The First Lady buys a ring for US$1.4 million when we are saving. You are not saying anything. Are there no rings for US$1.4 million in this country? We have diamonds in this country and we want to buy our own diamonds abroad and not to buy them here. Can we not make a US$1.4 million ring and money stays in this country. I am looking for a day when our own Executive and Presidium will be leading from the front and buying rings here and not abroad because the very same resource is coming from here. – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] – You are not even prepared to support the jewellery industry in this country. In a way, that is externalization of foreign currency.
The Minister did not address the issue of Executive expenditure; flying out in big numbers. To me….
HON. MUPFUMI: On a point of order – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Order, order! What is your point of order?
HON. MUPFUMI: The Hon. Member is now going off topic – [HON. MEMBERS: Aaaaaah!] –
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Munengami, I will ask you to leave the House. Order, order! You may continue but you are left with one minute.
HON. MLISWA: I want to say that the Executive expenditure has not been spoken about. How much is the Executive spending by going abroad? Surely, when you are going abroad, you are going to look for money but you never tell us how much money you come back with. All we know is how much money you spend when you go out. We cannot continue like this. It is the responsibility of the Executive to cut down on Executive costs. The Range Rovers you are driving, all the spare parts are foreign currency but we have got Willowvale Motor Industry which has now become a storage for maize instead of manufacturing vehicles. We have Ford and Mazda and we can do it in this country. How do we justify that? Why cannot Ministers and the Executive cut down on costs by driving cars locally made until we get to a certain point where we can all enjoy what we enjoy?
Members of Parliament are underfunded. We are not even able to perform our jobs. So, the aspect of expenditure is important. I like the fact that we have a relationship with the Chinese but what amazes me is that we seem not to learn from how China has improved its economy. We seem to just focus on how China wins elections and not work on the economy. We seem to be going to China for election lessons and not for lessons to improve the economy. It is about time that when we go to China we engage the Chinese in how they run their economy and not how they run their elections and win.
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