Chairperson, I certainly have no intention of reacting to the nonsense spoken by the hon Chief Whip. Freedom Day is probably the most important secular public holiday we observe in South Africa. It celebrates the transition we underwent from a racially segregated society to an inclusive and nonracial democracy.
Anybody who was alive on 27 April 1994 will remember the long and patient lines of the people of our land waiting to do something they had been denied the right to do their entire lifetime - to vote for a government of their choice.
On this day, everyone acknowledges the contribution made by thousands of South Africans to secure this right and to affirm that this right could be achieved peacefully, through negotiation. Thousands lost their lives, went into exile, were imprisoned and tortured, but thousands more mobilised communities for this right. During the national elections in 1994, slightly more than 19,5 million South Africans exercised that right.
Although there was no voters' roll in that election, roughly 83% of those over the age of 18 voted. In the 1999 and 2004 national elections, the number of people who casted their votes decreased in absolute terms. And in every election since 1994, the percentage of people voting has declined steadily, from 83% in 1994, to 77% in 2004, and to 73% in 2009. Now, these figures tell us the inconvenient truth that fewer and fewer South Africans are engaging in the political system at a national level, and fewer still are doing so in municipal elections.
Why is it that when so many people have sacrificed so much for the right to vote, relatively few people exercise this precious right? The fact is that many South Africans feel disconnected from the politicians whom they elected to serve their interests. We need to ask why this is. In part, it is because very few people in South Africa know the MP who represents them in Parliament.
One of the reasons that Mrs Suzman - about whom the Chief Whip had so much to say - was re-elected time after time in the dark days of the 1960s and 70s, was that the voters of Houghton knew who she was and supported her views. However, the list system that we are using now to elect MPs and Members of the Provincial Legislatures, MPLs, gives parties, rather than voters, the right to decide who comes to Parliament. Nineteen years after the first Freedom Day, we need to correct that.
The Constitution quite correctly specifies that the results of elections should result, in general, in proportional representation. That would ensure that Parliament is inclusive of all interests and points of view.
However, what we need, in addition to inclusivity, is accountability, and this can best happen when we have a constituency system. It is for that reason that the DA has introduced a private member's legislation to amend the Electoral Act.
Our proposal is that the country be divided into 100 constituencies of substantially the same size, each electing three members by proportional representation. In addition, each party would submit a list of 100 candidates. Once MPs from constituencies have been elected, the MPs on the list would be allocated to parties to ensure that the overall composition of Parliament represents the proportion of votes obtained by parties as closely as possible.
We hope that Parliament will deal with this matter in a nonpartisan way because, if we get the electoral system right, we will make more South Africans want to exercise their right to vote. Therefore, it would fulfil part of the promise of Freedom Day and the sacrifices of those who work for freedom. I thank you. [Applause.]