WHO PAID MOST FOR A SENATE SEAT?

Times of Swaziland

10 October 2008

Comment

Editorial

D-Day: Who paid the most?

Members of Parliament are today expected to elect a Speaker of the House and elect 10 members to serve as senators. A new system has been adopted where each member will have an opportunity to not only submit a candidate’s name, but also have time to motivate the submission.

To expect that this new system could bring about a better selection from the parliamentarians is only wishful thinking.

opportunity

It provides a good opportunity though for us to identify the people who support those we know to have pumped in lots of money for a Speaker and Senate seat.

People have been paid, very well, to get desperate wanna-be-politicians into parliament as demonstrated by the shooting down of MP Nonhlanhla Dlamini when she suggested they look at beefing up the House with professionals who had expertise in fields that were not represented in the House.

She rightly observed the shortage of the legal fraternity yet their job had a lot to do with formulating legislation.

Some MPs also questioned why they, and not the king, had to balance the gender scales because they had a lot of males to bring to parliament; well paying males no doubt.

unhelpful

While the Attorney General was unhelpful with regards to whether they could nominate people who lost in the primary or secondary stages, we would not hesitate to say yes, but not former ministers who have a proven track record of failure.

There are many capable MPs who were robbed by bribing ambitious politicians and therefore careful consideration of the names raised must be made.

As for those who came begging for a job when MPs gathered for a workshop yesterday, well, what can we say; that’s how cheap a parliament seat has become.

Link http://www.times.co.sz/index.php?news=2095