Logie’s Law rules municipality

EDITOR – Logie’s Law rules again and is fast becoming the norm in the suppression of debate and democracy in the eThekwini Municipality.

I refer to a series of incidents in eThekwini Municipality where the Speaker of the House, Logie Naidoo, flagrantly violates the Rules of Order to benefit the ANC and to trample debate from the opposition benches.

The Rules of Order regulate conduct and procedure in the house and in particular prescribe that the language and discourse employed must be cordial and respectful.

However, the ANC regularly tells the opposition to ‘shut up’, calls them racist or regularly refers to younger members derisively as ‘toddlers who need to be taught a lesson’. Some members of the ANC have even challenged opposition members ‘to take the matter outside’. This type of behaviour is childish, churlish not to mention disrespectful. It also severely undermines the dignity of the house.

The Speaker’s job is to rule such action out of order and sanction the offending members. Unless you are an ANC councillor, of course. Then you get a free pass.

Woe betide the councillor from the DA or other opposition benches who dares to raise the slightest objection or criticism of the ANC. They are immediately sanctioned and forced to withdraw the comments. And if you are really cheeky to Master Logie, his bodyguards will frogmarch you out of the chamber! Logie’s Law also has application to the due process of asking formal questions on thorny issues.

The protocol laid down in Section 17 of the Rules of Order allows any councillor to direct questions on issues of concern to the operation of the municipality. The same section obliges the relevant committee chair from the ANC to research, liaise with officials and then provide the council with full, detailed answers.

So when a committee chair like ANC councillor Nigel Gumede decides to refuse to answer questions, it is the job of the Speaker to enforce the rules and demand answers to the questions. Not according to Logie’s Law, which prescribes that the Speaker’s master must be kept happy at all times!

And so the humble queries of citizens are trampled on and ignored and the ruling party can do as they wish. All citizens are equal, but some are more equal than others…..

Councillor Tim Brauteseth

Democratic Alliance

Ward 18