According to him, having moles within the rank and file of the opposing side is a necessary evil especially as “information is key.”

“You need to know what the others are planning and what they’re trying to do,” he said on JoyNews‘PM Express on Wednesday.

“How did we get Speaker elected if we didn’t have someone? It’s not one person. It’s the reason why I became the agent myself”, he added.

The Asawase MP explained that both sides of Parliament have moles on the other side and that often, disgruntled members of the party are targeted to serve this purpose.

“When you’re provided leadership, it’s the price of leadership. You cannot appease everybody [so the disgruntled elements] whether on our side or on their side, you cannot,” he said.

Disgruntled

Describing situations that often lead to members getting disgruntled, he cited the constitution of committees in Parliament. He said “I have finance committee and people come and before they even get sworn in, people are filling the forms to be on finance committee”.

“We have only 12 seats on finance committee and I have 78 people who have completed the forms to be on finance committee. I have to take only 12, how can I please [everybody]?

So by the time I finish selecting 12 out of the 78, somebody will be happy. Somebody may not get Finance but Mines, he may take consolation. Some other person will never forgive you. Are you getting it? So you have that on both sides.”

He, however, noted that not all disgruntled members were easily swayed into becoming moles for the other side.

“Some will be very difficult to get, they may be very disgruntled and not happy on their side but they’ll not, but there are others who are so bitter that they’re willing to.”

Nationalistic

Nonetheless, he noted that some members, whether disgruntled or not, have very strong nationalistic tendencies and often await peculiar circumstances like secret balloting to express their individuality away from the prying eyes of their whips.

“And let me tell you, frankly speaking, there are people on both sides who are very nationalistic but the fear of the party whips and the party system is forcing them to stay at bay.

“So when an opportunity comes, for example in a secret ballot, I mean you saw the shock we had was worse than theirs”, he said.