MPs tarnishing Parliament's image

When the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation started giving live coverage to Parliamentary Question Time every Wednesday and radio coverage by Spot FM for ordinary sittings from Tuesdays to Thursdays in April 2014, I warned MPs about the repercussions of such a move on those prone to abusing the cameras.I made it clear that television provided an opportunity for the electorate to be judges, as such, the live broadcasts would make or break some MPs in their chosen field.

Mr Speaker Sir, I was vindicated a fortnight ago during the public hearings on the Land Commission Bill when the electorate candidly told MPs of their disgust at the way they behaved in Parliament, particularly on Wednesdays during Question Time.

In Mutare, an old woman, probably in her 70s, Penelope Moyo, did not mince her words while rapping MPs for their childish behaviour in the august House.

"We see you shouting at each other in Parliament, of which some of the culprits are actually here though we can't name and shame them," she said while contributing to the Bill.

"You should unite in Parliament not the kind of childish behaviour that you exhibit on television. You should respect each other and treat each other with dignity. You should also respect the country and those who elected you regardless of the political party you belong to because when people elected you, they wanted you to represent them and not to go there and shout at each other. You should have unity of purpose in Parliament so that you can come up with laws that benefit the country."

In Masvingo, one Savious Matimbire, probably in his 40s, said MPs must unite and come up with legislation that benefit the country.

"We see you on TV shouting at each other. Why don't you unite like what you exhibited here today so that you collectively plan for the good of the country?" said Matimbire.

Mr Speaker Sir, this is just the tip of the iceberg on how the electorate detests the kind of behaviour that is sometimes exhibited by men and women in the House whose behaviour for all intents and purposes must be honourable.

This kind of behaviour could be the reason almost 50 percent of registered voters do not bother showing up at polling booths on election days.

These are some of the antics that make some of the registered voters shun voting because they feel politics is dysfunctional.

When the electorate votes for MPs, it expects representation in Parliament where its MPs raise issues affecting it.

When taxpayers part with their money, they do not do so for touts-like performance in Parliament but legislative role, watchdog role and representation.

They do not vote for MPs on the basis of who shouts or heckles the loudest, which some of them want to be known for as they seek to score cheap political points.

Schoolchildren in a lorry or bus on a school trip behave better than some of these not so honourable adults.

If truth be told without fear or favour, the majority of those who specialise in heckling are just empty vessels, devoid of substance and at the very least, an embarrassment to what Parliament must stand for.

Mr Speaker Sir, the problem is that when some MPs act out for the cameras, they think they are impressing the electorate, yet in actual fact they will be impressing themselves and their blinkered partisan followers only.

No person worth their salt would want to see their taxes or votes go down the drain for heckling.

They expect MPs to live up to a higher standard of behaviour.

Oftentimes, legislators across the political divide make noise in the House as they shout and bang desks in cheer and mockery when someone has the floor to debate.

And, when the Speaker in the chair calls the MPs to order, the orders sometimes fall on deaf ears. Some MPs continue not to inspire aspiring politicians including young children who should see them as role models.

Mr Speaker Sir, as was raised by people during the public hearings, this is not time for monkey-like behaviour in the House because there should be a lot in the hands of our representatives.

The major thrust of current debates should be on how to improve the country's economic fortunes rather than heckling and seeking to score cheap political points.

There is need to reduce the tempo and bring sanity in the House during Question Time through respective party chief whips.

The electorate watches Question Time live so that they hear of policy matters than heckling and meaningless sound bites.

Unfortunately, some of the MPs have mastered the art of insulting Parliament's importance by their whacked contributions through heckling.

When live broadcast started in 2014, I warned that the cameras could end up failing to achieve the desired goals, which is to make Parliament accessible to the electorate so that they could be involved in the governance of the country.

Mr Speaker Sir, it would seem the cameras have somehow inspired some of the legislators to behave the way they do.

But if these errant MPs think cameras are helping their cause in that regard, then we are exaggerating their thinking capacity because, instead the majority of the electorate find their conduct immature and a waste of taxpayers' money.

This is why one of the respondents in Masvingo during the public hearings ended up questioning MPs' qualifications.