By Staff reporters
MDC Members of Parliament (MPs) have been castigated for walking out on President Emmerson Mnangagwa during the official opening of the second session of the ninth Parliament and the State of the Nation Address (SONA).
Speaking during an interview after the SONA yesterday, Minister of Justice Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Ziyambi Ziyambi described the MDC MPs as confused.
“If I may say it correctly, they are a confused lot. You do not come into an August House as a product of an election that put himself and the President and you decide that you do not recognise the process. Our constitution indicates that legislature consists of the President and Parliament.
“So whatever they do after this if they are to pass a law, who will sign that law. In the same vain, they are saying they are not recognising the very person they are asking for support in terms of signing the laws, in terms of ensuring that even our budget, without the President’s ascend, we cannot appropriate anything that Parliament would have approved,” said the Minister.
Contacts within the opposition confided in this publication that the MPs were divided over the walk out.
“As you might have noticed after the walk out, some of the legislators were visibly showing that they were not into it in totality. Some were even asking what to do next and where to go,” said the high profile MDC official
The official said Nelson Chamisa had only phoned a few, a day before and briefed them on what action to take during SONA. He said some of the legislators were snot even in the know of the plan to humiliate the president.
“The president (Chamisa) phoned a few including (Tendai) Biti and (Tabitha) Khumalo who he instructed to lead other members in walking out on (President Emmerson) Mnangagwa. Unfortunately Biti and Khumalo did not brief other legislators on time, hence the discord that characterised the plan,” he said.
The source said there was a lot of fear within the legislators for they are always threatened with recalling if they dare challenge or oppose Chamisa.
“As you know that the MPs got delivery of their new vehicles and handsome salaries, who among them can be recklessly invite recalling. Obviously they have to unwillingly comply,” reasoned the source.
This is not the first time the MDC MPs have walked out on the President. They did the same while the President was giving the State of Nation Address in 2018.
