‘Alignment of laws with the new Constitution is taking long due to ignorance by some line ministries and failure to get policy direction;-Attorney General

.Attorney General Advocate Prince Machaya yesterday admitted alignment of laws with the new Constitution was taking long due to ignorance by some line ministries on what was to be aligned and failure to get policy direction.

Speaking during a public engagement meeting on the Inter-Ministerial Task Force on the Alignment of Legislation with the Constitution in Kadoma yesterday, Machaya said despite government shortcomings, his department would finish the alignment process before the 2018 elections.

“Delays are caused by a number of factors that include ignorance on their (minister) part on what should be aligned and in part by not getting policy direction on policies which are to be included in certain provisions which need to be aligned,” he said.

Machaya said his department saw it fit to form the Inter-Ministerial Task Force to help ministries recognise the areas that needed to be aligned and assist in coming up with proposals for re-aligning such laws.

Stakeholders at the meeting were concerned at the snail’s pace the process was taking, arguing that there was lack of political will as most ministries indicated that they had done nothing since a previous meeting in Victoria Falls in April.

Tafadzwa Mazarura, the Election Resource Centre communications and advocacy officer, said her organisation was not happy with the long timelines, arguing the delay would make it impossible for the laws to be put to test before the 2018 elections.

Machaya said they had lined up meetings with government ministers and permanent secretaries to take alignment of legislation with the Constitution seriously. By Nunurai Jena. source-newsday