Deputy Speaker, recently The New Age newspaper reported on the DA's apparent obsession with the newspaper by asking no less than three Ministers the same question regarding whether their departments subscribed to or bought copies of The New Age newspaper. One of the DA MPs in whose name the question was asked denied posing the question. [Interjections.]
By all accounts, this targeting of one newspaper seems to be a deliberate attack on the paper in question.
However, most importantly, by clogging the administrations of Ministries or Parliament's Questions Office with ineffective questions, the DA reduces the effectiveness of questions to the executive as an oversight tool. Surely questions posed to the executive should be of a higher quality and should interrogate more substantial issues than whether a certain newspaper is subscribed to or not. [Interjections.]
What will the responses from the Ministers questioned on whether they did or did not subscribe ...
Madam Deputy Speaker, on a point of order: I asked the question. I am not denying anything. I want an answer. [Interjections.]
What question?
Continue, hon member.
Surely questions posed to the executive should be of a higher quality and should interrogate more substantial issues than whether a certain newspaper is subscribed to or not.
What would the responses from the Ministers questioned on whether they did or did not subscribe to the newspaper have proved? [Interjections.] Selectively targeting a certain newspaper under the guise of checking on a department's budget ... [Time expired.] [Applause.]