By Staff Reporter
Independent Norton legislator Temba Mliswa has discredited the Private Voluntary Organisation (PVO) Amendment Bill saying it lacks clarity.
Posting on twitter the outspoken Mliswa said the Bill is in a larger context a blow to the re-engagement efforts that the Government is driving.
“The PVO Bill suffers from an acute lack of clarity which makes it amenable to obtuse and biased interpretations. In our political environment we understand how the law has become a weapon in itself. A vague law is even worse as it can be abused more.
“As country we already have enough laws to deal with all the issues cited under the PVO Bill such as money laundering. What further use do we have for another law specific to the CSOs unless there is a hidden agenda? Outside the 3 arms of government, CSOs have been vital in holding government to account through various programs. Where political parties have been compromised to stand for the truth CSOs have stepped into the gap. It’s unfortunate when that part of governance is now stifled.
“Within the larger context of the re-engagement drive this PVO move is an ironic self-destructive move. It takes away from the body of work already done to get the country back into the global community. It’s a contradiction of a larger agenda.It’s a lie that we can exist on our own or even with only a segment of the globe as countries such as China, which we look to, associate and cooperate with the West which we bastardise. It’s a fallacy and rally-rhetoric to operate and act as if we are in the Cold War era,” said Mliswa
He added “Another simple matter is tax revenue. CSOs, in the aftermath of the non-existent industry and companies in this country, generate so much revenue for the Gvt through taxes. Why do we need to create impediments for ourselves? We are already in a bad spot, why worsen it. Again these kinds of reactionary pieces of legislation are forever caught in a circle of amendments, debates and repeal by new leaders. It’s because they are not emerging from a nationally progressive ethos. They are a political instrument.”
The PVO Bill which is meant to regulate non-governmental organisations sailed through Parliament yesterday and now awaits President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s approval.
