ID President Patricia de Lille says the Independent Democrats expects President Jacob Zuma ‘to be candid about the effects of the economic recession, especially on the lives of the poor.

‘It is the poor that will be hardest hit by this recession and President Zuma must show that there is a real preparedness on the part of his government to protect jobs over the short term and provide urgent relief to the poor,' Ms De Lille says.

‘In this regard, the extension of the School Feeding Scheme to high schools and the Child Grant to children up to 18-years needs to be fast tracked.

‘We also want to see a clear plan from government where businesses will be encouraged to retain jobs and hire more young people, for example by introducing a wage subsidy for 18 to 25-year-olds.

‘Health, education and rural development remain priorities. In health we would like to hear a conciliatory tone from the President, the kind of approach that is needed from government to resolve the impasse with doctors and avoid crippling strikes across the public sector,' says De Lille.

‘In education, the ID would like to see the beginnings of a long term plan that can produce the skills that are needed in our economy, while also restructuring the economy to absorb the huge numbers of semi-skilled and unskilled workers in our country, which is a legacy of our past.

‘We also need to bridge the rural/urban divide by developing the rural areas so that we can slow down the rapid urbanization that has placed so much pressure on the provision of basic services in our cities.

‘Infrastructural development is a key priority in the rural areas because it will open up markets for local produce and provide increasing food security.

‘We in the Independent Democrats would like tomorrow's Address to be the start of a Presidency that is warm and caring and puts the poor and the marginalized first.'

Statement issued by the Independent Democrats June 2 2009

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