Madame Speaker, the Independent Democrats wants to congratulate the two portfolio committees for the extensive public consultation process - even though some of them seemed carefully stage managed.

While many people were heard, we are not sure they were listened to.

The reasons and conditions for which the Scorpions were established still exist today.

At this critical time in our country's history we should be looking to strengthen the fight against crime and not weaken it.

While the Scorpions made mistakes, these should have been corrected and learnt from. In this regard, the recommendations of the Khampepe Commission should have been implemented.

Instead what we see in this legislation is the ANC taking the sting out of the Scorpions and creating an institutional vacuum where organized crime is able to thrive.

Gone are the investigative and prosecutorial skills and in comes our infamous National Police Commissioner who now gains control of the very unit that has been investigating him.

The South African public is not stupid; like us they know why the ANC is passing this legislation.

This is about pursuing factional interests at the expense of our country's crime fighting ability.

The Scorpions has become another, on the long list of casualties, of the ANC's in-fighting.

The battle to dissolve the Scorpions might have been won today, but in this instance, the war against crime has been set back.

The ID opposes this legislation.

Thank you.

This is the text of the speech by Patricia de Lille, MP, Leader of the Independent Democrats, on the National Prosecuting Authority Amendment Act and the South African Police Services Amendment Act, Parliament, October 23 2008