Transcript of speech by Freedom Front Plus leader, Dr Pieter Mulder, in the debate on President Jacob Zuma's State of the Nation Address, Parliament, June 19 2014

Dr P W A MULDER: Chairperson, I want to start with a story of the chief executive of a big organisation who retired. He gave his successor three envelopes. His advice to his successor was, when you experience a crisis open the first envelope. After a year there was a crisis. The new executive opened the first envelope. It read, blame it on your predecessors. He did it, he worked and he survived the crisis.

Some months later there was a second crisis. He opened the second envelope. It read, reorganise. He reorganised the organisation and again he survived. [Interjections.]

Chairperson, that member ... [Inaudible.]

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon Malema, please respect the speaker at the podium! Continue hon member.

Dr P W A MULDER: Go and conduct the debate outside not here, and don't waste my time. [Laughter.]

Some months later with the second crisis the executive opened the second envelope and it said, reorganise. He reorganised the organisation and he again survived. When the third crisis occurred he opened the third envelope. It read, prepare three envelopes.

Hon President, the present economic crisis is not the second or third crisis of this government but the hundredth. You've already blamed your predecessors. You've reorganised government. You should've prepared three envelopes long ago. Do members remember the Fitch credit ratings downgrade in January 2013? In the two weeks following the downgrade, foreigners sold R3,2 billion worth of South African bonds. In that January alone, foreign investors sold R2,2 billion worth of South African shares. That severely affected our economy and many jobs were lost, and that is the reality.

Is it too early at this moment to count the effects of the latest downgrade? For government it cannot be business as usual. Everyday on my way to Parliament I drive past people sitting on street corners asking me for a job, with their eyes. These are strong, healthy men and women with despair and hopelessness in their eyes. They are fathers and mothers who have to support their families. In their own eyes they are failing their families. We can solve this problem and we can create jobs, and dignity will return to these men and women.

Afrikaans:

In die staatsrede is geen nuwe of oorspronklike voorstelle oor hoe die ekonomiese groeikoers verbeter kan word om werk te skep, deur die agb President gemaak nie. Behuising en beter leeftoestande vir mynwerkers is voorgestel om 'n herhaling van die staking te voorkom. Dit is belangrik maar dit spreek nie die kern probleme aan nie. Niks verhinder dat ons môre 'n soortgelyke staking in die goudbedryf kan kry nie.

'n Voorstel in die staatsrede oor hoe die aarbeidswetgewing gewysig kan word sou positief gewees het. Ek wil graag hê dat iemand vir my moet verduidelik waarom die aarbeidswette nie so gewysig kan word dat vakbondlede 'n geheime stemming kan hou voor 'n staking nie. Dit alleen sou 'n verskil gemaak het.

English:

This is the hon President Zuma's last term. I have seen five Presidents come and go in this Assembly. In their last term all Presidents worry about their legacy. That is normal. Zizi Kodwa, the ANC spokesperson, said that in this term the President will be emphasising economic freedom and land issues. Hon President, you are making a mistake if you think you will succeed in this as your legacy in the next couple of years. You are setting yourself up to fail.

In 1948, before I was born, the election was won by the Afrikaners. However, it was not whites against blacks. Rather, it was an Afrikaner victory over an English, specifically a pro British approach. [Interjections.]

As a young and angry man, I argued for hours with my father that the Afrikaners had political power but not economic power, and that we should be freed from the Oppenheimer's grip on the economy, just like a certain, sort of arrogant young member argued here yesterday. The reality is that Afrikaners never obtained economic power. We could establish our own institutions, such as Volkskas and Sanlam, but ... [Interjections.]

Mr J A MNGXITAMA: On a point of order: Can this man say when he is going to return our land because he represents land thieves. That is what we want to hear, not this long story. He's a land thief!

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon member, go back to the podium please. Go back to the podium. Hon Mngxitam, firstly withdraw the words, this man, as you referred to hon Mulder, and secondly, no member of this House is referred to as a thief.

Mr J A MNGXITAMA: Chairperson, he represents people who stole our land. He is a land thief ... [Interjections.] ... and of course he's ... [Inaudible.]

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon Mngxitam, withdraw those two statements!

Mr J A MNGXITAM: I withdraw.

Mr J S MALEMA: Madam Chair, on a real point of order: [Interjections.] I'm talking to the Chair, wena man! [Laughter.]

[Interjections.]

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon members! Hon Malema, do you have a point of order?

Mr J S MALEMA: The hon member at the podium said, an arrogant young man. We don't have such things here.

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Thank you, hon Malema. However, the word arrogant is not seen as unparliamentary. Please take your seat.

Mr J S MALEMA: But young man, young man!

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon Mulder, will you withdraw the words, young man, in reference to the hon member?

Dr P W A MULDER: I didn't mention any names but if he thinks he's very old ... {Interjections.]

Mr J S MALEMA: I'm not saying you mentioned a name.

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon Malema, don't push me!

Dr P W A MULDER: I will withdraw. I didn't mention any names as such. [Applause.]

An HON MEMBER: Hon Chairperson ...

Afrikaans:

Mnr P J GROENEWALD: Agb Voorsitter, op 'n punt van orde: Ek kan nie verstaan hoe die woorde, 'n jong man, onparlementêr is nie, maar, sorry the old man [jammer, die ou man] nie is nie.

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Thank you, hon Groenewald. Please proceed.

Dr P W A MULDER: Hon Chairperson, I would hope that I get my time back because you are, sort of, destroying ...

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Your time has been restored Sir. Please proceed.

Dr P W A MULDER: Thank you. I tried to make the point that Afrikaners tried to get economic power but they never succeeded in that, although they had political power. In that sense I said it's dangerous in the end because the President is setting himself up to fail.

Of the 400 members elected here in 1994, only 12 of us are left in this House. This is good and bad. It's good because new members bring new ideas. It's bad because we need experience and continuity, and we cannot start over every time as we are doing at the moment.

Let me give an example. Yesterday, snide remarks were made here about Afrikaans and white people. When we started in 1994, only English and Afrikaans was spoken.

Mr M Q NDLOZI: Hon Chair, I rise to ask a question if the speaker will take one.

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon Mulder, do you want to take a question?

Dr P W A MULDER: My time is already expired. I can't take that question. I would like to make my point and you can listen to it.

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: He doesn't. Please continue hon Mulder.

Dr P W A MULDER: I said when we started here only English and Afrikaans was spoken, without any translation. The question is which party fought to have all 11 languages spoken here. It was the FF Plus. Go and read it in Hansard. Why? Because we know that one's dignity is restored when one's language is recognised.

I accept that the hon member who went off against Afrikaans also knows - when we have that debate - that the majority of Afrikaans speakers at the moment are not white.

Afrikaans:

Die VOORSITTER VAN DIE NRVP: U tyd is verstreke, Mnr.

Dr P W A MULDER: Dit is baie jammer, agb Voorsitter. Gee ons meer tyd sodat ons vir die lede wat so slim is daar anderkant kan antwoord.

Source: Unrevised transcript, Hansard

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