Parliament sets committee to discuss Chamisa’s colours

Parliament sets committee to discuss Chamisa’s colours

Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda has set a committee that will discuss whether legislators can wear yellow clothes in the House or not.

The move was prompted by Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) legislators who came to the House to take the oath of office putting on yellow neckties, while Judith Tobaiwa was putting on a yellow blazer.

This did not go down well with Buhera South legislator Joseph Chinotimba who asked the Speaker to chuck them out arguing that they were wearing party regalia.

Harare East legislator Tendai Biti, however, argued against the move adding that there was no provision for colours on the Parliament Standing Rules and Orders.

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Responding to Biti, Mudenda said he was setting a committee to look at the matter

‘’Thank you Honourable Biti. You make your point from a position of sobriety and you lose nothing, alright.  I have been checking here on the provisions of the Standing Rules and Orders and taking into account what Honourable Biti has raised.

‘’I shall rule as follows:  That there be a combined meeting of representatives from the government side led by the leader of government business, the chief whip and one other.

‘’From this side, we get another three so that at the end of the session, we look closely at the Standing Orders and if we cannot come up with a resolution, I shall rely on the advice of that Committee on whether the matter should proceed to the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders for final arbitration,’’ he said.

Parliament rules do not talk about colours

Honourable Biti in his point of privilege had argued that the rules require legislators to dress with dignity and with decorum, but did not mention colours.

He said, ‘’The current Standing Orders of Parliament, the 9^th Edition, do not have a provision that was in the old Standing Orders that dealt with the decorum and presentation of a Member of Parliament as he or she appears in the Chamber or in a Committee, but we assume that old rule is carried over, consistent with parliamentary practice which as you know is still part of our law by virtue of Section 4 of the Privileges of Parliament Act.  Therefore, a Member of Parliament must dress with dignity and with decorum.

‘’The issue of a necktie is one of the implicit requirements but there is no colour ascribed to a necktie. So, an ordinary Member has got a constitutional right to put on a necktie of his or her own choice, which is why in this august House, as I speak to you, there are different neckties.

‘’Some have got red, some have green, some blue and some yellow. It is their constitutional right. The only test Honourable Speaker Sir, of how a member dress is decorum.  Is he dressed sufficiently such that he does not bring Parliament into disrepute?  Those of us who have chosen to put on yellow neckties are in fact enhancing the dignity of Parliament because we are smartly dressed.

‘’We are not putting on t-shirts, we are not putting on party regalia. So, I submit Mr Speaker Sir, that you cannot make a ruling that determines the colour of what a member owns. You do not have that power, with great respect Sir.  I thank you very much,’’ he said.

Parliament sets committee to discuss Chamisa’s colours