Support for Parliaments initiatives to curb absenteeism 3 July 2013 The Office of the ANC Chief Whip fully supports Parliaments proposed initiatives to regulate the leave and attendance of Members of Parliament. The leave and attendance policy (which proposes various sanctions to deal with unauthorised absence) and the recently proposed electronic monitoring system (aimed electronically recording attendance of MPs) will go a long way in addressing the challenge of absenteeism in Parliament. Section 47(3) of the constitution enjoins Parliament to put in place rules and orders to govern attendance of MPs, including circumstances under which MPs might lose membership of parliament. Parliament has proposed a combination of two technologies, radio frequency identification (RFID) and biometric (fingerprint), to monitor the attendance of Members of Parliament at sittings of the houses of parliament and committee meetings. RFID automatically detects MPs when they enter or exit a chamber or a committee room. Biometrics is limited to fingerprint recognition and requires MPs to register their attendance using their thumbs. The chief whips of political parties would thus be able to see the attendance information of members of their parties. The electronic monitoring system will replace the current unreliable manual system, which requires MPs to fill in attendance slips. The DA` s procrastination on the parliament`s leave and attendance policy, and its outright rejection of the proposed electronic monitoring system, is illustrative of its obstructionist opposition style that seeks to frustrate every progressive initiative both within and outside parliament. It is also a confirmation of our long-held view that this party lacks proper leadership and direction in this institution. It would seem that when it comes to issues of discipline and accountability amongst Members of Parliament, all that the DA parliamentary leaders are capable of is to pay lip service. We are not going to allow this parliament to be held hostage by the DA. The new electronic monitoring system, together with the leave and attendance policy, will ensure that MPs across all political parties are more accountable and faithful to their constitutional obligations. It is therefore disappointing that the DA would want to frustrate such progressive interventions by parliament. An ideal situation would have been for all parties in parliament to agree on these proposals before they could be implemented, however, we would impress upon parliament`s presiding officers to proceed even without the DA`s buy-in. The entire parliament cannot afford to be held to ransom by one party whose leadership believes the party`s role in this institution is simply to oppose everything all the time. Issued by the Office of the ANC Chief Whip Enquries: Moloto Mothapo (Spokesperson for ANC Chief Whip Stone Sizani
Posted on: Thu, 04 Jul 2013 06:54:07 +0000
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