DA requests urgent meeting of NAPC to discuss ANC's abuse of Parliamentary Programme
I will write to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Max Sisulu, to request that he call an urgent meeting of the National Assembly Programming Committee to discuss the ANC's abuse and manipulation of the Parliamentary Programme ahead of the 2014 elections (see Sunday Times report).
According to media reports today, an ANC election memorandum has instructed ANC MPs to rush through certain pieces of legislation, and hold back on other controversial bills before the elections. This includes numerous Private Members' Bills submitted by DA MPs.
This is an appalling abuse of the parliamentary process and undermines the constitutionally enshrined independence of Parliament. As a multi-party institution, programming is done in consultation with all political parties represented in Parliament, regardless of their size.
The DA will not sit back and allow the ruling party to short-circuit a proper parliamentary process on any bill before it. Every single bill before Parliament demands close scrutiny and public participation, anything less would be a disservice to the people of South Africa.
There are a number of bad bills before Parliament that require considerable public participation and must not be bulldozed through the legislative process. This includes the Public Administration Management Bill and the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Amendment Bill.
And there are also a number of good bills, including Private Members' Bills, that must not be stonewalled from being passed because they do not fit in line with the ANC's election strategy.
If the ANC Chief Whip, Stone Sizani, cared about Parliament and its functioning he would have rather sent out a memorandum instructing his MPs to pass quality legislation which was carefully drafted and in line with The Constitution, and ensured that his members attended committee meetings and plenaries.
The DA will not allow this abuse of Parliament to go unanswered. We trust the Speaker will now take up the matter before the Programming Committee and remind the ANC what the job of a member of Parliament actually entails.
Statement issued by Watty Watson MP, Democratic Alliance Chief Whip, September 22 2013
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