Mnr die Voorsitter, agb Minister en agb lede, wanneer gelees word die Departement van Welsyn het minder as 1% bestee van die R204 miljoen wat in 1998 vir armoedeverligtingprogramme ontvang is, is dit, om die minste te s, skokkende nuus. En wanneer die verslag van die Ouditeur- generaal ook openbaar dat R11,7 miljoen wat die departement van die Nederlandse regering ontvang het vir kinder- en jeugsorg, ongebruik gelaat is, is dit onaanvaarbaar.
Wat tragies is, is dat dit die derde agtereenvolgende jaar is dat die nasionale departement nalaat om 'n groot deel van sy begroting te bestee. Redes soos: die departement het nie daarin geslaag om die nodige stappe te doen nie, is iets wat die miljoene arm kiesers daar buite moeilik sal vind om te verstaan, veral as die nasionale voorsitter van Kinderlyn s, en ek haal haar aan:
What is even more appalling is that the department keeps on telling us there are no funds.
En as die nie-regeringsorganisasies die verslag met ongeloof en ontevredenheid ontvang het, het die Nuwe NP begrip vir hulle.
Die Nuwe NP vra hoe dit in die toekoms geregverdig gaan word om met vrymoedigheid internasionaal geld te gaan vra vir programme ter opbouing van ons land, die geld te kry en dit nie ten volle daaraan te bestee nie. Wat gaan die antwoord wees aan die armstes van die armes oor die feit dat, volgens die verslag, R353 miljoen van die totale begroting van R450 miljoen nie bestee is nie?
Die gewone kieser daar buite mag reken dat miljoene rande miljoene borde kos op miljoene van hulle tafels kon geplaas het. Dit is presies ook hoe die Nuwe NP voel. As daar brood van 'n tafel afgehaal word deur die optrede van 'n korrupte amptenaar of amptenare, wil die Nuwe NP ook s: raak ontslae van hulle! Per slot van sake is ons die beleidmakers in hierdie land en die armes se lot moet by ons swaarder weeg as enigiets anders.
Die Nuwe NP vra dat hierdie ongelukkige aangeleentheid reggestel word. Ons kan nie stilbly oor bedrywe wat veroorsaak dat die arm mense in ons land aan hulle lot oorgelaat word nie. (Translation of Afrikaans speech follows.)
[Mrs J WITBOOI: Mr Chairman, hon Minister and hon members, when one reads that the Department of Welfare spent less than 1% of the R204 million that was received for poverty relief programmes in 1998, it is, to say the least, shocking news. And when the report of the Auditor-General reveals that R11,7 million, which the department had received from the government of the Netherlands for child and youth care, remained unused, it is unacceptable.
What is tragic is that this is the third consecutive year that the national department neglected to spend a major part of its budget. Reasons such as that the department did not succeed in taking the necessary steps is something that the millions of poor voters out there will find difficult to understand, particularly if the national chairperson of Childline says, and I quote:
What is even more appalling is that the department keeps on telling us there are no funds.
And if the non-governmental organisations received the report with disbelief and dissatisfaction, the New NP understands.
The New NP wants to ask for how long into the future it is going to be justifiable freely to ask for money internationally for programmes assisting with building up our country, to obtain the money and not to spend all of it on that. What is the answer going to be to the poorest of the poor regarding the fact that, according to the report, R353 million of the total budget of R450 million was not spent?
The ordinary voter out there may think that millions of rands could have placed millions of plates of food on their tables. This is exactly how the New NP feels. If a loaf of bread is taken from a table by a corrupt official, the New NP says: Get rid of him! After all, we are the policy- makers in this country and the fate of the poor must weigh more heavily with us than anything else.
The New NP asks that this unfortunate matter will be rectified. We cannot keep quiet about actions that cause the poor people in this country to be left to their own fate.]