By Zweli Martin Dlamini

Sifiso Khumalo,the Attorney General(AG) was literally saying all the sentiments uttered by Prime Minister(PM) Russell Mmiso Dlamini during the Breakfast Meeting with editors were the PM’s personal opinion with no links,whatsoever,to his public duties.

It should be noted that,the PM responded to the media on various issues but,the AG wants to tell us that, Russell was speaking in his ‘bedroom’, hence the Public Accounts Committee(PAC) was wrong to suspend sittings based on the Prime Minister’s statement declaring the Office of the Auditor General(AG) incompetent.

The question is;if the Prime Minister(PM) meets the media to express personal opinions,what would happen if he can call a press conference and announce a Cabinet reshuffle with PAC Chairman Madala Mhlanga as the new Minister,should that be interpreted as a personal opinion and ignored or a government position?.

Clearly,the Attorney General was misleading Parliament,the Prime Minister was supposed to apologize and withdraw the statement undermining the Office of the Auditor General,not this further confusion that has been created by the learned Attorney General(AG).

It has never happened anywhere in world where a Prime Minister meets the media in his official capacity as the Head of Government,only to express a personal opinion,this can only exist in the fragment of the learned Attorney General Sifiso Khumalo’s own imagination.

The truth is;the Prime Minister(PM) was expressing a Government position when he declared the Office of the Auditor General(AG) incompetent but,the Attorney General(AG)was correcting a constitutional crisis by blaming the PAC.

Of course,some of us are fully aware and following closely,the factional battles manifesting behind the scenes within the corridors of power,with regards to this matter. 

But for now,I am addressing what is in the public domain because,as the editor,I should not be seen running faster than my audience in articulating this matter.

Unfortunately,the Attorney General(AG) was addressing ‘zombie’ Members of Parliament(MPs) who doesn’t interrogate issues,they just welcome any legal opinion from the AG as absolute.

A zombie in this context,is a lifeless body with no ability to think or move and this,literally describes the conduct of the Members of Parliament(MPs) whose minds are being controlled by the Attorney General(AG) with a political remote control.

Judges of the Court of Appeal resigned shortly after the then Prime Minister(PM) Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini delivered the 28th November 2002 statement during a press conference.

This is exactly what PM Russell Dlamini did,he undermined the Office of the Auditor General(AG) in the presence of the media where government positions on various issues of public interest are communicated.

The media and/or the Fourth Estate,despite being an institution that holds those in power accountable in the public interest,acts as the ‘mouth’ for the Government, decisions are communicated and reach the public through the media and,that’s why we have the State owned media where government positions are communicated.

Even the Attorney General,when announcing emaBandla on behalf of the King, normally calls a press conference and those appointed would react based on the announcement,that has been made through the media and/or what the AG described as “another forum” when twisting the zombie minds of the MPs.

No public figure can ever communicate or express a personal opinion in a public forum unless he/she is addressing in-laws during a wedding event.

Even during that wedding event and if journalists are present,that public figure must first declare that, “what he/she is about to communicate is a personal opinion.

But it was easy for the Attorney General(AG) to mislead Parliament because that Parliament seems to be dominated by ‘zombies’, only a few MPs in that House use their brains.

On the other hand,the editors who wasted their time asking questions during the Breakfast Meeting might not react and interrogate the issue further,after the Attorney General(AG) declared the entire Breakfast Meeting with editors a bedroom Family Meeting,where Prime Minister Russell Dlamini was expressing his opinion on matters linked to his public duties.

This literally means,the editors wasted their time asking questions and the responses from the PM “does not reflect a government position” but were merely his personal opinion.

But I will not blame the editors if they can allow this matter or the subsequent statements uttered by the learned Attorney General(AG) to undermine the media,some of these editors are ‘zombies' as well.