Dear Editor
Following the appalling chairing by the National Assembly Speaker, Nosiviwe Mapisa- Nqakula, during the President’s question session in Parliament on Tuesday, the DA and other opposition parties have scored a victory for accountability in Parliament.
The Speaker improperly adjourned a meeting of the National Assembly in the middle of a session that was set aside for President Cyril Ramaphosa to answer questions from various political parties.
In doing so, the Speaker acted outside of the rules of Parliament in a move that can only be seen as an attempt to shield the executive from accountability. It is no surprise considering that the question that was not responded to by the President was in relation to the alleged abuse of state entities on his Phala Phala farm.
This morning, during the Programming Committee, the DA argued that the Speaker operated outside the rules of Parliament when she arbitrarily ended the meeting and therefore the specific question should be brought back to the House for the President to deal with it. Despite the best attempts by the ANC, the opposition parties managed to get this matter brought back from scheduling again.
Parliament will now reschedule a separate session for the President to be effectively held accountable and for this specific question to be posed once again.
The rules of Parliament are the guide for us all in performing our responsibilities as public representatives. They cannot be abused and suspended at will. The DA has, in the past, used the rules and in some instances the courts, to ensure that we defend the integrity of the institution. We will continue to do so.
Regards
Siviwe Gwarube MP
Chief Whip of the Official Opposition
