Opinion / Columnist
Legislators letting citizens down
13 May 2022 at 14:04hrs | Views
IT is now clear that Zimbabwe's parliamentarians are not playing their role of fixing the mess in our country's financial sector. The Zimbabwean government has introduced several statutory instruments hoping that the nation's financial crisis would be miraculously resolved.
We are now the only country on earth where the US dollar trades at seven different exchange rates.
In reality, we have:
$1 = auction rate
$1 = interbank rate
$1 = black market rate
$1 = EcoCash rate
$1 = RTGS swipe rate
$1 = bond cash rate
$1 = nostro bank transfer rate
It is literally impossible to have a company budget or simply to make a living given the current state of affairs.
Parliament has three core functions: (1) to represent citizens' interests, (2) to pass laws and (3) to monitor the actions of the government.
As a citizen of Zimbabwe, my question is, are the nation's parliamentarians playing their constitutional role? Do we have toothless parliamentarians? What role are our MPs playing to resolve the economic crisis in this country?
It is time for the citizens, including the business community to start demanding dialogue and question the role of our MPs. We are in this mess because our parliamentarians are not playing their elected role. They are watching from the sideline.
Why are decisions being made before their eyes and yet they are not questioning these ill-advised Executive decisions?
No citizen should blame President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Finance minister Mthuli Ncube or Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor John Mangudya, blame the MPs who are elected to represent the people.
We also have to blame the citizens and the businesses community who are not demanding accountability from their elected members.
We have had a five-year cycle from a US dollar to a Zimdollar and back to a US dollar then a 1 to 1 to back to a Zimdollar and the cycle continues.
We are in deep trouble, this will not end until citizens and businesses demand accountability and elect MPs who understand the three core functions of Parliament.
The Zimbabwean government needs advice and solutions and our MPs are not playing their part.
We are now the only country on earth where the US dollar trades at seven different exchange rates.
In reality, we have:
$1 = auction rate
$1 = interbank rate
$1 = black market rate
$1 = EcoCash rate
$1 = RTGS swipe rate
$1 = bond cash rate
$1 = nostro bank transfer rate
It is literally impossible to have a company budget or simply to make a living given the current state of affairs.
Parliament has three core functions: (1) to represent citizens' interests, (2) to pass laws and (3) to monitor the actions of the government.
As a citizen of Zimbabwe, my question is, are the nation's parliamentarians playing their constitutional role? Do we have toothless parliamentarians? What role are our MPs playing to resolve the economic crisis in this country?
It is time for the citizens, including the business community to start demanding dialogue and question the role of our MPs. We are in this mess because our parliamentarians are not playing their elected role. They are watching from the sideline.
Why are decisions being made before their eyes and yet they are not questioning these ill-advised Executive decisions?
No citizen should blame President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Finance minister Mthuli Ncube or Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor John Mangudya, blame the MPs who are elected to represent the people.
We also have to blame the citizens and the businesses community who are not demanding accountability from their elected members.
We have had a five-year cycle from a US dollar to a Zimdollar and back to a US dollar then a 1 to 1 to back to a Zimdollar and the cycle continues.
We are in deep trouble, this will not end until citizens and businesses demand accountability and elect MPs who understand the three core functions of Parliament.
The Zimbabwean government needs advice and solutions and our MPs are not playing their part.
Source - NewsDay Zimbabwe
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