The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) has expressed grave concern over disturbances that have rocked the country this past week, and calls on the government to always engage citizens when planning policies that affect them, so as to avoid public disturbances.
The Commission says the recent and regrettable events which were allegedly triggered by the government’s unpopular policy statements, that has far reaching implications, causing citizens’ savings losses, household income depletion, thereby plunging many into poverty, could have have been handled differently had public opinion been sought through consultations.
ZHRC says while austerity measures might not be avoided as the country tries to find its economic foot again, due diligence should be taken so as not to negatively impact on the same citizens, the move may be trying to help.
“Whilst such measures meant to transform the performance of the economy may be commendable, due care must be exercised to protect the rights and wellbeing of especially the vulnerable members of the society,” says the Commission in a statement sent to this publication.
ZHRC implores that pro-poor policies can be carried out effectively such as the setting up of social safety nets, and ensuring public accessibility to basic commodities, provided the government is sincere on engaging its citizens. According to the Commission the state should always hold public consultations when planning to carry out programmes that affect the people’s lives.
The statement by the ZHRC comes at a time the government had made various and seemingly unpopular policy decisions, that has caused public despondency.
First was the two per cent levy which was promulgated by the government through the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, this triggered public disharmony, while at the same time was also criticised for have had been put into effect, before the necessary legal basis for its operation were put in place. Then came the recent announcement by the government to hike fuel prices, that caused violent reactions by the country’s financially depressed citizens.
Meanwhile, commenting on two per cent tax, a constitutional watchdog, says the Finance Bill, that is meant to give legal ground to both the country’s National Budget for 2019, and the two per cent levy is still to be debated in the upper house of the country’s bicameral parliament.
Veritas Zimbabwe, queries the state’s motivation behind its implementation of the bill before it passes, or sail through the Senate, and duly promulgated as an Act of Parliament. Veritas says for any bill to be effective, it should pass through both houses, and later signed by the President.
In a related matter, the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) is set to initiate a multi stakeholder consultative dialogue over the country’s fast deteriorating political and economic situation, in order to prevent the situation from degenerating into a national conflict, it says.
The NPRC has called all the involved players to maintain peace and desist from violence when demonstrating, and called on the law enforcement agencies to respect human life while trying to prevent destruction of property during civil unrest moments.
