CALL FOR KOHLER-BARNARD'S REMOVAL FROM ETHICS COMMITTEE
22 August 2013
The Chief Whip of the African National Congress has written to the Speaker's Office to request that DA MP Dianne Kohler-Barnard, who formed part of the recent parliamentary ethics committee hearing on the allegations against the former minister of communications, be investigated and removed from the committee for transgressing the ethics code.
It has come to our attention that Ms Kohler-Barnard violated her oath to confidentiality and the ethical code of conduct by disclosing sensitive information to her friends on social media during the course of the hearing on the former minister of communications.
An article published in The Post of 14 August 2013 and authored by Nazareem Ebrahim, one of Ms Kohler-Barnard's Facebook followers, indicates that she regularly posted updates on the proceedings of the hearing. The article says: "Democratic Alliance MP Dianne Kohler-Barnard provided informative enough updates about the matter (of how the former minister "nearly pulled the wool over the ethics committee's eyes") through Facebook posts".
The parliamentary code of conduct enjoins all Members of Parliament and staff serving on the committee to take an oath of confidentiality. The code further states that:
- Members who are in breach of confidentiality are liable to a reduction of 30 days' salary and become ineligible to serve on the Committee.
- Staff who breach confidentiality are subject to disciplinary action including dismissal.
By disclosing information pertaining to the proceedings of the confidential hearing on social media, Ms Kohler-Barnard violated the ethics code, undermined the integrity of the process and brought the institution into disrepute.
We have therefore asked that the Speaker's Office investigate the MP's improper conduct, penalise her and remove her from the ethics committee. The DA has a responsibility to ensure that MPs it deploys to this crucial committee are responsible and conduct themselves in accordance with the code. MPs who serve on this committee must lead by example.
Our complaint against Kohler-Barnard's conduct and our call for her removal from the committee does not in any way change our stated strong position on the former minister's conduct and our support for the outcome of the heading.
The ANC caucus meeting that sat this morning reaffirmed the ANC's full support for the speedily conclusion of the ethics code review process to, amongst others, make sanctions harsher. Our MPs were also reminded to honour tomorrow's (23 August) deadline for annual declaration of members' interest.
Statement issued by the Office of the ANC Chief Whip, August 22 2013
Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter
