HARARE – Government Chief Whip Cde Pupurai Togarepi has launched a blistering attack on MDC leader Douglas Mwonzora, accusing him of “rank hypocrisy” and “political dishonesty” over his sudden push for secret voting on the proposed Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 (CAB3).
Speaking to the mediaTogarepi said Mwonzora’s position was not only inconsistent but exposed what he described as “blatant double standards” after the opposition figure actively participated in the passage of Constitutional Amendment No. 2 without ever demanding a secret ballot.
“Mwonzora is the last person who should lecture anyone about voting procedures. He sat in the House during Constitutional Amendment No. 2 and never raised the issue of secret voting. Not once.We were together during that time and he was very happy not to use secret voting process,”Togarepi fumed.
“He cannot rewrite history today simply because it suits his fading political relevance. This is shameless hypocrisy of the highest order.”
Togarepi said Parliament’s rules are clear and have always allowed for open voting, which he argued promotes transparency and accountability.
“Parliament is not a hiding place. Members are elected to represent the people openly, not to conceal their positions behind secret ballots when it becomes politically convenient,” he said.
The Zanu PF chief whip dismissed Mwonzora’s proposal on CAB3 as “desperate and laughable”.
“This sudden obsession with secret voting is nothing but a desperate attempt to seek relevance. Zimbabweans are not fools. They can see that this is a man clutching at straws,” he said.
“You cannot behave like this and expect to be taken seriously. Today you want secrecy, yesterday you were comfortable with openness. Which is which? This kind of flip-flopping exposes a complete lack of principle,” he said.
Togarepi added that Mwonzora’s arguments deserved no attention.
“He must go hang with his contradictions. Parliament will not be held hostage by inconsistent and self-serving positions,” he said.
In his submission to Parliament earlier this week, Mwonzora said secret voting was crucial as legislators faced the real threat of intimidation and harassment given the national interest surrounding
