By Zweli Martin Dlamini

Members of Parliament(MPs) and Senators must remember that, the House of Parliament is the Legislative Arm of Government not a Department of Cabinet and therefore, Prime Minister(PM) Russell Mmiso Dlamini has no jurisdiction whatsoever,over the administrative decisions or affairs of Parliament.

Allowing the Prime Minister to approve international trips and use public funds to capture and control MPs, does not only undermine the doctrine of the separation of powers but, it reduces the quality of debates inside the House as some MPs will not question him, of course, hoping to be considered for international trips.

The most senior House of Parliament is Senate and therefore, Senate President Lindiwe Dlamini should be responsible for approving international trips but, in the event those trips involve MPs, she must act as per the recommendations of Speaker Jabulani ‘Buy Cash’ Mabuza and Clerk to Parliament Benedict Xaba.

Well, if such powers, allowing the Head of the Executive to have control over the administrative affairs of the Legislature, then what are the duties of the Speaker and Senate President?.

I was already working as a journalist when the then Prime Minister Dr. Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini masterminded all this to capture Parliament, I even went to Parliament to meet the then Speaker Themba Msibi in his office for an exclusive interview.

The then Senate President Gelane Zwane also tried to stop Barnabas from capturing Parliament but unfortunately, King Mswati had given the late PM too much powers that he then abused with impunity.

Now,Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini has ‘inherited’ those powers based on policies that undermine the doctrine of the separation of powers,  Russell Mmiso Dlamini must not be allowed to exercise power on the Legislative arm of Government that should be holding him accountable.

Parliament is a very sensitive and important House, no single politician from the Executive should be allowed to have control over the Senate President and Speaker by deciding who must take an international trip, MPs and Senators will end-up failing to question the PM.

Even Barnabas knew that I was against his move to capture Parliament that’s why I drove to Lobamba to interview the then Speaker, he had no convincing reasons when asked by journalists why he was capturing Parliament.

But as the independent media, we have been warning this country on these issues for sometime now, we can’t have a Parliament that accounts to the Executive, the Prime Minister and/or Cabinet must account to Parliament.

Furthermore,Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini is an MP and once he enters Parliament,he takes orders from the Senate President and the Speaker and this, is in line with the principles of the separation of powers.

It is for these reasons the PM disrespected the Public Accounts Committee(PAC) on the missing R210million because he thinks he is above Parliament, any person who ‘touched’ public funds must account to Parliament through the PAC when called upon to do so.

Now we have a new problem after we found ourselves with a Prime Minister who behaves like a political toddler, this PM exercises powers inherited from Barnabas and in the process, he bullies even Cabinet sabotaging those who disagree with him.

Parliament must find a way to correct this mess through a motion or policy, the Head of Parliament is the Senate President and the Speaker but below the “King in Parliament”.

But in the political hierarchy of the administration of Parliament, the Parliamentary Services Board(PSB) is between the Senate President, Speaker and the “King in Parliament”.

Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini does not come anywhere near the political hierarchy in the administration of Parliament.

The PM can only have access to ‘Minutes’ directing  the Minister of Finance Neal Rijikernberg to pay traveling allowances for those who were approved by the administrators of Parliament being the Speaker and Senate President not to decide who must take an international trip.

This country is struggling to have an effective and functioning Government because, MPs are systematically made to account to the Executive.

Parliament is the boss of the Executive because Cabinet accounts to MPs and Senators but on the other hand, the Executive appears to be the overall administrator of Government while the Judiciary is responsible for the administration of justice.

The PM cannot decide which Judge must take an international trip to represent the country, those powers vests with Chief Justice(CJ) Bheki Maphalala, the Head of the Judiciary and the Executive only comes-in when processing the payment of the traveling allowances.

Why is the PM then allowed to control Parliament and exercise powers over the Senate President, Speaker and the entire Legislative Arm of Government?.