Mliswa opposes Insurance Bill wants a second round of public hearings
Norton legislator Temba Mliswa told the National Assembly that he is against the Insurance and Pension Commission Amendment Bill progressing
Honourable Mliswa said the low attendance during the public hearings of the Bill is not reflective or representative of the people.
According to the committee report, public hearings were conducted from 13 to 16 March 2022 in Bulawayo, Mutare and Harare.
The meetings were poorly attended as only a total of 25 people attended the 3 consultative meetings, as follows, Bulawayo (17), Mutare (1) and Harare (7).
Parliament is required by Section 141 of the Constitution to engage the general members of the public in its legislative processes and consult them on any Bills that will be before it.
Speaking during the Second Reading stage of the Bill in the National Assembly, Mliswa said there is a need to re-do the public hearings and give people time.
Below is the full text of what Honourable Mliswa said during the debate on the Bill.
HON. T. MLISWA: Thank you Mr Speaker Sir. This Parliament is an institution that represents the people, that is the reason why we have public hearings, to have input from stakeholders in the laws that we make. I am totally against this Bill because the Chairperson of the Committee, Hon. Nyashanu was very clear on the numbers that attended the hearings. He said 17, 7 and 1- if I am not mistaken. He said 17 one meeting, 7 another meeting and 1, I do not know how we can call a meeting with one person, that was in Mutare.
So, for me, we cannot say the stakeholders had an input and as Parliament, we must be seen to come up with laws which involve stakeholders. Our debate then arises from that, it becomes extremely difficult to debate on such a Bill when people are not involved. We would rather do something properly. My proposal would be to re-do it and give people enough time, notice so that we are able to maximise on people’s input and do it professionally. The country is watching and we will be accused as Parliament of passing Bills which have nothing to do with the people.
Therefore, Mr Speaker Sir, am pushing and proposing that the Committee – the communication of Parliament broke down somewhere. The amount of money spent is a lot and we must leave a legacy as being a Parliament that worked with the people and not against the people. This Bill is very important for the people of Zimbabwe, especially with inflation. The pensioners, not only that, the banking sector itself, if I am not mistaken is very important in terms of ensuring that things are put in the right perspective.
Mr Speaker Sir, the Committee Chairperson is competent and he cannot be equally blamed because the Members of Parliament (MPs) are not responsible for communication in terms of dissemination of information. So, it becomes very difficult to then point a finger at the chairman of the Committee. Most Members of Parliament of that respective area must be notified but they also need to be resourced. The MPs at this point in time are incapacitated, they do not have money, fuel, bundles and airtime to call and mobilise people. So, it is from this point where we must be able to revisit and that is why Mr Speaker we have been insisting on the information centres. I am happy that the Minister of Finance is here.
Minister of Finance, information centres that you talked about in the budget would help in this situation, the dissemination of information to relevant people and people know that any information that is happening in the constituency; any activities, we have an office that they can see on the notice-board. The community then said that any event happening in the constituency will be put on the notice board but that would happen at the information centre, and without that being in place, it is difficult. While the Members of Parliament are equally responsible for that, it requires resources and time to enable them to mobilise people.
Mr Speaker Sir, I see that at times when we go for these public hearings, Members of Parliament for these constituencies, some of them do not know that there is a hearing. If the Member of Parliament for the constituency does not know, it becomes difficult for you to expect the ordinary person to know when one of our colleague Hon. Members is in the dark. So, communication must improve by ensuring that the Member of Parliament knows that there is an activity and an awareness programme done in terms of that.
So Mr Speaker Sir, without saying much, I would really appreciate your indulgence and I know you are a stickler at doing the right things. We have a reputation to protect the legacy to live as Parliamentarians, as a Ninth Parliament and I think what has not been done must be done well. As a former teacher and headmaster, there was nothing wrong with somebody repeating when they failed. I would like this Committee to repeat, I do not want to say they failed but there was a communication breakdown and that I think could give us some dignity and respect in terms of the Bills and the laws that we pass in this House. They will be taken seriously because the public saw this and they are aware of it. It was on social media and the Chairman if I am not mistaken, was interviewed and it was very difficult for him to say anything beyond what has been before him. I thank you, Mr Speaker Sir, that is my contribution on this Bill.
Mliswa opposes Insurance Bill proposes second round of public hearings
