MEMBERS of Parliament from the Nelson Chamisa-led MDC have been told to surrender their diplomatic passports which they were issued by Government to prove that they do not recognize the authority of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the Head of State and Government.
Except for the chairpersons of portfolio committees, MPs do not have a right to diplomatic passports, but were issued them as a “favour” by the Government.
Nelson Chamisa and his top party officials maintain they were rigged out of their victory in the 2018 elections by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) working in collusion with zanu-PF, despite having lost their court challenge last year August.
Zanu-PF MP for Mberengwa North, Tafanana Zhou, made the call for the opposition MPs as he was raising a point of privilege in Parliament.
“It must be realised that the diplomatic passports were issued on the understanding that when MPs are outside the country, they represent the president who they say they don’t recognise so they should surrender them to the clerk of Parliament forthwith to show that they are genuine.
“They cannot take from the president only that which suits their personal interests,” Honourable Zhou said.
The MDC legislators have persistently either walked out of parliament or abstained from coming altogether during events attended by President Mnangagwa, leading to Zanu-PF MPs retaliating.
