"ANC proposal to cut short parliamentary programme serves only the party's political interests"
On Wednesday 5th March 2008, a proposed framework for the parliamentary programme for the rest of 2008 was handed out by the ANC to the Chief Whips of all other parties.
It proposes, from 30 June 2008 once budget debates end, that there only be another two plenary sessions for the rest of the year, consisting of a total of 15 sitting days. The rest of the time would comprise committee and constituency periods. In 2007 there were a total of 70 plenary sessions. In addition to this, the proposal that the rest of the year be occupied by committee and constituency work effectively means that parliament would be shut down for ten to twelve months - from June 2008 to May 2009.
The Democratic Alliance holds that this proposal completely undermines Parliament's constitutional obligation to hold the executive to account, and that if Parliament were to adopt this programme, oversight over the executive would be brought to a complete standstill.
Section 42(3) of the Constitution states that: "The National Assembly is elected to represent the people and to ensure government by the people under the Constitution. It does this by choosing the President, by providing a national forum for public consideration of issues, by passing legislation and by scrutinizing and overseeing executive action." Parliament has a duty through the use of a variety of mechanisms - including, questions, debates, motions, member's statements, and speeches - to hold members of the executive to account for their actions.
The ANC will argue that undertaking visits to constituencies equates to oversight, and while this is important, it is not the primary function of oversight, which is to scrutinize the actions of the executive at a national level. As to the mandate of parliamentary committees, while passing legislation remains an important part of Parliament's work, it is by no means its primary function. In any event, the proposed goal of passing 90 pieces of legislation within this vastly reduced time frame is highly unrealistic (over the last 3 years combined just over a 100 pieces of legislation were passed). Even if this goal were to be achieved, it would turn Parliament into a sausage factory, producing vast tracts of legislation without thorough public consultation and input.
Taxpayers foot the bill for MPs salaries and those of their support staff; if, as proposed, there are only 15 sitting days for the remainder of the year, citizens could ask if they are receiving a reasonable return on their considerable investment. The vastly reduced programme effectively amounts to the ANC shutting down Parliament, and destroys any credibility in the argument that we are currently witnessing the reassertion of Parliament's central role in our democracy.
This proposal could be motivated by a number of factors:
The ANC may want to call an early election. If Parliament is effectively shut down in June, then this would allow the party to move a motion to dissolve Parliament, forcing the President to announce the date for a general election within 30 days, the date of which must be no more than three months away. This would equate to a possible election by 1 October 2008.
Secondly, it is clear that there are great divisions within the ANC, and that a great deal of work is required to ensure that the party can effectively contest an election. The ANC may be angling for time to consolidate itself at branch level. There could also be a desire to shut down the space for the opposition to hold the government to account, as the ANC leadership battles to hold the disparate factions of the party together. Shutting down Parliament would mean shutting down a "third front"; the DA is the only party to effectively use Parliament in this manner.
Because the Speaker of Parliament is also the Chairperson of the ANC and its Political Committee she has a vested interest in putting the needs of the party ahead of those of the institution of Parliament. It is highly likely that the proposed programme originated from the Presiding Officers and that it has their support. As such, it is clear that the ANC's own party political interests are being put ahead of the needs of South Africa's broader democracy.
Statement by Ian Davidson MP, Democratic Alliance Chief Whip, March 14 2008
