As an interested citizen, I follow parliamentary proceedings from time to time, in particular the 30-minute question time session at the start of the sitting. Since parliamentary proceedings are being shown on TV, this democratic avenue for the Opposition to question the government has been cunningly hijacked by the government and its backbenchers.
The backbenchers, who have free access to their parliamentary colleagues, are flooding the government with ‘propaganda opportunity’ questions and follow-ups to thorny questions raised by the Opposition.
The questions are open ended, the responses are comprehensive and time consuming and it keeps the Opposition at bay.
This government mastery of public relations and communications has now extended to this democratic instrument, which they clearly manipulate and monopolise.
It is high time that question time be realigned for what it is meant to be, which is for parliamentarians to uncover information that is not readily available in press conferences and press releases.
Question Time should be realigned as Opposition question time if it is to fulfil its intended role.