Hosia Mviringi
The Pan-African Parliament Ordinary Session resumes again today in Midrand South Africa after a hiatus yesterday amid counter-accusations of regionalism in filling up elected posts.
It is expected that today differences will be ironed out in terms of procedures to be followed for an acceptable outcome of scheduled elections.
EFF President and member of the South African Parliament, Mr Julius Malema this morning let out on the SADC position which comes out strongly in support of a rotational system when choosing the President of the PAP.
Honourable Malema spoke strongly against a sense of entitlement to the leadership of the PAP by the Francophone Africa region, which he accused of using their superior numbers to always get their way at the PAP.
“You will know that the ‘Francophonists’ are still admiring their former colonies, they still worship the symbols of France, actually they see themselves as French, and we have to do away with that. But we can not do away with it by being pretentious.
Honourable Vanara from Namibia dealt with that decisively that you Francophonists think that this Parliament belongs to you and that we must only elect you, and if it’s not your way it is the highway. This must come to an end.
They see us (Southerners) as enemies, but we don’t see them like that. That’s why we have been electing them to positions all along without a problem.
We have never had problems with them occupying leadership positions because it’s not about who speaks French or who speaks English. We can’t be divided over a coloniser’s language.
But they seem to believe that because of the numbers of their countries, they should have dominance over us and they must serve in the best interests of what France requires them to do, so we are not going to accept that.
While Mr Malema seems to have resigned to fate, he made it clear that continued dominance of leadership positions by Francophone Africa does very little to unite the continent.
He implored them not to abuse their regional superiority in numbers but to do that which is best for the unity of Africa.
Even if they win today, they should win knowing that their attitude is not going to unite this continent because a rotational principle is what is going to help to unite this continent in the sense that every region feels that it is part of this Parliament, that it is not here just to accompany others,” said Honourable Malema.
French is spoken in at least 29 countries in Africa and it is this unfair linguistic solidarity that drives Francophone dominance in major pan-African institutions including the Pan-African Parliament, thus the call for a rotational principle when choosing occupants to the position of influence.
Honourable Barbara Rwodzi had to stamp her authority as a Chairperson of PAP Ad-hoc Committee, riding on the African Union Chairman’s letter, which was in response to a letter of complaint by the Southern Caucus representing the Southern African Development Community.
The AU Chair’s letter seemed to uphold the rotational principle as the only progressive format of filling posts in the PAP.
SADC is supporting the candidature of Zimbabwean Honourable Chief Fortune Charumbira for the position of President of the Pan-African Parliament.
“We support Chief Charumbira of Zimbabwe to be the President. He has been Acting President, he has held it together under difficult circumstances, but these guys don’t see the sacrifices that Chief Charumbira has made because of language superiority,” concluded Honourable Julius Malema.
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