Story by Panashe Nagoli
POLITICAL analysts say the debate on the Constitutional Amendment No. 3 Bill has demonstrated growing democratic maturity, citing the level of participation and quality of submissions made by parliamentarians during deliberations over the past two days.
Debate on the proposed legislation began on Thursday following its Second Reading a day earlier, with Members of Parliament presenting their views on the Bill.
Analysts believe the nature of the contributions reflects a Parliament that is increasingly representative and responsive to public concerns.
“The full participation of parliamentarians shows a representative democracy in motion, not only that, but one that is actually maturing where elected officials come together through public reason,” Political Analyst Dr Levious Chiukira said.
Political Analyst Dr Matthew Mare said the proceedings reflected active engagement between elected representatives and the citizens they serve.
“We have witnessed the epitome of democracy this entire week, actually, and over the past two days, we saw what happens when an MP listens to the people, and it is enough to say the people have spoken,” he said.
Political Analyst Mr Derek Goto said the quality of debate suggested that legislators had thoroughly engaged with the contents and implications of the proposed amendments.
