BENNETT CRITICISES MP’S TLC SUBVENTION MOTION

LOBAMBA – Businessman Walter Bennett has criticised the Member of Parliament (MP) who moved a motion for the subvention of The Luke Commission (TLC).

The former Senator was making a submission on the Public Finance Management (Amendment) Bill of 2023. The senator,  spoke about the poor management and looting of government funds. He said what was worrisome was the poor accountability in the steps taken against the people who were milking government dry. He mentioned greediness and corruption as the leading cause for the challenges faced by government sectors. He also noted the non-existence of the code of conduct, which he said had enabled the looting of government funds. He said Parliament, as well as the Cabinet, were sleeping on their jobs and were somehow condoning the corruption that happened at the highest forms of law makers.

On the issue of drug shortages in public health facilities, he said there were talks that TLC was looking into controlling the Central Medical Stores (CMS) to transform it to a paperless institution with the use of their digital system. He stated that due to certain promises that were made to certain individuals who might gain from this, there were people who were already calling and supporting alleged changes that would dig on the limited resources, yet government health facilities were ‘breathing through the wound’.

surprised

He said he was surprised to learn that there was an MP that was supposed to be representing the people, but was fuelling fire, while another was advocating for certain individuals instead of having the best interest of emaSwati. Bennett said he was startled that there was someone who called for the subvention of a private facility, while government facilities did not have drugs for patients. He wondered how one had the guts to call for subvention of some facilities while the existing facilities were crumbling. “Charity begins at home,” he said. He said there was too much power given to ministers and their principal secretaries (PSs) instead of using their authority to protect people.

intimidating

“What merit is so intimidating about a code of conduct because it is difficult to say I come to the honourable House, when behind or within you there are people who do not deserve to be where they are,” he said. He highlighted that one of the senators was once a PS in one of government ministries and tried to hold accountable looters of the Rural Development Fund (RDF). “We don’t know what happened to those thieves who stole money that was supposed to assist emaSwati,” he said. He stated that a lot of government funds had been misused by government officials. He wondered what the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) was doing in terms of following up on government’s misused funds. He noted that even the PAC fines were ridiculous as people stole huge amounts of money but were fined a lousy E400.

disappointed

He said he was disappointed that senior government officials were made to fine close to nothing while other pieces of legislations had skyrocketing fines. Furthemore, the former senator touched on the status of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). He said Parliament had voiced out several times that the ACC was a toothless dog but it was allocated a budget every year. “Shouldn’t we let the present commissioner go home for the condition he is in,” he said. Bennett alleged that the reason the ACC was kept was because it was fitting well to the corrupt tendencies of certain individuals. He highlighted that the chief justice (CJ) also pronounced the status of the institution being unconstitutional.

transgression

“This was in case where a cabinet minister was put in the test for alleged transgression. The chief justice pronounced that the Act was unconstitutional but we have a Parliament, a fully-fledged Ministry of Justice and the judiciary as well as the law society but we do not get the outcome of that pronouncement,” he said. He said no one seemed to probe the pronouncement. He said that lead to people to questioning the wisdom of the Judiciary. He said he was worried about the amended legislation because it might not be effective because even the existing one was not put into good use.

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