MPs complain about cabinet ministers
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Friday December 5, 2014 14:21
The Members of Parliament (MP) raised this concern on Wednesday in parliament.
The issue came up after the Minister of Minerals, Energy and Water Kitso Mokaila refused to answer questions asked by MP for Selebi-Phikwe West Dithapelo Keorapetse on salaries earned by some employees at BCL saying the information was confidential.
This forced opposition whip Wynter Mmolotsi to intervene and say there was no point in MPs asking questions if they were not going to be answered by the ministers.
“This is absolutely wrong and I don’t think the 11th Parliament should entertain it. What is happening now was not happening during the 10th parliament and the speaker should intervene on this matter,” Mmolotsi said.
Mmolotsi intervened after Mokaila had refused to divulge information regarding salaries of certain employees at BCL.
He said some ministers wanted to choose which questions they wanted to answer.
“We have to take this matter to the General Assembly because the public want to know. We are representing people not ourselves.
“I do not understand why some ministers have the tendency of telling other MPs that they can check answers at the Library,” Mmolotsi charged.
As for a miffed Keorapetse, his intonation aptly echoed Mmolotsi’s complaint.
“There is an emerging sad, irrational and worrying development in the 11th Parliament.
“Unlike in the previous Parliaments, presently ministers and their assistants are not properly, adequately and accurately answering questions posed by Members of Parliament.
“This is a travesty of democracy in general and parliamentary oversight in particular.
“Through questions, MPs express their voters’ preferences, sentiments and ideas and consequently hold the executive accountable,” he said.
He added that while it appeared that some new ministers and their assistants were given inadequate or inaccurate information by senior government officials, others deliberately misled Parliament with little or inaccurate information.
“Some of them (the ministers and their assistants) display contemptible arrogance in their refusal to account.
“I asked a question on the minimum and maximum wages paid by BCL to employees. The Minister of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources refused to answer this question citing flimsy reasons like the information is confidential.
“First of all BCL is owned by the government 100%. Secondly the question was asked in August 2012 and the figure was given as P1,483 for the lowest paid.
“All the people of Selebi-Phikwe wanted to know was the new figure following salary negotiations and the extent of the income disparity existing at the mine.”
He said they would approach the Speaker to put the matter on the agenda of the next general assembly so that they can deal with it.
On Wednesday the National Assembly Speaker Gladys Kokorwe said it was not proper for Ministers to be failing to answer the questions that they are asked.
She then advised MPs to raise the complaint through the General Assembly so that it can be dealt with.