Parly should not always align with Cabinet – Bennett

BUSINESSMAN Walter Bennett says Parliament plays an oversight function instead of always aligning with the executive.

Bennett made this statement when punching holes in the ministry of finance E1.8 billion loan Bill to support the country’s fiscal policy and repay arrears and two others for the rural electrification project using renewable energy.
The businessman made his submissions in the Senate yesterday, urging the finance committees from both chambers to join hands and not let the country be taken for granted.

He said what comes from the Executive should also be analysed so that it could be understood.
He said the alignment was going to make them clash.
Adding, Bennett said all he was in the chamber to do was to pose quick questions on what the senators needed to know.
He said the problem was that Parliament was aligning with Cabinet and was now divided into groups, which people were following.

Bennett asked why the legislators were not holding the minister to account, highlighting that they needed such a forum.
He said when they make their submissions to the senators, they make them to people that they work with and understand.
“Do not lead the country to riots because of greediness and placing personal interest above of that for Emaswati. “We should not be told to hurry up when passing loan bills because that is not how the country should be governed. What is parliament for if it will not be welcoming to the people to make submissions if we always hear about things from the committees,” he said.

Bennett said he needed to caution the senators, sharing a proverb that says a person was deserving of respect because of the consequences of their actions. He said some things were clashing either from the governor, economists, or the attorney general who had to be consulted on these particular Bills.
The businessman asked where the accountants of the senators and members of parliament were so that they could assist the legislators on the bills because there were clauses that were complicated.

Bennett respectfully stated that the House of Assembly had lost the plot, highlighting that there was no longer an oversight on the issue. He said if such Bills pass, it would mean the country does not belong to Emaswati because parliament consists of chiefs and princes.
He said there was no respect for the taxpayers because the loans would be paid using their money.

“The governor enlightened us on why maintaining the stipulated threshold was important and he was agreeing with the minister. If things are like these, Bills no. 9 and 10 should be differentiated from each other and the Assembly finance committees should interrogate the Bills and not allow that they be discussed urgently as it has happened,” he said.

He said there should be order in both chambers or else they would not trust Parliament. Bennett said his advice would be that senators should not cause hardships on the taxpayer for convenience.
He said this was what the loans were looking at, which was why they were coming with a certificate of urgency. He said they should rather remove the window that was to be closed and not allow them to be engaged at the last minute.

“It will be hard for me to say that I support or do not support these Bills. Who is behind diverting government projects in Cabinet? You need to pay attention to how the country operates.
Chairman of the Senate finance portfolio committee Senator Tony Sibandze said they had to schedule a day and ask the former senator to exhaust all his points so that they could be guided as senators.

He said the more Bennett spoke talks, the more he made sense but stated that they had limited time.
Principal Finance Officer Lomagugu Ntshakala said the maturity of the loan was longer, which reduces many risks while the interest was less.
She said the Bills were being drafted by the office of the AG and every loan had its terms and conditions which was why the loans were not going to be mixed.