Masitara in hot soup for questioning VP
Staff Writer | Monday February 24, 2014 16:03
Masitara was not available on his mobile phone but talk was rife in Parliament on Friday with some MPs expressing shock that a fellow MP could be punished by his party for the comments he made in the House on national issues.
The Monitor has learnt that Masitara’s ‘offence’ was suggesting that the Vice President should account to Parliament on why the P6 billion Morupule B continues to experience surmountable problems, eating more hundreds of millions of Pula in the process. Masitara had also said the current minister responsible for Morupule B, should not be apportioned the blame for the troubles at Morupule, because, according to Masitara, Kitso Mokaila inherited the mess. Masitara also suggested that Kedikilwe, formerly the minister responsible for Morupule B among others, should account for his actions and possibly face prosecution.
Masitara also shielded the current Minister of Education, Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi, again arguing that she inherited a messy Ministry of Education from her predecessor who also should be summoned to appear before the Parliament select committee to account, and possibly be prosecuted.
It was not long before the ruling party hit Masitara with a letter calling him for disciplinary hearing to account for his utterances against the Vice President. Sources say Masitara will be appearing before the executive committee of the BDP.
Kgatleng West MP Gilbert Mangole of the Umbrella for Democratic Change told The Monitor: “I also hear rumour to that effect. If indeed it is true, it should not be surprising at all. I mean it is very clear that the voice of reason, rationale thinking and doing things within the bounds of logic has no place within the current BDP leadership formation.”
He added that, “The so called BDP leaders, be they central committee or senior party members, have become mere zombies who have abdicated their roles and responsibilities to the whims and wishes of one and only one man.”
Mangole said it was unfortunate that, “this one man has no regard for anyone’s opinion, let alone the laws of this country. He is untouchable. He is a self-appointed philosopher king and possessor of absolute truth. Little do these zombies realise that this all-powerful man is taking their party to the dogs. The sooner Batswana relegate the BDP to the rubbish bin of history, the better for this country”.
Lobatse MP, Nehemiah Modubule, also of the UDC, opined that it would be in violation of the rules of the house and a great violation of the National Assembly Powers and Privileges Act, which gives immunity to members on what they say in the House.
Dr Kesitegile Gobotswang, the vice president of the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) said he was not surprised by the BDP’s decision to drag an MP for disciplinary action for what he uttered in Parliament. He, however, warned that, “An MP is immune from prosecution for what he utters in Parliament. The BDP disciplinary committee is not a court of law; BDP MP’s ought to know that they are protected from prosecution and they can take up the matter with the courts to expose this. Let us also remember that today the BDP is in an unusual situation, and they are taking very unusual actions to deal with their abnormal situations. In doing this, they are bound to commit political blunders of cosmic proportions. These are signs of a party in disarray”