Mr. Speaker, on a point of order: We have given notice of this point of order both in the Rules Committee and directly to yourself, Mr Speaker, and we feel that a formal ruling from the Chair is now required.
The past National Assemblies have, as a new Parliament begins, followed the practice of adopting the Rules tacitly and implicitly, without any formal process of reapproval. In terms of the Constitution, each new Parliament is not bound by the Rules of the previous one, which lapse at each election. After each election, the NCOP explicitly readopts its Rules, and so do many other parliaments.
We have given notice that we are not willing to lend our consensus to the process of implicit and tacit reapproval of the Rules, and have requested that an open question be put to the House in order for the Rules to be readopted. We have specifically pointed out the unconstitutional and undemocratic nature of the Rules which expropriate all members of this House of their constitutional right to introduce legislation directly in the Assembly and their committees, without prior approval from the private member's committee and from the majority controlling it.
Therefore, I submit that this House now has no Rules. Because this House must have Rules in terms of section 57[2] of the Constitution, we submit that it incumbent upon you, Mr Speaker, to put to this House the question of whether this House intends to readopt the Rules which were in force at the end of the third Parliament.