Hon Speaker, I was unceremoniously thrust into the position of the leader of the ID in Parliament in September when Patricia de Lille decided to continue her fight for the poor as Western Cape MEC for Social Development. [Laughter.] This has been an interesting journey for me as I have tried to fully acquaint myself with all the strange workings of Parliament. I have learnt that the wheels of change grind very slowly in this institution and that it is unparliamentary to blow a vuvuzela in the House. Contrary to that, I have learnt - hon Ellis - that it is indeed parliamentary to wear a hat in the House. To put you at rest, hon Speaker, I have decided to finally conform to the rules of Parliament and I do not have a concealed vuvuzela in my pocket.
I hope by now that you have forgiven me for getting caught up in the emotion of the World Cup because this was truly a great year for this nation. I was immensely proud of the way in which Parliament joined the whole country in celebrating this momentous moment in our country's history, and it was a joy to watch the sea of yellow jerseys in the House.
As a nation, we can certainly be proud of putting on a spectacular show for the world. We have proven that, when we feel the pressure, we can deliver. However, the ID believes that we now need to make the Ministers feel this pressure when it comes to delivering services to all our people. We have to live up to the vision as an activist Parliament where parliamentarians can truly hold the executive to account.
We cannot do this, though, when Ministers shamelessly boycott the question time over their own requests for extra money. Yesterday's debacle was a slap in the face of our democracy and showed utter contempt for Parliament and the voters who have placed their faith in us. My hope is that next year we will see a different attitude being displayed to Parliament so that we can build this institution into the true cornerstone of our democracy.
Lastly, Speaker, to all of us present, I would like to wish you a merry Christmas and a happy holiday. I thank you. [Applause.]