‘We’ve not had sight of Peace Bill’
PEOPLE invited to comment on the National Peace and Reconciliation Bill should have been given copies in advance to enable them to make meaningful contribution during public hearings being conducted to get views from stakeholders.
Members of the public drawn from several interested groups and comprising all age groups took turns to lambaste lawmakers for soliciting views on a Bill they had not had sight of.
This occurred during a public hearing being conducted jointly by the Portfolio Committee on Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Senate Thematic committee on Human Rights and Peace and Security in Kwekwe and Gweru.
The public hearings were being supported by the United Nations Development Programme and Southern Parliamentary Support Trust. It was the view of the public that inviting them to make contributions on the Bill when they did not have copies was futile because they would be shooting in the dark.
“How are we expected to make meaningful contributions when we have not had sight of the copies in advance? Even now, we do not have copies,” said Mrs Rebecca Makuwerere from Gweru.
“As Parliament, you are funded by the Government and it would have been prudent for you to make copies for us either before coming here or just before commencement of these proceedings,” said another participant.
A participant in Kwekwe, Mr Obert Marufu, said there was no justifiable reason why Parliament should fail to make copies for them given the importance of the Bill.
The head of delegation and chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Ms Jessie Majome (MDC-T) conceded that the failure to provide them with copies was irregular.
“We sent some copies to the office of the district administrator hoping that they would be distributed but it appears that did not happen,” said Ms Majome.
To compensate for the information deficit on the provisions of the Bill by members of the public, Ms Majome then took about 40 minutes giving an overview of the Bill before contributions commenced.
Ms Majome gave an overview of the Bill in the two meetings held in Kwekwe and Gweru and was expected to do the same in subsequent meetings being carried out across the country.
During contributions, members of the public expressed reservations on a provision that stipulated that the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission was obliged to publish in the Government Gazette and in the media before commencing investigation of a case that would have been reported.
They said the publication of cases before investigation started not only exposed victims to risk but might result in evidence being destroyed and perpetrators fleeing.
“Why publish the cases to be investigated in the first place?” said Mr Erasmus Tonga.
Others said it was not proper for Government to seek views on the Bill when it had already constituted the Commission.
But Ms Majome said there was no prejudice as constituting the Commission was done in terms of the Constitution which members of the public had voted overwhelmingly for its passage.