MPs must scrutinise budget in good time
The expectation is that MPs use the powers they have been given by the Constitution not only to address issues of their own welfare, but the many issues affecting the general populace.
SPEAKER of the National Assembly Advocate Jacob Mudenda made an important observation last week when he challenged parliamentarians to critically analyse the budget before passing it so that no one complains if certain issues are not adequately captured in the document.
Mr Speaker Sir, the challenge we have faced for some time now is that very few of our lawmakers take time or have the capacity to study the budget or even other pieces of legislation that come to the House.
Besides the numerous workshops and seminars that parliamentarians attend, there are still many examples that show that some of our legislators are yet to grasp their responsibilities.
Granted, parties tend to whip their backbenchers on critical issues, but, Mr Speaker Sir, we have also noted the disinterest exhibited by most legislators when it comes to discussing critical issues, especially Bills, that come before the House.
A perusal of the Hansard will show that it’s the same people that usually contribute to debates in the House.
The reason I have decided to focus on this issue is because of the statement made by Advocate Jacob Mudenda last week during a prebudget seminar in Harare.
“But, however, in terms of the budget Parliament receives, the ball rests with them as members of Parliament because they are the ones who pass the budget and that budget must contain the conditions of service to their satisfaction. But if they pass the budget all the time without any qualms at all it’s their fault.
“They are raising issues at the end of the Fifth Session Eighth Parliament, which issues should have been raised since 2013 and attended to accordingly,” Advocate Mudenda said.
The focus here was on conditions of service, but the same argument can be used on various issues that come to the House.
The expectation is that MPs use the powers they have been given by the Constitution not only to address issues of their own welfare, but the many issues affecting the general populace.
It does not help anyone to make noise after the budget has already been passed and can’t be reversed.
So as we are in the budget formulation season we hope this time around the parliamentarians will heed the advice of the Speaker.
It is good for our democracy that MPs keep the Executive on its toes because the ultimate beneficiary is the ordinary Zimbabwean.
Mr Speaker Sir, following last week’s events, I received feedback from various people on the issue. One particular contribution that caught my attention was on the question of what the functions or the roles of legislators and Parliament in relation to Government are.
Parliaments the world over are there mainly to craft laws and exercise oversight on the Executive.
However, in our case we have seen MPs also taking on a developmental function in their constituencies, something that should be done by Government.
It is because of this anomaly that we have MPs making demands, some of which can be deemed unrealistic.
What it,therefore, means is that MPs should ensure the budget that is currently being crafted provides the necessary resources to various arms of Government, especially social welfare, so that the vulnerable are taken care of.
Another avenue that may lessen the burden on MPs forking out their own resources is to expedite the formulation of the constitution governing the Constituency Development Fund so that money is released for use in the various development initiatives.
What is disheartening is that nearly three weeks after the draft constitution for the management of the CDF was released for further input from legislators, very few have made contributions.
This will only delay the release of the funds and once again begs the question as to whether the calibre of legislators we have really know what purpose they are supposed to serve.
This tendency to shoot themselves in the foot allows the Executive to get away with murder, as the old saying goes, because the parliamentarians themselves do not seem to know their functions.
Apart from the CDF, the constitution also requires government to allocate at least five percent of the budget to local authorities to meet local developmental needs but since the new supreme law was enacted, very little or nothing at all has been said about this provision.
Granted, Mr Speaker Sir, our budget is stretched at the moment and cannot address all our needs, but this is another aspect that legislators need to look at to ensure that local authorities are funded.
Funding local authorities will ensure development of communities.
Mr Speaker Sir, it is our sincere hope that the MPs take heed and up their game and carry out their role effectively.
We do not expect to hear the MPs crying foul again next year when the solutions to the problems they are making are in their hands.
So as the budget making process unfolds, we expect that debate this time around will be robust and will not be about rubber stamping and passing it just to fulfil a procedure required by law, but will be a process meant to better the lives of all Zimbabweans.
We are living in challenging times and it requires that those we have entrusted with the levers of power carry out their duties without fear or favour. Elections are just around the corner and those, who do not add value to parliamentary processes will likely fall by the wayside come 2018.