NATIONAL Assembly Speaker Dr Frene Ginwala on Thursday proposed that MPs who stay away from debates be fined a day’s pay if they do not have a valid reason for their absence for that day.
Participating in a debate in the Assembly’s rules committee on whether quorum requirements should be changed, she said leave of absence should only be given in specific circumstances, such as illness.
Parties agreed broadly with her view, but differed on the need for relaxing or retaining the current requirement of a third of MPs having to be present in the Assembly for debates.
The committee agreed that definite proposals should be put at its next meeting.
The secretary to the National Assembly, Kasper Hahndiek, pointed out that the Constitution only stipulated a quorum for votes on bills, and not for debates.
Referring to a possible reduction in the required quorum, senior Democratic Alliance MP Ken Andrew said he agreed that ”sitting in your bench is not the be-all and end-all”.
”But surely the concept of debate rests on the premise that you could influence those you’re debating with.”
Andrew said he therefore believed some form of quorum was essential.
He was supported by the New National Party’s Carl Greyling.
Ginwala said she agreed it was not just a matter of a public perception of whether MPs were doing their work, ”but of members being informed.”
DA Chief Whip Douglas Gibson said his party was not opposed to relaxing the current requirement, but was against its total abolition.
He believed this should be coupled with sanctions, and therefore supported Ginwala’s proposal.
African National Congress Deputy Chief Whip Andries Nel said Parliament did not have a quorum requirement for committee deliberations and proposed that the issue be referred to a
sub-committee.
Deputy Speaker Baleka Mbete disagreed, saying: ”We must do the thinking.”
Ginwala said she would circulate a proposal on sanctions within a week: ”at the next meeting we’ll take a decision on it”.
Ginwala berated Parliamentary staff for not having circulated documents on a number of other issues in time for discussion at Thursday’s meeting, and said she wanted a report on this as soon as possible. – Sapa