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)
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)
No comments:
Post a Comment