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Lloyd Gumbo Mr Speaker Sir
“We have not seen our MP since the elections last year when he left for Harare,” is the common response we hear from any constituency when we inquire about what development projects their MP was spearheading in their area.
Some MPs have become famous or infamous for being Missing Persons (MPs) instead of being Members of Parliament in their constituencies as they kiss goodbye to those who voted for them soon after announcement of the results.

This happens across the political divide as people’s representatives find sanctuary in Harare.

Could it be that they will be recuperating from the dust inhaled during the rough campaigns?

Or they just find hotel life in Harare irresistible and as such would want to stay as long as possible in the capital?

Even if it means transferring their belongings from their constituencies to the hotel, some would clearly not mind doing so.

Let’s be honest, hotel life is glorious as long as one doesn’t have to foot the bill.

The fact is that for some, it will be their first time to stay in a three-, four- or five-star hotel.

It is for that reason that some then forget to go back to check on the people who voted for them.

I am sure even if Treasury could afford giving them fuel coupons every weekend so that they could go to their constituencies, some of them would still not bother.

It is so funny to hear MPs saying they cannot traverse their constituencies because the roads are in a sorry state yet they never complained about the same roads during campaigns.

If anything, they actually promised to fix the same roads if elected into power but now that they are there, they change goalposts claiming that they can’t drive their vehicles there.

Zanu-PF national chairperson Simon Khaya Moyo has over the years lashed at MPs for neglecting their constituencies as they are “held up” in Harare.

This could be the reason Zanu-PF demanded that party MPs submit appraisal reports on activities they have been carrying out in their constituencies since they made it to the Eighth Parliament.

These reports are supposed to cover a number of aspects from holding meetings to socio-economic development activities in their areas of jurisdiction.

Some MPs I recently spoke to said they had not done anything in their constituencies because Parliament had not given them fuel coupons to enable them to travel.

As such, some of them have not been to their constituencies since Parliament opened its doors to them.

Therefore, the break by Parliament until the first week of July 2014, whether occasioned by lack of resources or by the serious need to follow the calendar, should be a welcome development to our honourable MPs.

This is their opportunity to find the lost link with constituencies that sponsored them to Parliament.

If truth be told, this whole month creates an opportunity for MPs to show their worthiness or lack of it to the electorate.

There is a mistaken belief among us to think that resources (money in particular) drive the worthiness of an MP.

It is high time such a belief was exorcised so that MPs show us that they tick.

It’s time they showed us the reason they are in Parliament, how much time they spend serving our interest.

It is good time that the politicians show that they are not in Harare to milk the fiscus but to truly stand with the electorate and look after their needs.

Our MPs must know that their reputations have been soiled for too long as they are seen as people who are just bent on milking Treasury of the little money that is there.

They should not only make noise about cars or the lack of fuel and being turned away from hotels without doing much for their constituencies.

It is also time that they remove the “Polling Booth” disappointment which has always gripped our nation.

Most MPs prove to be so ineffective to the extent that our people sourly say “No one takes any notice of what we think until it is election time”.

It means a lot to the voters when they see their representative spending time in the constituency and see the challenges that they face in their daily lives.

One popular author, Nesta Wyn Ellis, “In the Truth About MPs”, says politicians are, according to electors, “all the same” in their disregard of ordinary folk. All they want is a ticket to Parliament .

Once there, MPs are only interested in themselves and what they can get out of politics.

Many a times we have seen most MPs fail to retain their seats at their various political parties’ primary elections due to their consistent absence from the electoral base.

For this same reason we got worried when it became evident that there was disgruntlement by MPs when the Deputy Speaker adjourned the House to the first week of July.

This makes us to question where MPs should spend most of their time between Harare and their constituencies.

According to the Global Parliamentary study, MPs consider their most important role to be law-making (52,3 percent), playing an oversight role (17,2 percent) and solving the constituents issues (12,5 percent).

However, on the other hand, the electorate consider solving the constituency’s problems as the most important role MPs should play.

Now that the Constitution demands that Parliament facilitates public involvement in the law-making process by consulting the same, it is important that MPs use the opportunity they have with the electorate to get their views on a number of subjects considering that our country is operating on a shoestring budget making it difficult for the State to fund public hearings.

MPs should not close their eyes and ears to the people who voted them into Parliament.

It is important for legislators to know that the electorate wants to talk to their representatives about issues affecting them than a situation where MPs disappear from the constituencies for four years before coming back soliciting for votes for the upcoming elections.

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