DA requests Speaker to recuse Ministers from their own MONC vote, and to use a roll-call system
28 March 2022
Note to Editors: Please find attached soundbite from the Leader of the Democratic Alliance, John Steenhuisen MP.
On Saturday 26 March I wrote to the Speaker of the National Assembly on two issues pertaining to the voting procedure in the Motion of No Confidence in the Cabinet, which is to be considered in the National Assembly on Wednesday 30 March.
It is the view of the DA that both these issues need to be urgently addressed prior to Wednesday’s debate and vote. A Motion of No Confidence in the entire Cabinet, tabled in terms of Section 102(1) of the Constitution, is not an action taken lightly, and it is therefore critical that the voting procedure produce a fair and accurate outcome.
The first issue relates to the conflict of interest that arises should the Cabinet Ministers be allowed to vote in their own Motion of No Confidence. They clearly have a direct and substantial stake in the outcome of the vote in terms of their positions on the Executive along with all the material benefits of the job. Allowing their participation would not be in the spirit of Section 102(1) of the Constitution. This would also violate the principle of separation of powers between the Executive and the Legislature.