Understanding the role of parliament

Speaker of Parliament

LISBON TAWANDA CHIGWENJERE

Many young people do not understand the role of Parliament, so sometimes they expect Members of Parliament to do things that are beyond their powers. They also get fooled by aspiring parliamentarians who promise them that they will do things that are not even in their jurisdiction. Aspiring MPs can lie to the electorate that they will solve all of their problems. I remember when I was young, watching ZBC TV, when I heard Nelson Chamisa promising that soon after he got elected into Parliament, he would ensure that the whole of Kuwadzana had tower lights. I was very happy and told my twin brother that very soon we will be having tower lights. But the tower lights never came. I just discovered that the electorate had been fooled.

When you meet parliamentarians to share your challenges with them, the first thing they do is to tell you the role of Parliament. I saw this when I met MPs like Jessie Majome, Peter Matarutse, Innocent Gonese, Costa Machingauta, and Killion Sibanda. I did not meet these people one on one, but I met them through different platforms created for young people to interact with their policy makers. 

The MPs first outline the roles of parliamentarians so that those they are engaging will not ask them questions that are beyond their powers. Amazingly, they do not do this when they are campaigning to be elected into public office. They tell you that MPs are not Non-Governmental Organizations; they do not pay children’s school fees, they do not build dams, they do not fix roads, they do not erect tower lights, and they do not facilitate funerals. This is very true. Members of Parliament make laws, they represent their constituencies in Parliament, and they oversee the activities of the Executive branch of government. The Executive is the doing arm of government. MPs just use their voices to push the Executive into implementing developmental projects. 

This is very true, but many young Zimbabweans do not know this. So they get fooled during election time. You cannot change things in your country by electing new Members of Parliament, but by electing a new President. MPs do not solve your problems. When you elect them into office, you are actually the ones solving their problems. 

When they come to you asking for your vote, they should promise you that they will make laws for the peace, order, and good governance of your country. They should promise you that they will present your issues before the Executive. They should promise you that they will bring the Executive to account. They should not tell you that they will solve your problems, because they can't, and they won't.

So next time an aspiring Member of Parliament tells you that they will solve your problems, do not vote for them. They will be lying to you. Let them solve the problems first before they get into office. 


Lisbon Tawanda Chigwenjere is a student of Politics and Public Management at the Midlands State University, in Zimbabwe. He is a former intern at the Youth Empowerment and Transformation Trust (YETT)