debating on such a serious issue, you can realise that others are laughing," he added.
"Instead of encouraging the people in the diaspora to remit money to Zimbabwe, we were busy singing songs 'hee kuchengeta machembere' and so on. It is either we are mad as a society or we need to reform. We should call psychiatrists to help us. There were songs that were being sung about the diaspora and we need to be concerned about such things."
He said when they are doing business, no matter who it is doing that business, we should have guiding principles.
"What applies to OK in Zimbabwe should also apply to Choppies and should apply to Pick n' Pay because free fall policies as a market force is not a policy. Some people are allowed to smuggle goods into this country, some have to pay tax on those goods and some are even banned from importing those goods. are we accounting for the number of trucks that unload each and every morning at Pick n Pay and Choppies and making sure that they pay the taxes that they are supposed to pay to ZIMRA?" he said.
"Certain policies that are decided upon like Statutory Instrument 64 should be well thought, there should be research and consultations. I remember asking the Minister of Finance and Economic Development whether it was the right direction that we are taking. He said yes, because the Government needs money. What does the Government finally have? They got their warehouses burnt, the economy comes to a standstill just because of certain decisions where no sufficient consultations were done."
Chimanikire said now, they are being threatened with sanctions from Zambia, of all countries.
"The people who were the first to carry plastic bags to go and buy a loaf of bread were Zambians before we did it with our Zimbabwe dollar. Today Zambia is threatening sanctions against Zimbabwe because of SADC Protocol on Trade and so forth," he said.
He said at some point the fact that the idea is coming from MDC-T that does not mean that it is not a good idea.
"Let us start listening to each other because by the end of the day, it affects all of us. If we are not careful, we will have a fossil type of development whereby we will be garbage collectors, but not for recycling but just collecting garbage. That is what we are doing in this country. So, when I was listening to the proposer of this motion when he was putting across solutions that we should actually embody so that we are able to move forward, I sat back and said yes, Zimbabwe is attending its own economic funeral," he said.
"When you are attending a funeral there are many mourners who cry, some sob and others like the Hon. Member who was sitting there make noise. We do not need political hooliganism when we are facing problems in this country. What we need is to be able to look at the problems and say what are the solutions."
Chimanikire said that is why they were elected to come into this House.
"We may be from the opposition or the ruling party but what should come from this House for the nation is solutions and not political hooliganism like what I was listening to. We should move from away from scavenging policies where we think that other people owe us our own living. We are here to exist and live as Zimbabweans and we should be proud of that," he said.
"I heard the Minister of Finance the other day referring to 'buy South Africa' and that they are very proud about it. In Zimbabwe instead of being proud about it, I support the idea that we should separate the goods produced. 'Kana ari mabhero ngaaende kuEurope' because that is where they are coming from. Those are the highest earners in terms of revenue to most of our informal sector. If it is quail birds, they should come to Zimbabwe because I think we are producing quite a number of them," he said.
"Number one solution is scrapping of the Indigenisation Bill. Let us swallow our pride, it is not bearing fruit. It only allowed a few individuals to build 50 bed roomed houses. We must be mad. Not even the Queen of England has such a house. Here we are, the Queen of England was robbing us and all the colonies and building overseas but she never built a 50 bed roomed house. Here in Zimbabwe people do that."
"We should also introduce property tax. If I build a $100 million house, you must check where my income came from and you must make sure that I paid tax equivalent to $100 million in my pocket. I am using the difference. Did I pay tax for what I accumulated? So, let us wake up as Zimbabwean legislators and come up with laws that actually make sure we are protecting people out there. We make the taxation laws and if we do not protect them, it means we do not deserve to be here."
"We should all resign en masse and join them in the streets so that we suffer the way they are suffering and we will realise that we were brought here by those people who voted us in. Like I said there is hooliganism politics. While debating on such a serious issue, you can realise that others are laughing," he added.
"Instead of encouraging the people in the diaspora to remit money to Zimbabwe, we were busy singing songs 'hee kuchengeta machembere' and so on. It is either we are mad as a society or we need to reform. We should call psychiatrists to help us. There were songs that were being sung about the diaspora and we need to be concerned about such things."
He said when they are doing business, no matter who it is doing that business, we should have guiding principles.
"What applies to OK in Zimbabwe should also apply to Choppies and should apply to Pick n' Pay because free fall policies as a market force is not a policy. Some people are allowed to smuggle goods into this country, some have to pay tax on those goods and some are even banned from importing those goods. are we accounting for the number of trucks that unload each and every morning at Pick n Pay and Choppies and making sure that they pay the taxes that they are supposed to pay to ZIMRA?" he said.
"Certain policies that are decided upon like Statutory Instrument 64 should be well thought, there should be research and consultations. I remember asking the Minister of Finance and Economic Development whether it was the right direction that we are taking. He said yes, because the Government needs money. What does the Government finally have? They got their warehouses burnt, the economy comes to a standstill just because of certain decisions where no sufficient consultations were done."
Chimanikire said now, they are being threatened with sanctions from Zambia, of all countries.
"The people who were the first to carry plastic bags to go and buy a loaf of bread were Zambians before we did it with our Zimbabwe dollar. Today Zambia is threatening sanctions against Zimbabwe because of SADC Protocol on Trade and so forth," he said.
Source - Byo24News
