The Herald
25 February 2010
Herald Reporter
The Senate has adjourned debate on the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Amendment Bill to March after senators requested more time to go through the amendments to the proposed law passed by the House of Assembly.
This is the second time Senate has postponed debate on the amendment.
In December last year, the legislators made a similar request before the House adjourned for the Christmas holiday.
Tuesday’s postponement followed proposals by Chimanimani Senator Cde Monica Mutsvangwa (Zanu-PF) to amend 10 clauses.
She said the Bill sought to settle personal scores instead of addressing national development issues.
“If we use Bills to introduce constant fights it means each time we have power changes in the country, we have to amend Bills then this becomes the law of the jungle,” she said.
Senator Mutsvangwa said the issue of RBZ Governor Dr Gideon Gono’s tenure should be dealt with by the negotiators and principals to the Global Political Agreement.
“If people have axes to grind with a sitting governor, let us leave that to the executive, GPA negotiators and principals or courts for that matter. Arguments on whether Gono did right or wrong can be handled through other avenues not the Bill,” she said.
Khumalo Senator and Minister of Education Mr David Coltart (MDC) responded: “At this stage of the Bill we should be confining our debate to individual clauses.
“It is at the second stage of the Bill, which is the second reading, when we debate comments like this.”
Chief Fortune Charumbira, who was chairing, ordered Cde Mutsvangwa to stick to the clauses.
Sen Coltart then said most Senators had not had the opportunity to view the Bill as amended by the House of Assembly and requested that debate be adjourned.
Chief Charumbira however, disputed the assertion that the senators had not seen the Bill as amended because it had passed the second reading stage.
During the second reading of a Bill legislators go through the proposed law clause by clause before it is read. The RBZ Bill seeks to transform the way the central bank is run.
According to Finance Minister Tendai Biti, it will ensure the RBZ sticks to its core business of monetary policy and bank supervision.
Zanu-PF legislators argue that Minister Biti wants to use the Bill to settle personal scores with Dr Gono. Senate resumes sitting on March 9.