AN independent think-tank, the Election Resource Centre (ERC), is running a Khuluma Laye/Taura Naye/Talk to Your MP campaign in a move aimed at giving voters the opportunity to demand accountability from their legislators. NQOBANI NDLOVU STAFF REPORTER
The campaign is in response to the inaccessibility of MPs and the failure to hold feedback meetings in their constituencies.
The ERC said the campaign allows citizens to consult their MPs on various issues.
The body said it was presently promoting the campaign to seek views and concerns related to the Electoral Amendment Bill that is before Parliament.
The Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Portfolio Committee was in Matabeleland recently for public hearings on the amendment bills, but its meetings were poorly attended.
Committee chairperson and MDC-T legislator Jessie Majome bemoaned lack of funding for the poor mobilisation.
The ERC said it sought to bridge that gap through its campaign.
The platform is anchored on the ERC website (www.erc.org.zw). The website also directs people to the Facebook page “Electoral Reform-Why Rush-Give Us Time”.
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“Through clicking on a customised map tab on either the website or the Facebook page, one will be directed to a ‘zoomed’ map from which one can identify his or her constituency by pointing on the customised boundaries. After clicking on the constituency boundaries, the details of the MP for that area are immediately revealed, including his or her name, phone number and constituency in question,” the ERC says on its website.
“The platform responds to accessibility challenges encountered by most citizens in their efforts to speak to their representatives in Parliament. It is expected that once one gets contact details of their representatives, it will be convenient to register citizen concerns either through direct calls, text messages or even WhatsApp.
“More importantly such communication to elected officials happens in a relatively safe environment for the users, especially in the realm of polarised societies which are characterised by violence and intimidation.
“This platform is set to strengthen effective communication between elected officials and their electors as most communities often lack platforms to engage with their MPs. The platform is primarily for citizens who are mobilised through Facebook and existing phone banks of networking partners to speak to their representatives,” the ERC explained.
