Harare — THE Parliamentary Select Committee has come up with a number of talking points that will guide the outreach teams when they go around Zimbabwe to meet the people and gather their views on the new constitution.

The two major parties in the country, Zanu-PF and MDC-T have, basing on the talking points crafted by the select committee, released their views on major issues and how they want those to be harnessed in the envisaged new constitution.

The outreach programme is scheduled to start on April 10 and all the legislators would be part of the outreach teams that will go around Zimbabwe gathering views that will culminate in the writing of a draft constitution and then a referendum for its approval or rejection in November.

A glance at the views of the parties on the major issues indicates that they are diametrically opposite.

For example, Zanu-PF wants the executive powers to be vested in the office of the President who would be the Head of State and Cabinet and Commander-in-Chief of the defence forces.

But the MDC wants the executive powers to be shared by the President and the Prime Minister, who would be selected from a party with the majority in Parliament.

The party also wants powers to be decentralised to communities in a similar structure to that in South Africa, where there are provincial governments.

On its Bill of Rights, MDC-T proposes that the country recognise gay and lesbian relationships or marriages while Zanu-PF wants the constitution to outlaw the practice.

In the past, when the question whether or not to recognise homosexuality has been raised most people have been unequivocal in opposing legalising same sex relationships.

Whether to keep or abolish the death sentence is also likely to raise debate.

Some Zimbabweans believe the death sentence has become an outdated form of punishment while others want it retained for deterrent purposes.

Currently, there are 49 people on the death row and many of them have called for the death penalty to be revoked.

The positions of the two parties are ideologically different with Zanu-PF's proposals conservative in nature while the MDC-T is liberal and in my view is heavily influenced by the West.

Zanu-PF wants the new constitution to safeguard the country's natural wealth and ensure that there is increased participation of indigenous people in the economy.

We now await the outreach programme and let the people speak.

In another development, Zanu-PF House of Assembly representatives walked out of the House on Tuesday in protest over what they said was bias bythe Speaker, Mr Lovemore Moyo during debate on a motion moved by MDC-T Chief Whip, Mr Innocent Gonese.

Mr Moyo is also the MDC-T national chairman.

Mr Gonese moved a motion calling for the setting up of a Select Committee of Parliament to investigate cases of violence that occurred between March 29 and the June 27 presidential run-off in 2008.

The Zanu-PF legislators accused the Speaker of bias and not protecting them during the debate while other MDC-T legislators were also accused of arguing on points that were outside the period set in the motion.

While violence of any form should be condemned the fact that the parties in Government created an Organ on national healing and reconciliation to deal with the same issues shows that they are all agreed that elections should not be marred by violence.

It is my belief that the route taken by the parties should be supported instead of coming up with various bodies to do basically the same work that might end up confusing the populace or having undesired outcomes.

The timing of the motion again is opportune given the time that has lapsed since the 2008 elections.

I believe what needs to be done at the moment is to support the Government work on the subject and at the same time ensure that there is no repeat of the violence.

The manner in which the debate was conducted shows that the route that Mr Gonese has proposed may not succeed and will further polarise society.

When they signed the Global Political Agreement, the parties collectively took the blame for the violence that occurred in the aftermath of the March 29 elections.

As Zanu-PF chief whip, Cde Joram Gumbo said it is high time that we focus on national healing and reconciliation to prevent violence from occurring again.

Last week, I talked about the plight of the national airline and judging from the responses that I got, most people are agreed that Air Zimbabwe should not fold.

However, some felt that successive management teams at the parastatal have for long been mismanaging resources and that has contributed to the current state of affairs.

The general feeling was that before Government injects capital into the national airline, the management should be restructured and be given clear targets so that the company gets out of the woods.

A lot can be said but the bottom line is the company has to be bailed out sooner rather than later because engaging in the blame game will not save this very important national asset.

In the Committees

The Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs gave evidence before the Committee on Justice, Legal, Parliamentary and Constitutional Affairs on various issues including the training of lawyers in the country.

The University of Zimbabwe, as the oldest university, he said, is supposed to be the torchbearer, but he said standards have badly gone down at the institution.

Minister Chinamasa pointed to a scenario that most of us have long observed that most lecturers at the Faculty of Law have discarded their mandate and ventured into political activism to the detriment of the standards the institution had come to be known for.

Many of them, as the minister said, have completely politicised the Law Faculty and waste students' valuable time engaging in regime change politics.

Unfortunately, this has become the scenario as some lecturers have become commissars for Western agents that are against the country's empowerment agenda and have taken it upon themselves to use institutions of higher learning to denigrate the Government especially the person of President Mugabe.

On the matters Minister Chinamasa had no kind words for, white former commercial farmers whom he said are abusing the country's judiciary in their pursuit to reverse the land reform programme.

The constitution is clear that all land belongs to the State and one can occupy it if and only if they have been given a permit by the State.

In this case, one has to have a valid offer letter to occupy the farmland.

The fact of the matter is that the land reform programme is irreversible and even the parties in the inclusive Government have agreed on that, therefore any person who claims to be a law abiding Zimbabwean should simply follow the laws of the country.

It's unfortunate that there are some naïve white commercial farmers who think that one-day they shall return to live the privileged life they once enjoyed at the expense of the black majority.

The farmers should instead be lobbying the British Government as the former colonial power to honour its obligations and fund land reform programme instead of wasting valuable time at the courts.

Zimbabwe has embarked on a broad empowerment programme that has also seen the gazetting of the indigenisation regulations to put into effect the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act.

This means any person willing to be part of the development of this country has to conform to the laws of the land.

Trying to abuse our justice delivery system will not help anyone.

Lastly, Government should also urgently look at increased funding and resources to ensure the smooth delivery of justice in the country.

Currently, the sector is under-funded and has seen an increase in corrupt activities.

Unfortunately, those without the financial wherewithal end up on the receiving end and fail to get the protection of the law.