Mabiletsa said debate on the motion should be halted because it was unprocedural. He said the Select Committee of Finance convened meetings to deliberate on the motion during the business of Parliament in contravention of standing orders. MPs then had a field day raising numerous shallow legal interpretations on the matter. The stand-in Attorney General, Abram Keetshabe failed to provide the way forward as he fumbled in his explanations before throwing the public gallery into laughter by saying “I only came to Parliament yesterday”.
Long serving MP, Daniel Kwelagobe fanned the flames by trying to explain that the House can be excused on the basis of legitimate expectation. He said it has always been the tradition of the House to debate motions even if they were brought unprocedurally.
However, Pono Moatlhodi intervened to say the least the House could do is to apologise for the fault “and proceed with the business of the day”. Upon advice from Keetshabe, the Speaker ruled that the motion was important and in the best interest of the public hence “I am tempted to move that the House proceed”.
In the first week of the new Parliament business, Moatlhodi took on Balopi for his blunder to extend the debates on the State of Nation Address to a Friday without consulting MPs. Moatlhodi threatened to stop parliamentary proceedings because Friday is reserved for private members business and he wanted MPs to be granted leave to visit their constituencies. AG Ian Kirby had a difficult time in trying to rebut Moatlhodi’s claim. In the end, Moatlhodi explained that he was fooling the Speaker but on a serious note he said he wanted to prove that Balopi had committed a blunder by not consulting MPs in drawing the Friday agenda.
