Times Of Swaziland: NKWENE MP WANTS ME  ASSASSINATED – PM

NKWENE MP WANTS ME  ASSASSINATED – PM
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  BY SIBONGILE SUKATI on 06/04/2018 07:50:00


LOBAMBA – The bad blood between the prime minister and Nkwene MP Sikhumbuzo
Dlamini has escalated to levels of accusations of assassination.
The Prime Minister, Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini, yesterday issued a press
statement stating that when the Nkwene MP made his statements in Parliament on
December 11, 2017 he insinuated that he, the PM, be assassinated.
“I consider my life to be more important than the Parliament Privileges
Act,” said the PM.
The premier’s response follows a proposed motion by MP Sikhumbuzo where he
wants the former to show cause why he should not be charged with contempt of
Parliament for making utterances outside Parliament over an issue that was
discussed in the House.
The PM, in his statement, said he considered his life to be more important than
the Parliamentary Privileges Act.
“If my life is threatened with assassination, I will discuss it in and outside
Parliament,” said the PM.
He added that he did not believe that the Nkwene Constituency wanted him
assassinated.
It is believed that the assassination insinuations stem from the fact that
during the December 11 debate, MP Sikhumbuzo had stated that it was a pity that
the PM’s security was that from the Royal Swaziland Police who were the same
people who had to arrest him.
He said the PM should be guarded by a private security company.
The tension between the two started last year when the PM, during the official
opening of the Sigwe Post Office, advised the elderly to register to be paid
their grants and not listen to some people, particularly MPs who had by that
time ‘boycotted’ House business until the issue of the grants was sorted.
At that point, Cabinet also resolved to keep away from Parliament as they stated
that there was no money as yet to pay the elderly who had turned 60 last year.
In response to the proposed motion by MP Sikhumbuzo, the PM said following
attempts by the Nkwene MP to move a motion of contempt of Parliament against him
he wished to state that “the Member has discussed the matter outside
Parliament structures and this therefore renders his wishful motion already
still-born (iphuntile).”
He said the executive powers vested on the PM by the Constitution meant that he
was not limited by the Parliament Privileges Act to discuss politics, social and
economic development issues with the nation in and outside Parliament,
especially at Inkhundla level.
The MP, in his proposed motion, stated that he wanted the House to debate and
resolve on directing the PM to within seven days of passing of the motion
respond and show cause why he should not be charged with contempt of Parliament.
He said this was allegedly for infringing on the Privileges and Immunities of
Parliament as enshrined under Section 130 (1) and (2) of the Constitution Act
read together with Sections 3 and 9 of the Parliamentary Privileges Act, 1967.
According to the motion, this was because the PM allegedly attacked MP
Sikhumbuzo outside Parliament through a letter dated February 5, 2018 after
having threatened the very MP on a matter debated in the Chamber on December 11.
The PM challenged the MP (Nkwene) to repeat the statements outside Parliament in
the letter that was from his attorneys.
During the now infamous ‘December 11’ sitting, the Nkwene MP wondered if the
PM was now taking over the King’s powers.
He said the PM should have been arrested at Sigwe had he not been escorted by
the same police officers whom he controlled instead of a force that diligently
served His Majesty.
He said the only thing that the PM did was to use the King’s name instead of
engaging in his wayward acts on his own.
He said the PM was taking over Parliament and the powers of the King.