Cape Town - The Democratic Alliance is pursuing its bid to question President Thabo Mbeki on whether he met with arms supplier Thomson-CSF during negotiations for weaponry on March 11, 2000.

The DA has written to National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete requesting she refer to the Rules Committee her decision to disallow a question to Mbeki "relating to the arms deal", DA Chief Whip Douglas Gibson said on Monday.

"As the Speaker is also the chairperson of the committee, she should have no difficulty in placing the matter on the agenda for discussion," he said.

Last month, Mbete ruled the question from DA MP Eddie Trent to the president out of order on the grounds the subject matter was not of national or international importance and that in her opinion it contained innuendos and implications of improper conduct on the part of the president.

"In a subsequent letter addressed to me, the Speaker claimed that she disallowed the question because 'by implication it amounts to an allegation of irregular conduct by the President'.

"She didn't mention the criteria of international or national importance, which seems to be a tacit acknowledgement that the question does indeed meet these criteria.

"At any rate, the question is a matter of national and international importance and does not impute presidential misconduct," he said.

Mbete's ruling had profound implications for the role of Parliament in consolidating democracy.

"In short, her ruling prevents a legislator from exercising oversight over a member of the executive. As such, it invalidates one of the key checks and balances on executive power and in so doing undermines a core tenet of our constitutional democracy."

In 2003, the DA asked former deputy president Jacob Zuma a question similar to the one posed to the President. The question was accepted and answered by Zuma in front of Parliament.

"The DA believes the Speaker's ruling is incorrect. The question is straightforward and it requires a straightforward answer. The question neither prejudges the answer nor imputes presidential misconduct.

"The Speaker has assured me that her ruling does not preclude the President from giving a written response to Mr Trent's question."

Therefore the DA had resubmitted the question as a written question, Gibson said.

With acknowledgements to Sapa and News24.