Parliament cancels US funding for reforms

By Violet Gonda
16 April 2007

The MDC chief whip Innocent Gonese has described as ‘nonsensical’ and ‘propaganda tactics’ by the Zimbabwean government who claim it has cancelled a United States agreement that funds parliamentary reforms, to block efforts to effect regime change.

According to the state controlled Sunday Mail newspaper, Austin Zvoma the Clerk of Parliament, said they terminated a memorandum of agreement with the “United States Agency for International Development (USAID) following claims by the State Department that it is working with some portfolio committees of parliament to discredit the government.”

Gonese said someone who understands the working of parliament would realise that there could be no substance to such an allegation. He said the State University of New York has been the technical partner to parliament in the strengthening of parliament as an institution. This was part of the reform programme which started in earnest after the 2000 elections. “What USAID have been doing through the State University of New York is simply to assist parliament in the advancement of its reform programmes to ensure it is more effective in performing its functions.”

The legislator said there is no money which goes directly to parliamentarians for these portfolio committees and therefore there could not be any direct influence. He also said these allegations are ‘ridiculous’ as all portfolio committees are dominated by MPs from ZANU PF and that the majority of the chairpersons of the committees are from ZANU PF. “So even if the US State Department were to have such an agenda it would not be achievable.”

Gonese added: “Even if the majority of the legislators were from the MDC it will simply not be feasible for the State Department to use the portfolio committees for the purpose which is alleged because the way our sitting works in Zimbabwe is that parliament is subservient to the Executive to the extent that it is not practical, it is not possible for anyone to try to use that institution for the purposes of effecting regime change.”
The opposition says the cancellation of the agreement is a very sad development as it was very important in building capacity of not just portfolio committees and clerks but parliament in general through various workshops, which were being organised by the State University of New York. The opposition Chief Whip said the decision is going to be retrogressive, as both the Parliament of Zimbabwe and the government do not have the resources to organise these workshops.
It is reported that the State University of New York provided technical assistants in the form of experts, who were actually Zimbabwean not Americans. The experts in the field of law, economy and other areas were attached to parliament to assist both the portfolio committees and clerks in the execution of their duties.