• BDP might move for its shake-up • Committee dominated by opposition

BG reporter

Parliament’s powerful watchdog, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), has apparently become a state enemy. Now there are fears that the committee could be dissolved even before its term ends. This comes in the backdrop of a damning report the PAC released recently linking Ministry of State Presidency to abuse of funds.
PAC chairman, Samson Guma, met a chorus of disapproval from Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) Members of Parliament on Monday after he delivered the report to parliament. Like the historic Rumble in the Jungle fight between legendary Muhammad Ali and George Foreman 36 years ago in Zaire, the PAC report caused a serious stir in Parliament.
The report pitted the ruling Members of Parliament against the opposition MPs. 
Guma had tabled a motion calling for parliament to adopt the report but was shot down by ruling party MPs who argued that the report should not be adopted, as it was incomplete. Guma said the PAC reports are bulky hence they decided to prepare the current report in two parts. He said the first part was the one tabled before parliament while the second part details the specific observations, which are subjects of progress reporting by the Accounting Officers to the PAC session.
Only two MPs – Kagiso Molatlhegi of Gaborone South and Nehemiah Modubule of Lobatse – had a chance to debate the motion on Monday but the debates were so tense that at least 13 other MPs rose either seeking clarification about the report or asking Deputy Speaker Pono Moatlhodi to defer debates on the report. Molatlhegi accused Guma and his committee of being unproductive when compiling the report and thus the report should be rejected so that the committee can produce a complete report. Molatlhegi argued that the second part should be presented to the House.
Rising on a Point of Procedure specially Elected MP, Dorcus Makgato-Malesu said the report was not complete. “This is not a Nigerian film which comes in two parts we need a complete report,” she said, in the process receiving a thumbs-ups from the Vive President, Lt. Gen. Mompati Merafhe who sits just in front of her. The call for the report to be put aside was so loud that at one point MP for Molepolole South, Daniel Kwelagobe quipped that party caucus caused the noise.
Modubule, who is a PAC member, defended their work. “We have found some anomalies and all we say is this should be looked at, we did not say someone should go and hang,” he said. However, the MP requested parliament to adjourn the debates on the report to a later date to allow the committee to bring the second part of the report. This was, however, after a stern warning from Guma that the BDP MPs should not think part two of the report will make any difference. “The contents of this report will not change even if we adjourn the debates,” he warned.
However, there are those who feel the debates on Monday were more on the contents than on the issue that the report was incomplete. Apparently the BDP is uneasy with the contents of the report to the extent that it will not like to face more embarrassment from the opposition in parliament during debates on the report.
There are growing fears that the BDP will do everything in its power to dissolve the committee. The majority of whose members are from the opposition. BDP also accuses PAC of revealing the contents of the report to the media before it was even tabled before parliament. Molatlhegi raised this issue on Monday.
PAC has ten members four of them belonging to the BDP breakaway party – Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD).  They are Guma, Wynter Mmolotsi, Modubule, and Odirile Motlhale. Mephato Reatile and Isaac Mabiletsa represent the Botswana National Front (BNF) while Gilson Saleshando is from the Botswana Congress Party (BCP). 
The other members are Robert Masitara and Edwin Batshu from the ruling party.
According to Mmolotsi, ‘a possibility exists” that the BDP can use its might in parliament and dissolve the committee. “They  (BDP) are doing everything they can to kill the debates on the report so that they can bring people who will put the report under the carpet and not be debated in parliament.”  The committee’s term ends in 2014.
The PAC chairman, Guma also raised concerns that the BDP is killing debates on the report so that they can bring people whom they trust.
The PAC is mandated by parliament to examine after every financial year among others, the accounts and statements prepared and signed by the Accountant General as well as the accounts of statutory bodies which are required by any written law to be laid before parliament. It also examines the report of the Auditor General.