THE OPPOSITION IS THE CONSTITUTION'S FIERCEST PROTECTOR
The ANC like so many other liberation movements that had tried to
become political parties, believed it had the monopoly on morality and
a divine right to rule
DA CALLS FOR SCRAPPING OF SCORPIONS BILLS
More than 50% of submissions oppose the closure of the Scorpions – 134
submissions out of a total of 247.
NAVY AFTER BILLIONS TO ACQUIRE MORE VESSELS
It was reported in the press last week that the Navy wanted to spend
billions of rands of taxpayers' money on acquiring new patrol ships.
NEW PARLIAMENTARY TERM MAKES PROPER DEBATE IMPOSSIBLE
The new programme means that about 20 pieces of legislation will have
to be passed in just four days instead of a fortnight, a period which
the DA previously argued was already way too short.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"Sunday evening's Isha'a prayer marks the start of the holy month of
Ramadaan, the most venerated and blessed month of the Islamic year. I
would like to wish all Muslims a blessed fast during this period of
reflection, self-discipline, sacrifice, and sympathy for those who are
less fortunate."
DA Leader Helen Zille wishes Muslims well for the holy fast of
Ramadan, which began yesterday.
THE OPPOSITION IS THE CONSTITUTION'S FIERCEST PROTECTOR
The ANC like so many other liberation movements that had tried to
become political parties, believed it had the monopoly on morality and
a divine right to rule, said DA leader Helen Zille last Thursday. She
was presenting the C.R. Swart memorial lecture at the University of
the Free State.
"The quest for absolute power makes internal conflict for positions of
power inevitable and vicious, and the ruling cabal then seeks to
eliminate challenges to its control from within and without."
"It begins to use the instruments of the Constitution, not only
against the opposition, but against challenges it faces inside its own
party," she said.
She said that the country was subject to power-hungry individuals
pretending they exemplified the liberation struggle, and invoking it
to justify the seizure of constitutional instruments that are actually
supposed to limit their power.
She said the role of the opposition in these cases was deceptively
simple to describe but exceptionally difficult to fulfil.
"We must convince more and more South Africans that it is in their
interests to protect the Constitution from the ruling party's abuse of
power."
"Our role is to offer real policy alternatives that provide real
opportunities for all who are prepared to use them to improve their
lives, and where there is a link between effort and reward."
"We must be a catalyst that brings together all those who understand
that limits on power are essential for the welfare of the people, so
that South Africa can become a sustainable democracy with a growing
economy," she said.
It was thus the DA's goal to realign politics and re-shape the
configuration of political parties, drawing a clear line between those
who believe in constitutionalism and those who do not.
She said that this realignment would not hinge on opposition parties
alone as there were many within the ANC who fought to defend the
constitution and were appalled by the growing trend of
anti-constitutionalism in their own party
She said it was vital to protect the constitution by preventing the
ANC from gaining a two-thirds majority in the next election.
"Apart from our role as opposition, we must also strive to demonstrate
what we can do in government and show that our alternative is
genuinely better, for all the people."
"We started this process by winning power in Cape Town in 2006 and in
other local authorities, primarily in the Western Cape and we need to
build on this base in 2009, by winning the Western Cape and showing
what aligned co-operative governance can achieve between a provincial
administration and local authorities."
"The ANC can be dislodged from power. The Constitution can prevail.
It depends on us. We can learn through our own bitter experience, or
we can use the opportunity of learning from the experience of others,
and apply the relevant lessons to our own situation," Zille said.
DA CALLS FOR SCRAPPING OF SCORPIONS BILLS
The Democratic Alliance last Wednesday called for the unconditional
and immediate scrapping of the two Bills intended to disband the
Scorpions.
"The DA is in possession of the final list of public submissions on
the closure of the successful organised crime fighting unit, the
Scorpions, and the clear majority - 54% - oppose the closure," said
party safety and security spokesperson, Dianne Kohler Barnard.
During the public submissions process, chairperson of the Justice
Portfolio committee Yunus Carrim had stated in the media that were
they to establish through the public hearings that the overwhelming
majority of South Africans wanted the Scorpions retained, they would
take it seriously.
Kohler Barnard said that despite the chairpersons' attempts to
engineer the public participation processes in support of the ANC's
resolution to shut down the Scorpions, their efforts had failed.
"More than 50% of submissions oppose the closure of the Scorpions –
134 submissions out of a total of 247," she said.
"It is inexplicable that only 247 submissions have made it into the
final report, despite the DA alone submitting 7,978 written
submissions by the deadline and many other submissions being sent
directly by the public."
"It is clear that the portfolio committees have excluded the bulk of
these submissions in an attempt to downplay the extent of the public
outrage at the decision to disband the unit."
She said that the party had written to the speaker asking that a
special inquiry be made into the issue of discarded submissions on 5
August 2008, but had not received a reply.
She added that the DA had written to Mr Carrim challenging him to act
on his previous statement and to withdraw both Bills with immediate
effect.
"There is a need for urgency given that provisional dates have already
been set for the Second Reading on the two bills," she added.
NAVY AFTER BILLIONS TO ACQUIRE MORE VESSELS
The request by the SA Navy to buy more ships only served to highlight
the fatal flaws of the arms deal, the Democratic Alliance said last
Thursday.
"This is further proof that the entire arms deal procurement process
was fatally flawed," said DA spokesperson for defence Rafeek Shah.
It was reported in the press last week that the Navy wanted to spend
billions of rands of taxpayers' money on acquiring new patrol ships.
According to the report, a staff paper commissioned on behalf of chief
of the navy vice-admiral Johannes Mudimu, from the SA National Defence
Force's legal services stated that the navy "critically" required new
ships.
Shah said that South Africans already had to fork out close to
R20-billion for corvettes and submarines acquired as part of the arms
deal.
"These purchases have turned out to be very expensive white elephants," he said.
"The fact that the navy now believes that it needs a number of
85-metre multi-purpose patrol boats at a cost of R300-million each to
help defend our waters and protect our waters illustrates how
inappropriate it was to buy the corvettes and submarines in the first
place," said the party.
The DA said that had less money been spent on the arms deal ships,
more funds would have been left over to ensure that the Navy had
sufficient resources to fulfil its mandate.
"Given the argument contained in the report, that the Navy is
struggling to meet its obligations with its existing weaponry...the
Navy must now once and for all abandon any thought it had of
exercising its option to purchase a fifth corvette," said Shah.
The party added that consideration to acquire new weaponry should only
be given if the Navy could provide the assurance that there would be
qualified personnel to operate them and that the purchase was carried
out in an open and transparent fashion.
Shah said he would pose parliamentary questions to defence Minister
Mosiuoa Lekota including whether government was aware of the Navy's
request.
NEW PARLIAMENTARY TERM MAKES PROPER DEBATE IMPOSSIBLE
Parliament was being turned into nothing more than a
'sausage-factory', compelling MPs to process about five bills a day,
according to Democratic Alliance chief whip Ian Davidson.
He was reacting to ANC proposals to cut short the already
much-shortened parliamentary programme, leaving MPs to process some 20
pieces of legislation in less than a week.
This would mean MPs get very little time to debate contentious
legislation. The DA is also unhappy that there will be no chance to
question ministers in the house.
Davidson has written to National Assembly speaker Baleka Mbete asking
her to intervene so that MPs get more time to do their work at
parliament this year.
"I am sure you are well aware of the constitutional obligation that
Parliament has both of holding the executive to account at all times,
and of ensuring that a proper process is followed when passing
legislation; one which includes thorough public consultation and
input," he wrote.
"It is clear that the programme proposed by the ANC, if implemented,
will undermine both these functions and will turn Parliament into
nothing more than a rubber stamp."
"I trust as Speaker of Parliament and as chairperson of the National
Assembly programming committee you also view this problem in a serious
light.
"I am therefore writing to request that you intervene as a matter of
urgency in this situation so that the number of sitting days is
increased in order to ensure that legislation is properly debated and
considered before it is passed; and also so that oral question
sessions are included in the rest of this year's parliamentary
programme," Davidson wrote.
The new programme means that about 20 pieces of legislation will have
to be passed in just four days instead of a fortnight, a period which
the DA previously argued was already way too short.
There will be no oral question sessions for the rest of the year.
"If this programme is implemented, it will see key pieces of
legislation such as the two Scorpions bills being passed in September
with opposition parties only allocated six minutes, at most, to debate
them," Davidson commented.
Key legislation scheduled to be passed during this one week includes
the Provision of Land and Assistance Amendment Bill - which would give
the Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs sweeping powers to
acquire agricultural companies and equipment for land reform
beneficiaries - and the South African Police Services Amendment Bill
and National Prosecuting Authority Amendment Bill - which would
dissolve the Scorpions.
Davidson claimed that the new programme undermined both parliament's
constitutional obligation to ensure that the executive was held
accountable for its decisions and actions, and its obligation to
ensure that a proper process was followed when passing legislation -
including public consultation and input from all political parties.
DID YOU KNOW?
A reply to a DA parliamentary question in the Limpopo Provincial
Legislature revealed that 65% of senior managers in the provincial
government are not qualified for their jobs.
According to the reply, two out of every three senior managers in
Limpopo do not have the appropriate qualifications for their jobs. The
reply further shows that:
• 34 senior managers in the provincial government only have matric;
• 5 senior managers do not have matric;
• At least 16 senior managers have a teacher's diploma;
• 60% of senior managers in the Provincial Treasury do not have matric.
• All senior managers in the Department of Roads and Transport have a
matric certificate only.
EYE ON CRIME
GO GLENISTER!
http://www.eyeoncrime.co.za/?q=node/423
RESIDENTIAL INTRUSIONS – MODUS OPERANDI
http://www.eyeoncrime.co.za/?q=node/422
WISH THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE ANC FELT THE SAME WAY….
http://www.eyeoncrime.co.za/?q=node/424
"WAR ROOM" BRINGS IN THE BAD GUYS
http://www.eyeoncrime.co.za/?q=node/421
In this week's edition of our weekly newsletter, <a
href="http://realanctoday.wordpress.com/2008/08/29/little-by-little/"
target="_blank">The Real ANC Today</a>, we ask the question: is the
ANC of 2008 the same party it was in 1994? And, if not, how - and,
perhaps more importantly, when - did it change? Click on the link to
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