Madam Deputy Speaker, crime figures in this country are a matter of great concern. Tension and conflict in working situations arise in the best of environments. In many communities, murder and rape are no longer infrequent or isolated crimes. Newspaper headlines, radio and TV coverage very regularly attest to the seriousness and extent of these criminal activities.
The Daily News reported the death of a police officer who was shot in cold blood when he tried to stop a suspicious vehicle with no registration number. It was reported that Mr Sebe had been married for only eight months and was expecting to be a father of a new baby in the new year. It is time we stop pointing fingers when these things happen.
The UDM urges all of us to unite in the fight against crime. As Martin Luther King put it:
We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.
As long as there is crime in the world, no one can be totally safe. I thank you. [Applause.]
Madam Deputy Speaker, on a point of order: We are having statements to the House. Ministers are expected to respond to these statements to the House. When I look across the aisle, I see Ministers laughing, joking and talking to each other and not listening to the statements. I think that is contempt of Parliament. [Interjections.]
Order! No, that is not a point of order. [Interjections.] Hon member, that is not a point of order.
It may not have been a point of order, Ma'am. But the point is made nonetheless. [Interjections.]
Order! Hon member, I didn't say you must speak, please. When Ministers are laughing or talking, it doesn't necessarily mean they are not listening.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I know some people can multitask, but I'm not sure if the Ministers can. [Interjections.]
Order! I didn't say you must speak.