By Angela Quintal
National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete has rejected as "outrageous" claims by an opposition MP that she sought to protect President Thabo Mbeki at the expense of parliament's constitutional obligation to hold the executive to account.
Mbete's political adviser, Lulamile Mapholoba, said that questions put to members of the executive, including the president, must comply with parliamentary rules and practices. If this did not occur, the question would be disallowed.
Mapholoba was reacting on Friday to a statement issued by DA MP Eddie Trent last week, criticising the Speaker for rejecting a question about whether Mbeki had met the head of Thales International, Jean-Paul Perrier, in May last year.
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Thales and its South African subsidiary, Thint, are facing trial later this year, along with former deputy president Jacob Zuma, for alleged corruption.
Mapholoba confirmed that the question had been disallowed because some of the words used were "sarcastic and hence offensive", and the fact that it was not in order to suggest a member might have acted improperly.
"Mr Trent knows all of this, since in June 2005 he was ordered in the house to withdraw a similar imputation and advised that such an allegation could only be made by way of a properly motivated substantive motion."
Mapholoba noted that Trent had refused to do so at the time and was ordered out of the chamber.
"The only conclusion one can draw is that Mr Trent, for his own political ends, is unwilling to abide by the rules," Mapholoba said.
He also said it was unacceptable that Trent had not attempted to contact Mbete to discuss her ruling, as was customary, "but had proceeded immediately to a media release".
"For Mr Trent, in these circumstances, to accuse the Speaker of seeking to protect the president at all costs and of not allowing parliament to fulfil its constitutionally mandated role of holding the executive to account is, frankly, outrageous. All that is required of Mr Trent, as of all members, is to perform their functions in compliance with the rules," Mapholoba said.
According to Mapholoba, Trent had said in a media statement last week that his latest parliamentary question was designed to "probe the belief held in some circles that after the meeting in May between President Mbeki and Jean-Paul Perrier, Thales would provide evidence to assist in the prosecution of Jacob Zuma in exchange for some sort of immunity from prosecution for Thales.
"The fact that Zuma was fired shortly after the meeting in question only fuels this perception."
Presidential spokesperson Murphy Morobe said the Presidency would not comment on the issue.
angela.quintal@inl.co.za
- This article was originally published on page 5 of The Star on March 27, 2006
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