Mugabe urged to call Tsvangirai

KUWADZANA East MP Nelson Chamisa (MDC-T) yesterday proposed that President Robert Mugabe organise an urgent meeting with MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai to resolve the country's deteriorating political and economic environment.

The opposition MP made the suggestion during the Second Reading Stage of the Finance Bill to pass the $4,2 billion 2017 National Budget.

"Mugabe must phone Tsvangirai for a meeting and include other political parties and MPs to discuss problems in this country, because we cannot continue to go and pass thin budgets that are inadequate in this country,"he said.

Chamisa's statement came in the wake of other opposition MPs accusing Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa of overburdening the public with punitive taxes and fines to raise funds for government operations.

"Government must remove the burden of raising revenue from its citizens because I do not think billions of dollars can be raised through fines," Thokozani Khupe, leader of the MDC-T in the National Assembly, said.

Glen Norah MP Webster Maondera (MDC-T) added: "The minister wants to raise level three spot fines from $20 to $30. That charge is too much and people cannot afford it."

Meanwhile, National Assembly Speaker Jacob Mudenda read the riot act on MPs for truancy, saying he would compile a list of all MPs that absconded debate on the Finance Bill resulting in the motion falling out of the National Assembly Order Paper due to lack of a quorum.

Debate on the Bill was aborted last Thursday and on Tuesday due to lack of a quorum of 70 MPs in the House.

This resulted in Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa yesterday moving again that the Finance Bill be reinstated on the Order Paper.

When Mudenda threatened to name and shame truant MPs, Chamisa challenged him to do the same with bunking Cabinet ministers.