Story by Bruce Chahwanda, Political Editor
POLITICAL analysts have castigated opposition political parties who are disrupting public hearings on the Public Voluntary Organisation Bill saying they are championing a foreign agenda.
The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Public Service, Labour, and Social Welfare is conducting public hearings on the PVO bill.
The meetings have, however, been disrupted by some individuals believed to be opposition activists.
“People must understand the parliamentary process and how important they are in driving national discourse. Hearings must be allowed to proceed uninterrupted such that our laws meet the required standards. These disruptions are retrogressive in terms of the law-making process,” says political analyst, Mr Lazarus Sauti.
Another political analyst, Mr Gibson Nyikadzino weighed in saying it is a well-calculated move orchestrated by disruptive elements opposed to the bill.
“What we are seeing or what has happened during the PVO outreach programme is that there are deliberate disturbances that are being orchestrated by those who are against this amendment bill. But the basis of the bill, when you look at it, is not in any way to restrict the political party’s involvement in activities or to restrict non-governmental organisations from doing their work.
“The basis is trying to modify the political ground, such that those in the opposition, are not aided by civil society. When you look at the issues of political contestation in Zimbabwe since 2000, the opposition has not been homegrown.
“It has tried to challenge ZANU PF’s dominance through the help of other foreign states or agencies that we see today. So this is unlike the other opposition that we see in the region. When you look at Zambia, Malawi, Botswana and South Africa, the opposition is home-grown. It is not crying out to foreigners to help them to effect issues of social change. So these disturbances that we are seeing, one way or the other, are deliberate orchestrations by the opposition political actors so that they stop or they try to hinder the progress that is being deliberated in this amendment bill,” said Mr Nyikadzino.
The Public Voluntary Organisation Bill is meant to regulate the operations of non-governmental organisations in Zimbabwe and ensure that they do not interfere with the country’s political affairs.
