National Constitutional Assembly president Professor Lovemore Madhuku has criticised Parliament's public consultation process on the proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 3 describing it as "meaningless" and accusing Speaker Jacob Mudenda of failing to separate his party and parliamentary roles.
Addresing journalists in Harare, Prof Madhuku dismissed calls for citizens to email or physically visit Parliament to submit their views on the controversial amendment arguing that the methods exclude the majority of Zimbabweans.
"The consultations are meaningless. There are no consultations taking place from Parliament They have put out an advert there, this country has 16 million people and most of them have no access to an email, they have no access to Parliament."
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Under the current arrangement, citizens are required either to send written submissions via email or to travel to the New Parliament Building to make their submissions.
Prof Madhuku said both options were unrealistic for ordinary Zimbabweans particularly those living in remote areas.
"If you see the two methods, they do not apply to the ordinary people. The first one you send an email and the second one you have to physically visit Parliament -- otherwise you have to come from Mberengwa to visit the New Parliament. Even a person in Harare finds it difficult to go all the way to the New Parliament Building," he said
He also questioned why alternative platforms, such as radio call-in programmes had not been used to broaden public participation.
"They have not been put on radio stations where people can phone in and hearing what people want, that is not being done," he added.
Prof Madhuku directed particular criticism at Speaker Mudenda who also serves as Secretary General of the ruling Zanu PF party.
"What you can see is the people in Parliament like the Speaker of Parliament who is also the Zanu PF Secretary General. He does not know what his job is. Today he is the Secretary General of the party, the next day he is Speaker of Parliament," he said.
He claimed that since assuming the party post, Mudenda had lost focus on his parliamentary duties.
"I have been watching Jacob Mudenda -- the time he became Zanu PF secretary general he lost all his focus on his job as Speaker of Parliament," he said.
Prof Madhuku further questioned the process by which the Bill was introduced suggesting it had not been subjected to proper parliamentary debate.
"He went to collect the Bill from Ziyambi Ziyambi. The way the Speaker collects that Bill, it was never debated in Parliament, no MP debated it. He is not playing his role as Speaker of Parliament, he is just a Zanu PF player." Madhuku
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He argued that expecting someone holding a senior party position to preside impartially over constitutional consultations was "to expect too much".
"Jacob Mudenda is not fit and proper to lead the Public Consultations," Prof Madhuku said.
