EMAKHANDENI-LUVEVE legislator Discent Bajila has called on Parliament to prioritise debate on Bills that have been pending for a long time.
Bajila made the call in Parliament recently While commending President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s State of the Nation Address, outlining the government's agenda for the coming year.
He said Parliament was sitting on important Bills that would help citizens if they were passed, including the Persons with Disability Bill.
“This Bill has stayed for a long time in this House and it has not moved to the next stage. That is about the rights of people with disabilities,” Bajila said.
“This august House must take such issues seriously and we should encourage ministers to come so that such Bills progress to the next stage.”
The lawmaker also highlighted the need for the government to expedite the passage of other key Bills, including the National Languages Bill and the National Disaster Management Bill.
“The President promised that some important Bills like the National Languages Bill and the National Disaster Management Bill will be done,” he said.
“We expect the relevant ministers to take them seriously and bring them to this House so that this House can debate and process the Bills expeditiously.”
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On the issue of manufacturing medicine locally, Bajila emphasised the need for support from the government to ensure the success of the initiative.
“For us to be able to manufacture medicines locally, there is a need for capital, expertise and support from the government,” he said.
“We should look for ways of ensuring that medicines are traceable from the manufacturer to the end-user, using technology to ensure that the medicine is not leaked to the black market to make it expensive.”
Bajila also highlighted the importance of infrastructural development, particularly roads.
“The President spoke about several places, including the Harare-Chirundu Road, the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road and the Christmas Pass bypass to Mutare,”
he said. “These roads are very important because they are the backbone of the economy of this country.”
