Times Of Swaziland: MPs are out of line

MPs are out of line
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The Managing Editor Mbongeni M on 11/03/2011 00:00:00


It seems to me that our Members of Parliament just don’t get it; they really
do not understand what the fuss is about this fiscal problem this country is
going through.
For starters, the ‘honourable’ MPs grappled with the suggestion of a salary
cut that should hit them hard in the pocket, following the suggestion by the IMF
that there would need to be at least a 10 per cent cut across the board for
people earning E300 000 and above. This would include the politicians and at a
caucus meeting, they raised concerns that this proposed cut, for instance, would
leave them poorer.
The MPs think this is a prank; or a joke; or that someone out there is out to
get them. That is why, for instance, they would like to shift this
responsibility to someone else—in fact, they do not give the impression that
they accept the situation and therefore would be willing to sacrifice. You would
expect that MPs would be reflecting on their costly decisions, and how they have
contributed to this situation we find ourselves in, but no; they are lamenting
other things.
Anyway, I know that our politicians do not know what it is to sacrifice; they
want life to go on as normally as possible; that is why, for instance, Cabinet
ministers and the same politicians, found it proper to add another 4.5 per cent
increase to their perks, already aware that there was nothing left in the
coffers. But they went ahead with it anyway, apparently because they as
politicians must live the life—because they as politicians deserve it.
deserve
It is absurd for people to tell us they deserve to get more money because of the
jobs they are doing—when the people out there have nothing to live on.
You would expect that the MPs would be the first to raise the alarm; that they
would be the first to look at where the cuts can be made; that they would be the
first to make the people understand what we really are going through.
You would also expect that politicians would have done their homework and got
the real picture of how bad things are so that their discussion, much like MP
Marwick Khumalo’s sobering statement this week about this not being an option,
would be based on how soon the cuts have to be made. Dithering on this topic
prolongs the crisis, and yet this government does not have time on its side.
How dare an MP tell us that he is worried about becoming poor—who shouldn’t?
Anyone who makes that type of irresponsible statement needs to be not just
called to order, and shot down, but to be kicked out of the House.
I am also failing to shake off the feeling that once again, MPs have put their
interests ahead of those of the people, who when it is convenient, they like to
claim they represent. Yet, none of them have ensured pro-poor policies in
parliament. None of our MPs have actually thought long and hard about where this
country is going, so that they stop personalising the issues inside the House,
at the expense of the taxpaying public.
But then again, they have been living the life, buying fancy cars, building
mansions in the rural areas as if to rub it in the faces of the people they
serve that they are going on as normally as possible. They just do not get it.
scared
That is why now they are running scared, because they can see all that luxurious
lifestyle coming to a halt, their fancy cars being repossessed or no longer
being able to throw their money around in the communities where they continue to
buy favour.
They are worried that come the next election, they will have run huge bills with
the shylocks and the banks, trying to finance another crack at the job. I hope
we do not get the misfortune of getting them back—well a majority of the
clowns who are opposed to this proposed salary cuts any way.
And to show how much they are clueless, the MPs have been behaving like mafia in
the House; kicking people out of Parliament because they have not done this or
that. What the heck for?
How could MPs kick out a minister because she has not finalised payment of this
or that project? Oh but of course they can do that; because they are the ones
who lied to the poor in their communities that this was their project; that they
will ensure they get paid, as if this was the reason we sent them to parliament
in the first place!
I find it hypocritical of the MPs to be suspending ministers’ businesses in
the House simply because their reports do not satisfy their egos. Honestly, what
has that Tindlamu report got to do with the ministers’ performance? Why kick
out the minister when it is clear there is no money for the project?
The only reason they can do this is that some of those MPs were the very ones to
go around claiming this was the Tinkhundla system project and their work in
parliament. Now they are being made to look bad in their communities, and the
old women who spent their time working on the tindlamu are realising that they
were being fed lies. To save face, the MPs run to parliament and gang up on the
minister! This is ludicrous.
I actually think it is stupidity.
I do accept that there was a big blunder with this project, but instead of
chucking out a minister and preventing her from presenting further reports in
the House, MPs should be willing to listen to how she is going to work round
this problem. They should be willing to help her recover the money so that their
people are paid; the people they have kept promising the money is coming (and
that they will deal with the minister!).
Anyway, don’t the MPs know the budget has not yet been debated and therefore
there is no money yet for the ministry? Don’t they know there was a sponsor
who pulled out?
Well, it seems not.
Destroying people’s lives through Anti Corruption
You could say it was a long time coming; the questions regarding the
independence of the anti corruption commission—because when the Prime Minister
keeps mentioning that there will soon be a high profile arrest on charges of
corruption, it sends the message that he is privy to the work of the ACC.
And so when an MP like Marwick Khumalo stands up in Parliament to question the
independence of the Anti Corruption Commission, he must know something. MP
Marwick has even suggested that the commission is being used to destroy
people’s lives.
I say this on purpose; MP Khumalo is not renowned to make unsubstantiated
statements, and over the years he has always got himself interested in matters
that he has thoroughly researched.
He knows what he is talking about—unlike many of his colleagues who like to
make baseless claims in their quest to claim popularity.
Apart from that, this is a very serious indictment by parliament that centres
around the integrity of the work they do and the confidence and reassurance that
there is no outside influence when they do the job.
So, MP Khumalo’s questions to the Minister for Justice, Rev David Matse,
should therefore be given the seriousness that they deserve for not only do they
resonate with many individuals who may feel hard done by so far, they have the
potential to throw the work of the commission into disarray.
What should concern the commission is simply the perception that some people can
escape the attention of the commission; that others can get their enemies
investigated; that others can be given the run around, as a result of pressure
exerted on it by those privileged enough to get that platform to have inside
influence.
This is the last thing that the commission, and this country needs while it goes
about its difficult task of rooting out corruption. The last thing it needs is
people questioning its independence, let alone the perception that it can be
used—or that no matter how many others may be viewed as being corrupt, they
would never be probed.
This is a question of the commission enjoying a very close, perhaps too close,
relationship with government. It also brings about the suggestion that the
commission needs to be totally independent and be moved from any government wing
so that people may have the confidence that whatever happens there, happens
because no one says so.
corruption
I suppose we can look at how such commissions operate in other countries; where
there is no fear or favour in executing the duties by such bodies. For this
country to win the fight against corruption, we would need a squeaky clean anti
corruption commission.
For me, the success of the fight against corruption also hinges on this; should
people have this perception that government is using this commission to settle
its scores, or that the ACC is not independent, no one will take it
seriously—and it will be business as usual.
The very fact that a seasoned legislator who is as principled as Marwick is
known to be cannot just say something like this, and that he has said it should
mean a lot to the people out there, there is truth in it. The MP has even
suggested that he has himself been investigated, presumably on allegations of
corruption, simply because he has been vocal against certain issues.
I would not want to suggest that the MP should not be investigated; or that the
anti corruption should not be set on people; if anything, that is exactly what
the people want—that anyone in this country can be probed, and prosecuted if
found to be corrupt, not just those we do not seem to get along with. So, the
closeness of the commission with government is giving people the feeling that
government can control who gets probed and who does not. I have previously used
the case of the industrial court judge who was arrested on allegations of
corruption, who is yet to appear in court, and yet he was paraded to the public
as perhaps an example of government’s intent to deal decisively with
corruption. This in my opinion is an unfortunate case of how not to deal with
corruption, and the reason why people are running scared.
On the face of it, it may even begin to look like people are scared the net is
closing, and I would certainly hope the MPs are not joining in this chorus
because they too are running scared.
While preparing his responses, the minister will do well to look at pulling the
anti corruption to autonomous, and only then will he not need to field such
questions.