Golden Jubilee For Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference
Meet your MP program has been a successful program so far for it provides the
people with an opportunity to share their views with their leaders. Out of the 210
constituencies so far 200 participated in the program. These are statistics of 13
years in office. The program is not meant to change the leadership and yet it
becomes clear that the MPs who did not deliver on promises made during
campaigns were shown the exit door. From the office's point of view this is a
positive sign that the program is effective in changing the lives of people in their
quest to find a leadership that delivers on promises and listens to the people - a
servant leadership to quote the current president. Already the ruling party has
threatened its non performing MPs that it was going to call them back and have
by-elections before the end of their term of office.
3(I) Portfolio Committees
Attendance to these meetings by ordinary people has been growing all the time.
There have been follow up questions from ordinary people to make the
government accountable on its actions. This has brought about a lot of
government officials being investigated on corruption issues.
The most exciting situation is when the Finance Minister tabled the country's
budget and members of the opposition party refused to stand for the President
and an order to eject them from the parliament was made. The opposition were
singing “where is the 15 billion dollars” and demanded for an explanation from
the current President who had previously kept quiet when the former President
was called by the portfolio committee on mines to come and explain as to how
the 15 billion dollars from diamonds had disappeared. Although the former
President did not come before this portfolio committee it sent a clear message to
those who were involved that there was a serious issue before them. The state
st
has been tolerant to demos of all kinds up to the 31 of July, 2018 and suddenly
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changed its approach on the 1 August, 2018 where we experienced the killing of
at least 6 people in an unclear circumstance where people were demonstrating. A
commission to look into the issue was set up.
.During the 13 years in review the number of ordinary people who attended the
portfolio committees went up by 150%. This was due to the issue of the national
budgets which are now openly discussed in different portfolio committees. The
meetings proved that there was a thirst in people for transparency in the
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