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Political accountability begins with you

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Mmusi Maimane is leader of Build One SA.

Who watches the watchmen? MPs are no different to nurses, police officers and other public servants: we are accountable to the people, and where we fail, we should be held up to public scrutiny.

As parliamentarians, it is our job to ensure that the government of the day does as it promises: spends citizens’ money on service delivery rather than splurging on luxuries; builds houses, schools and hospitals; keeps the lights on, and takes care of the most vulnerable of citizens. Men and women of this country also have a duty, beyond elections, to ensure that elected officials do their jobs.

“Who watches the watchmen?” the adage asks. In this case, it is you, the citizens.

No man or woman should be a law unto themselves, for when this happens corruption, poor service delivery and the like manifest.

This is why, on 11 March, my question to President Jacob Zuma will simply but critically ask when next he will be fulfilling his parliamentary and constitutional duty to account, through oral questions, to the National Assembly which elected him. President Zuma cannot be a man who is accountable to none. He accounts to Members of Parliament, as the representatives of the citizens.

President Jacob Zuma and his Executive are accountable collectively and individually to Parliament for the exercise of their powers and the performance of their functions”, as per Section 92(2) of the Constitution. Following this, it is clear that President Zuma, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, Ministers and Deputy Ministers answer to Members of Parliament, who have a duty to scrutinise their work.

Following this line of command or accountability, as Members of Parliament we are accountable to you, the citizens of South Africa. We perform our duties for you and the country, and we account to you.

As MPs, we are no different to the police officer or the nurse, in that we are public servants, and our duties and responsibilities are to the people of South Africa, and it is up to the citizens to ensure that if or when we do not perform these duties, we are held accountable.

It is for this very reason that as the Democratic Alliance, we work to ensure that our public representatives – from Councillors to Members of Parliament – do not only perform their duties in offices, but the physically attend to the needs of communities and establish an open line of communication with these communities.

Our public representatives aren’t only judged on the work they do in portfolio committees, but also on the work they perform in communities, and the impact they have on these communities.

The growing DA Parliamentary Caucus is in the national legislature, because over four million South Africans placed an ‘X’ next to the DA on the ballot paper. This is what we must remember; equally so, it is what the voters must remember.

Not only do we serve and assist those who voted us; our commitment to South Africa extends to even those who did not vote for us, because building a better country needs all to be involved.

We cannot effectively perform our duties of presenting legislation and fixing a broken society by merely reading newspapers or reports. We must be on the ground to hear from our people, and see where the service delivery shortfalls are.

My commitment is to the Constitution and the people of South Africa, and I expect to be held to the standard to which I hold members of the Executive. DM

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