Opposition MPs resign enmasse from Masisi’s ‘ DIS Committee’
Saleshando says Masisi rejected request for forensic audit and of DIS and review of DIS Act Committee fails basic test of Parliamentary oversight
LIeader of Opposition Dumelang Saleshando this week submitted to the office of Speaker of National Assembly, resignation letters from opposition members who were selected by President Mokgweetsi Masisi to serve in the Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security Services. The Intelligence and Security Service Act provides for the establishment of a Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security which is appointed by the President after consultation with the Speaker of the National Assembly and the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly. According to Saleshando the decision not to be part of the committee comes after the President could not commit to prioritisation of the issues, he ( Saleshando) presented to him on cleaning up and fixing the Directorate of Intelligence and Security ( DIS). He said during the meeting with Masisi, the president’s narrow interest was on meeting the minimum legal requirements. n essence, the meeting was meant to “tick a box” and carry on with business as usual approach, said Saleshando. He revealed that on behalf of the Parliamentary Opposition, he informed the President that they will not be part of a “fruitless exercise” that will have no impact in reversing the rot at the DIS.
It is in the nation’s interest, he said, for the leadership to investigate the DIS corruption and looting and also review the law to avoid the pitfalls that have defined the journey of the DIS. To this end, none of the Opposition Members of Parliament will serve in the Presidents Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security, he added.“Our decision not to be part of the Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence does not amount to abdication of our duties, as some social commentators have suggested. “We are fully committed to our duties as opposition legislators. The Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence is not an oversight committee. Standard Parliamentary practice does not permit for members of the executive to play any role in the selection of Parliamentary Oversight Committees. “In the case of the DIS Committee, it is appointed by the head of the executive and reports exclusively to the President. It is in essence a President’s Committee on Intelligence and not a Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence. “We will however continue to hold the DIS accountable for the use of public resources through the Public Accounts Committee, a committee that is appointed in accordance with internationally accepted standards for Parliamentary Oversight. “There is no need for the opposition to play any part in a cosmetic exercise geared at sanitizing the Dirty and Broken DIS,” Saleshando said. He said at the invitation of the President, he attended a “Virtual Meeting” on 29th October2020 where the President informed him and the Speaker on the Members of Parliament that he plans to appoint to the committee.
According to Saleshando the President also informed them that the committee was last appointed in 2014 and has largely been dysfunctional as some members resigned from it.
“My request to the President was for him to prioritise two issues of national concern relating to the DIS, which are, subjecting the DISS to a forensic audit and reviewing the DIS Act to ensure that it complies with international best practices.
“The DIS has from inception been dogged by serious allegations of maladministration, corruption and operating slush funds with the blessings of the political leadership.
“Current and former employees of the DISS are facing charges that include money laundering and terrorism, charges that can result in the accused facing a death penalty,” Saleshando told Parliament when presenting a statement on the committee adding that there are claims that the charges are trumped up and all the accused persons are likely to walk free. Saleshando who is also MP for Maun West said this shows that clearly all is not well within the organisation and there is need for a clean up, making a forensic audit urgent and imperative. He told Parliament that the DIS Act was never intended to deliver an institution that is subjected to Parliamentary scrutiny and oversight.
“Once a committee of Parliament is appointed by the President and reports to the President, it cannot pass the basic test of an oversight committee.
“The Act has created a monster that the nation fears and is a black hole that gobbles millions of Pula annually. It is therefore of paramount importance that the Act is reviewed to allow the nation the services of a professionally run and accountable Spy Agency,” said the Umbrella for Democratic Change ( UDC) Vice President.