Speaker, the objective of the Military Ombud Bill is to provide for the establishment of an independent Military Ombud. The fact is, however, that there is very little independent about the independent Military Ombud provided for in the Military Ombud Bill.
The amendments proposed by the Select Committee on Security and Constitutional Development in the National Council of Provinces and subsequently adopted by the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans are a further legislative blow to the independence of the Military Ombud. The four amendments effectively ensure that Parliament will play no role whatsoever in the appointment of the Military Ombud.
The amendments were rammed through the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans. There was no proper motivation for the amendments. There was no deliberation on the amendments and Parliament's legal advisers were prevented from responding to queries about the proposed amendments. The Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans simply rolled over. It was shameful. The amendments were also adopted against the advice of Parliament's legal advisers who, last year, advised that:
It is suggested that an Ombud should not be appointed by the body that it reviews. The appointment by the President may still create the perception that the Military Ombud is not independent of the executive. It is, therefore, our view that it may be more appropriate for Parliament to have some role in the appointment process.
That advice, of course, was ignored. Why was it ignored? It was ignored because the hon Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Lindiwe Sisulu, does not want an independent Military Ombud. The Minister wants a Military Ombud who is a handbag dog ... [Interjections.]