Staff Writer
Opposition parliamentarians are beginning to see necessity in a law that criminalises communicating falsehoods against the country to score political points.
When late Mberengwa South MP Alum Mpofu moved the motion for a Patriots Act equivalent, the opposition went ballistic but over time, they are slowly coming to their senses on the subject.
The Patriots Act is an American law that criminalises acting against the interests of the country.
In its Sunday edition, local private newspaper The Standard carried a story by Tawanda Majoni who runs a column titled Corruption Watch.
The story, an incoherent set of words meant to discredit the country`s vaccination programme was factually thin and the publication was censured by readers on the internet, especially Twitter.
So laughable was the piece –from a publication that has consistently fought the country`s vaccination programme- it carried claims that since the SinoPharm injection was not painful, then it must be fake.
Among the incensed Zimbabweans was MDC-Alliance Proportional Representation Parliamentarian Dr Ruth Labode who also chairs the Parliamentary Committee on Health and Child Care.
In her own words she said; “Very foolish indeed. Am sure he will go back for his second dose. I have had both two doses of the vaccine and did not feel the injection prick either. Its in cases like this that the forthcoming Patriotic Act may be useful(sic).”
Labode`s epiphany is instructive, it could be communicating a sentiment held by opposition legislators in private but they are afraid of going against the party`s whipping system in parliament.
Of late, Labode has been disagreeing with her party on matters of principle, choosing to side with science more than political emotion.
She received the SinoPharm vaccine, despite the MDC-Alliance`s continued spreading of lies against the Chinese made vaccine.
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