Parliament should be exposing arms deal secrets, not covering them up
This morning the Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry voted to keep secret a report which raised serious questions about the Department of Trade and Industry's (DTI's) role in misrepresenting the actual amounts of investments received as part of the arms deal industrial offsets.
This decision amounts to an attempt by the Portfolio Committee to protect the Department from real accountability on an issue of monumental public interest.
The Department has consistently avoided answering questions about how much has actually been invested as part of the National Industrial Participation Programme (NIPP), and why there is such a significant discrepancy between the reported size of investments, and actual investments.
This seems to be a case of history repeating itself. To say that Parliament has a chequered history in terms of holding the government to account over the arms deal is an understatement.
The DA's David Maynier MP introduced the leaked forensic report in a Portfolio Committee meeting in February, and asked that the DTI answer to its contents, which specifically suggested that Ferrostaal, one of the primary contracting companies supplying submarines, invested 63 million euros in terms of their obligation under the NIPP, not 3 billion euros as the DTI claimed.
Today the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee, Joan Fubbs MP, ruled that the report could not be considered or used by the Committee in questioning the DTI. We strongly objected, and asked that the matter be put to a vote. The ANC then used its majority on the Committee to rubber-stamp the Chairperson's ruling, winning the vote by six votes to three (with two abstentions).
The DTI is scheduled to appear before the Committee on Friday the 16th of March. The DA members on the Committee will ensure that the DTI explains why they told South Africa that billions of euros have been invested when the real amount is in fact only a fraction of that.
Statement issued by Dr Wilmot James MP, DA Shadow Minister of Trade & Industry, March 7 2012
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