Consultative: House of Assembly chief whip Joram Gumbo says Zanu-PF will expose new legislation to Parliamentary scrutiny.
Zanu-PF’s chief whip in the House of Assembly, Joram Gumbo, says his party will not abuse its two-thirds majority in Parliament by amending the Constitution and introducing partisan laws.
Zanu-PF dominates both houses of Parliament, the House of Assembly and the Senate.
Gumbo’s pronouncements in an interview with the Mail & Guardian come as a surprise, given indications in recent months that the party is bent on amending the new Constitution and on scrapping a number of provisions President Robert Mugabe is not comfortable with, among them devolution of power.
In the run-up to the elections, former justice minister, now finance minister, Patrick Chinamasa indicated that his party would amend the Constitution.
Gumbo, however, said he would ensure that legislators worked in the national interest and did not follow partisan lines.
“We will remain accountable to the people who elected us. Even the opposition will not be drowned, although it is in the minority. We will make sure its voice is heard because it is important,” Gumbo said.
Laws to go through a vigorous process
Gumbo said his party did not intend to rubber stamp laws without putting them through a vigorous process.
“When it comes to the introduction of new laws, the parliamentary legal committee will scrutinise all laws suggested by the executive.
“If a ministry proposes a law, they will bring a Bill to the parliamentary legal committee, which will scrutinise it clause by clause, to see if the rights of the people are not infringed on.
“Where there is a need to amend, we will amend, and if it’s not in the national interest or unconstitutional, we will reject it. There will not be any rubber stamping.”
Gumbo said parliamentarians would also consult people in their constituencies on proposed new laws.
Surprisingly, the Zanu-PF chief whip said the Constitution would not be changed unless there was a referendum for people to decide on such an action.
Parly to take keen interest
Gumbo said, as part of their oversight role, parliamentarians would also take a keen interest in government-to-government agreements, as well as the functions of all government ministries.
“We are in the majority, but we will exercise our role. We have a mandate from the people and we will certainly hold the executive to account.”
Mugabe officially opened the first session of the eighth Parliament on Tuesday, setting the legislative agenda for the country.
Fourteen Bills will go through Parliament, among them the Land Commission Bill, the Banking Act Amendment Bill, the Mines and Minerals Bill, the Sovereign Wealth Fund Bill, the Border Posts Authority Bill, the Constituency Development Bill, the Zimbabwe Quality Standards Regulatory Authority Bill and the Consumer Protection Bill.
Mugabe said the Mines and Minerals Bill would seek to boost mineral development and maximise the benefits from its rich and diverse mineral endowment.
The exploitation of Zimbabwe’s minerals has been shrouded in secrecy, especially in the diamond sector, where funds from the sale of gems are allegedly being diverted.