Speaker must not be biased
A WISE man once wrote: “The day the power of love overtakes the love of power, the world will know peace.”
I was very disappointed with the Speaker of the National Assembly, Max Sisulu, when he interrupted Bantu Holomisa and ordered him to withdraw his statement about Blade Nzimande’s alleged alcoholism.
Holomisa was quoted as having said: “Thank you Mr President for sending Minister Collins Chabane to help the Walter Sisulu University ’ s Mthatha campus while that confused communist (Nzimande) was at a certain rehabilitation centre, being helped to deal with his addiction to one of the whisky products.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not condoning bad language usage and insults in Parliament. I am just advocating for equal treatment for all members of Parliament.
Sisulu is an ANC member but that should not make him biased when handling altercations in Parliament.
We have seen on a number of occasions ANC members ridiculing members of opposition parties.
Buti Manamela, an ANC MP, recently made a derogatory joke about Lindiwe Mazibuko’s dress code. No one had problems with that and ANC members laughed hysterically.
Trevor Manuel once referred to Patricia de Lille as a “useful idiot” in the hands of people who lost out on arms deal contracts, and again there was deafening silence.
Back in 2011, Nzimande himself said something about “a government of darkies” and Mazibuko stood up and asked if the word “darkie” was acceptable in the House. Nzimande saw an opportunity and started muttering in isiZulu about Mazibuko being a “coconut”, ridiculing her Model-C schooling.
Mazibuko ’ s complaint was eventually dismissed because she could not produce a rule in the parliamentary rule book to explain why “darkies” is outlawed in Parliament.
All that was a tactic used to protect ANC MPs and Nzimande kept on muttering in Zulu, to the great pleasure of the ANC MPs who, for once, did not seem to mind a derogatory term for black people.
It is so unfair when action is taken only when ANC MPs are the victims. The Speaker of Parliament must show fairness and stop taking sides.
Malphia Honwane
Gottenburg eManyeleti