African News Agency
A day after he was again humiliated by opposition protest in Parliament, President Jacob Zuma said on Thursday the legislature had become a national embarrassment and demanded the Speaker bring it to order.
“I am happy that you were able to handle the House, but commenting as somebody who from time to time comes to this House to participate, I believe the house needs to do more to bring this House to order,” he said in his reply to the budget vote debate on the presidency.
“I go around Africa and people ask me very embarrassing questions about this Parliament.
“I thought you should know this, some are complaining particularly in this region that in the manner in which we behave in Parliament, we are changing the perceptions they have heard about us, that we are a leading example of the constitutional democracy. They are now saying you are influencing some of their people in a wrong way.”
Zuma added that the message had been underscored by people who could not be in the National Assembly on Thursday for the session chaired by Speaker Baleka Mbete.
Since the emergence of the EFF, ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe has publicly urged parliamentary officials to do more to “protect” the president from an increasingly vociferous and hostile opposition.
On Wednesday, the EFF were thrown out of the Chamber for attempting to prevent Zuma from delivering his budget vote speech.
In his speech, DA leader Mmusi Maimane was ruled out of order as he branded Zuma a “thief” intent on robbing the nation to enrich himself, prompting furious objection from the ANC benches.
On Thursday, the two main opposition parties were absent for Zuma’s reply to the debate – the DA because it boycotted the speech and the EFF because its members were serving an automatic suspension flowing from their ejection.
Both parties had hammered on the two damning recent court judgments against the president: the Constitutional Court ruling that he should reimburse the state for money misspent on additions to his home; and the North Gauteng High Court’s finding last week that he should face 783 criminal charges withdrawn seven years ago.
Zuma declined to respond to the opposition’s criticism and calls to step down, saying he would confine himself to issues relevant to his office’s budget.
“The issue was the budget, I have dealt with people who have dealt with the budget and that is important. Not those who were not discussing the budget,” he said.
“I also responded to them, those who conducted themselves very well. If your members have no respect, it is going to be difficult to respect them or their contributions.”