Voorsitter, dit was nog altyd die standpunt van die VF Plus dat die SA Nasionale Weermag nie verpolitiseer moet word nie. Nog elke jaar het die VF Plus ges dat die Weermag meer geld moet kry. Die regering van die dag verwag meer van die SA Nasionale Weermag as waarvoor daar finansies is.
Ons het 'n probleem, en die probleem gaan oor opleidingstandaarde in die SA Nasionale Weermag. Ek wil vir u een voorbeeld noem, agb Minister. In die begrotingsdebat het u ges dat 'n mediese ordonnans die troepe moes lei, want hulle het verdwaal. Nou wil ek vandag vir u s: As 'n mediese ordonnans valskermsoldate uitlei omdat hulle verdwaal het, is daar 'n krisis in hul opleiding, want 'n valskermsoldaat is veronderstel om 'n spesialis te wees op al die terreine.
Ek wil verder gaan. Ons kan nie vir die belastingbetaler vra om meer geld vir verdediging te gee, maar ons verhoog nie ons opleidingstandaarde nie. Alvorens ons nie ons opleidingstandaarde op standaard bring nie - want agb Minister, as vliegtuie val en duikbote vaar teen die bodem van die see vas, is ons opleiding nie op standaard nie - kan die VF Plus nie die begrotingspos ondersteun nie. Ek dank u. (Translation of Afrikaans speech follows.)
[Mr P J GROENEWALD: Chair, It has always been the stance of the FF Plus that the SA National Defence Force should not be politicised. Every year the FF Plus still maintained that the Defence Force should get more money. The government of the day expects more of the SA National Defence Force than it can afford.
We have a problem, and the problem concerns the standards of training in the SA National Defence Force. I would like to give one example, hon Minister. In the debate on the budget vote you mentioned that a medical orderly took control of the troops because they lost their way. Now today I would like to inform you: if a medical orderly escorts paratroopers because they lost their way a crisis exists in their training, because a paratrooper is expected to be a specialist in all circumstances.
I would like to go further. We cannot ask the taxpayer to contribute more towards defence but we do not improve the standards of our training. Not until our standards of training are at a required level - because, hon Minister, if aircraft fall and submarines crash into the seabed, our training is not of a required standard - will the FF Plus be able to support the Budget Vote. I thank you.]