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Speaker of the National Assembly Advocate Jacob Mudenda (centre), flanked by Senate President Edna Madzongwe (right) and UNDP deputy country director Ms Debab Asrat Ynessu, speaks at a Parliament Open Day media briefing in Harare yesterday. — Picture by Tawanda Mudimu

Farirai Machivenyika Senior Reporter—
All is set for the inaugural Parliament of Zimbabwe Open Day that begins at the Parliament of Zimbabwe Building today as part of the legislature’s initiative to enhance public participation in its business. The Open Day runs from today until tomorrow under the theme: “Celebrating 37 years of Independence and Parliamentary Democracy.”

Speaker of the National Assembly Advocate Jacob Mudenda said the Open Day was an effort by Parliament to follow global trends that encourage people’s participation in legislative processes.

“Our Parliament has joined other jurisdictions to celebrate our Parliamentary Open Day, especially in celebrating our parliamentary democracy in the past 37 years,” he said.

“This is also consistent with the universal concept that the creation of Parliament has been recognised as the repository of the will of the people to determine how they should be governed through parliamentary participatory democracy.”

Adv Mudenda said the Open Day was meant to ensure that Parliament was a people’s institution “without any cloud of mystery”.

He said before the adoption of parliamentary reforms in the late 1990s, Parliament was viewed as an institution that was detached from the people despite its role as representative of the citizens.

“Responding to the stinging public condemnation, Parliament of Zimbabwe instituted wide ranging reforms that included initiatives aimed at making Parliament more accessible to the people,” said Adv Mudenda. He said some of the reforms included opening up Parliamentary Portfolio Committee’s discussions to the public and involvement of people in the budget making process.

“The Parliamentary Open Day is, therefore, another of the several ongoing reform initiatives aimed at enhancing public access to Parliament and encouraging public participation in the legislative and other processes of Parliament,” Adv Mudenda said.

He said the new Constitution was clear that legislative authority in Zimbabwe was derived from the people, adding that Parliamentarians held public trust bestowed on them by the electorate.

As part of the Open Day activities, an exhibition has been running at the National Art Gallery on the history of Parliament since the colonial era, while other activities that are lined up from today include displays by various parliamentary departments and cooperating partners, interaction with parliamentarians and guided tours of Parliament Building.