Govt pays P1 million on former MPs accommodation
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Friday September 26, 2014 15:07
Government will fork over P1 million in accommodation payments for all 45 ordinary former Members of Parliament (MPs), two months after the dissolution of the house, Mmegi has established.
According to a confidential presidential directive CAB 22(A)/2014 issued on July 31, President Ian Khama has extended a special dispensation to allow “…for Members of Parliament to remain in rented accommodation after the dissolution of the 10th Parliament up to the end of October 2014 at Parliament’s expense.”
Parliament was dissolved on August 29, 2014. Khama’s directive means that the former MPs, staying in their own houses in Gaborone shall receive housing allowances in lieu of the rent benefit. Initially parliamentarians vacated parliamentary flats as they were being renovated.
As a result Parliament entered into lease agreements with landlords on behalf of the MPs. A maximum amount Parliament can pay for a rented house is P11,000 per month according to MPs that talked to this newspaper. MPs who are staying in their own houses were paid, and according to the President’s directive, are still paid P6,600 as monthly housing allowance.
Overall government will spend just over P1 million to settle the former MPs’ accommodation bills for the two months of September and October.
Sources say early this year MPs from across the political divide passionately called for Parliament to continue paying their accommodation until the end of October to allow them to make necessary arrangements to move their goods to their permanent homes.
Some MPs contesting the general elections are reported to have reasoned that it would not make sense to move out of the houses before they knew how they had fared at the elections.
“It is counter productive to terminate the lease in August only to win elections and seek the same arrangement later in October,” said a parliamentary employee familiar with the arrangement. However, the arrangement equally favours those who lost their parties’ primary elections or are retiring.
The decision to have government pay for MP’s allowances was taken at a BDP caucus this year, according to sources. The MPs are said to have also lobbied BDP cabinet ministers to persuade President Khama to issue the special dispensation.
One opposition MP who conceded that he was a beneficiary of the special arrangement told Mmegi President Khama might have been forced to accede to the demands of BDP MPs. BDP former MPs were the majority in Parliament, and indications are that they have taken up the offer.
Unlawful directive?
This week legal experts doubted the legality of President Khama’s directive. According to lawyer Anthony Morima, the directive is unlawful because it is not supported by a point of law. Morima says it is unlawful to confer parliamentary privileges on someone who is no longer an MP. He said MPS derived their privileges by virtue of being MPs.
For Morima, President Khama may have abused his powers.
“While the President is expected to issue directives from time to time, such directives should be within the law. You can not issue a directive on a non-existent state of legal affairs,” he said.
Morima also wondered why the matter was taken to the executive and not addressed by Parliament before its dissolution.
Under normal circumstances, Morima said the opposition should be making noise about the issue. He said the opposition, which is also benefiting from the special dispensation should instead be proactive to the point it challenged the decision in court.
MPs OK with the special dispensation
Meanwhile former MPs including members of the opposition this week welcomed the arrangement.
The Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) former MP Nehemiah Modubule found nothing wrong with it. In fact, it made better sense that “In future MPs should be allowed to remain Members of Parliament until general elections,” he said.
Former BCP MP for Okavango Bagalatia Arone, also found the directive to be in order. “This would prevent a situation where retained MPs would find themselves without accommodation after the general elections. Of course the losing former MPs would have to vacate the rented houses,” he said.
Former BDP chief whip Slumber Tsogwane was less enthusiastic about the arrangement. “It is not important that he issued the directive. Our focus is on election, that one is just a small issue,” he said.
Further to issues of accommodation, the President has agreed to confer other privileges on the former MPs. According to the directive he has agreed the former MPs will only pay 20% and 30% of water and electricity charges respectively. Parliament will pay the rest of the bill.
Constituency allowances
In another development President Khama rejected a proposal by MPs who wanted constituency allowances to be increased by 35%. The proposal was reportedly motivated by BDP former MPs.
According to the directive, “It would be inopportune to consider any increases in constituency allowances for MPs at this point, and therefore any consideration for such be deferred to a later date.” Government spokesperson Jeff Ramsay refused to comment on cabinet matters and decisions.