Some MPs' misplaced priorities worrisome

The past week saw the Zimbabwean House of Representatives members coming together from all the political divide, calling for the government to handle their welfare well the same way as some other arms of government which are the Executive and the Judiciary. The legislators argued that they were losing respect from the public as they were treated differently from other arms of government

In addition the Members of Parliament (MPs) pointed out that they were living like paupers when they were supposed to look big as they are the ones representing the electorate in their different constituencies. They further argued that since they are the ones representing the electorate around the country, they were supposed to be respected along the same way as the Executive and the Judiciary are respected in the country. Those parliamentarians believed that their positions in the House of Assembly call for them to look great hence, there was no need for them to be looked down upon by government and its institutions.

That debate in which the MPs called for the equal standing with the Executive and the Judiciary came after Buhera West House of Assembly representative, Cde Oliver Mandipaka had brought forward a motion which called for MPs to have an over sight role over the Executive. Mandipaka brought this motion when some MPs were debating a report on Zimbabwe's delegation to the Consultations with the Pan African Parliament and other regional Parliaments on the provision of constitutionalism and the rule of law in Africa, that was held last year in South Africa.

Such a motion by Cde Oliver Mandipaka was met by resistance from the MPs as they said that they cannot have an over sight role over the Executive since they were treated like ordinary people in the country. They further said that they were living like paupers yet the Executive and the Judiciary were enjoying their positions in government as they are supplied with necessary resources to tackle their duties well without problems. They also said that they need to have diplomatic passports since the Executive and the Judiciary do possess the same.

Reading such concerns raised by the parliamentarians make one to feel pity for them but others would also want to ask the same whether they real know their objectives of being in parliament. Some parliamentarians have mistaken beliefs that they were elected into parliament to appear big and live lavishly on the expense of the electorate. It should be known by these parliamentarians that they should spend their time with the electorate and not to cry for lavish spending when the economic situation in the country does not allow that.

These MPs should be aware that the economic situation in the country does not allow any unnecessary spending of the tax payers' money. They need to realise that when they were voted into parliament they went there as representatives of the masses not for their personal aggrandisement. It should be known by these MPs that the people whom they are representing need development in those constituencies which they represent. Actually instead of spending time debating about how they should be handled by the government, they need to spend time looking for ways to develop and run their constituencies.

While they have a genuine reason that they are the arm of the State hence they should be treated equally the same way as the Executive and the Judiciary but that should not make them forget their mandates of being in parliament. Some of those MPs last visited their constituencies when they were campaigning to be voted into parliament. For that reason there is no need for them to cry for soft spot from government. In fact these MPs should be aware that their welfare should be secondary to the people whom they are representing in parliament. Zimbabwean need to hear debates that make the parliament come up with developmental projects that develop some constituencies around the country. They need to realise that all Zimbabweans are facing economic difficulties and to hear those representing them crying to be treated with kid gloves by government shows how greedy the MPS of today are.

It is known the world over that some MPs are the ones with the role of enacting laws that government their countries so some Zimbabwean MPs should not forget that. Instead of them crying for equal standing with the Executive and the Judiciary, they should come up with laws that make it mandatory for them to be equated with the Executive and the Judiciary. It does not make any logic for the MPs to cry for themselves to be handled well when they can do that through the enactment of laws that can help them do what they are crying for.

MPs should also realise that working for their constituencies is the best and from such hard working they would get rewards through re-election in the coming elections. So they should be aware of that and stop crying to be treated differently from those whom they are representing.  People need to hear their MPs coming up with live debates on how Zimbabwe could pull out from this economic quagmire in which the country is reeling under. It is not health for those with powers to represent people to spend time fighting to have their welfare upgraded forgetting that their subjects are also suffering.

It is a fact that Zimbabwe is facing one of its worst drought in history and instead of the MPs to debate on how the government could come up with strategies to fight this hunger, they get time to debate on trivial issues like them getting diplomatic passports. What good can some diplomatic passports for MPs bring to the suffering Zimbabweans? Do the MPs know that a parliamentarian can last long in parliament if he/she is active in the constituency in which he/she was voted to represent? Diplomatic passports will not bring any votes to them and the sooner they realise that the better.

While it should be realised that they need to be treated the same way as the Executive and the Judiciary but they also need to realise that they should spend most of their time with the electorate and finding means to develop those constituencies. This writer may not want to mention names of some MPs who have never visited their constituencies since the 2013 harmonized elections, but this should not make them feel good and think that the electorate is not watching. Instead of them crying to be treated the same way as the Executive and the judiciary they should work hard to seek re-election because 2018 is so close by.

Actually those MPs should not waste time by coming up with some misplaced priorities as such moves would come to haunt them after the 2018 harmonized elections since the electorate would have dumped them out of that august house. Akuruma nzeve ndewako.