Ke a leboga, Modulasetulo. [Thank you, Chairperson.]
The 124th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly will convene from 15 to 20 April in Panama City, under the theme "Parliamentary Accountability: Living up to People's Expectations". This topic will form part of the broad political debate. As part of the assembly agenda, there will be other areas of focus that standing committees will deal with.
The first standing committee will focus on the topic "Providing a Sound Legislative Framework Aimed at Preventing Electoral Violence, Improving Election Monitoring and Ensuring Smooth Transition of Power". The second standing committee will focus on "The Role of Parliaments in Ensuring Sustainable Development through the Management of Natural Resources, Agricultural Production and Demographic Change". The final standing committee, of which I am a member and a reportee, will focus on "Transparency and Accountability in the Funding of Political Parties and Election Campaigns".
The other important meeting that will take place during this assembly will be the women parliamentarians' meeting, where matters that generally affect women in parliaments will be considered.
I would like to start by quoting President Mandela after the elections in 1994, when he said:
I watched, along with all of you, as tens of thousands of our people stood patiently in long queues for many hours, some sleeping on the open ground overnight, waiting to cast their momentous vote. South African's heroes are legend across the generations. But it is you, the people, who are our true heroes.
This was the birth of democracy in our country and a situation or a position where many nations in the world today wish to be and long for.
Parliamentarians across the globe have a responsibility to work together with communities and governments to protect democracy. It is important to indicate that at the heart of democracy and elements of democracy is participation in the decision-making process by all citizens.
Participatory democracy is a process emphasising the broad participation of constituencies in the direction and operation of political systems. It strives to create opportunities for all members to make meaningful contributions to decision-making and seeks to broaden the range of people who have access to such opportunities.
We have seen the change that was longed for by many of our liberators, heroes and heroines. In his presidential address at the annual conference of the ANC's Natal branch on 31 October 1953 in Ladysmith, President Albert Luthuli said:
One is either for freedom or oppression; we are challenged to take an unequivocal stand one way or the other. Shall we follow those who counsel us to submit to domination or follow those who urge us to struggle and sacrifice to gain freedom?
The quote shows the longing many had in those days of apartheid for freedom and democracy, and to be allowed to participate in the decision-making process that affected them.
This is one of many responsibilities that parliaments have - to ensure that there is democracy and that the will of the people is a reality. The role of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU, is to create a platform for worldwide parliamentary dialogue and to work for peace and co-operation among peoples and for the firm establishment of representative democracy.
It is responsible for fostering contacts, co-ordination, and the exchange of experience among parliaments and parliamentarians of all countries. It is responsible for considering questions of international interest and concern and expresses its view on such issues in order to bring about action by parliaments and parliamentarians. It contributes to the defence and promotion of human rights, an essential aspect of parliamentary democracy and development. It further contributes to better knowledge of the workings of representative institutions and to the strengthening and development of their means of action.
One of the standing committees, as I have highlighted, will work on democracy and human rights for the 124th assembly. The standing committee will focus on transparency and accountability of political party funding during elections. As I've been elected as a reportee for this standing committee of the IPU 124th assembly, we have done extensive research on the topic. The topic has provided the opportunity to look at global trends and do comparative studies. At the heart of it all is the promotion of democracy by members of parliaments to ensure that all have an equal opportunity to participate in their elections in their respective countries.
The research work focuses on both public and private funding for political parties, looking at the impact of each and considering which is more desirable than the other. The critical thing to note is that both of them are important. The work done acknowledges the difference in various countries and different challenges. Some countries can run elections at minimal cost, using technology. In other countries, especially in countries in Africa, because of their rural nature, the use of technology is not yet desirable because many communities don't have access to these advanced technologies. Therefore political parties are left with only one option, that of physically making contact with their supporters and those who mean to vote for them.
It has been quite an interesting topic. I would like to note that some parliaments promote the increase of more substantial funding by the state to political parties. The difficulty has been that this will create a burden on the state and more crises for countries that are poor and survive mainly on donor funding.
The report further emphasises that the representatives and participatory democracies function largely within the political party system as essential expressions of the political will of the people. It recognises that political parties need to generate funds not just to finance their election campaigns but also to ensure that they run efficiently. Further, it recognises that it is to the benefit of the public and to democracy as a whole that political parties are adequately funded, with an agreed framework of accountability and transparency mechanisms.
It's important to consider that political parties and election campaigns in all states should work towards preventing and fighting corruption and that inadequate resources can result in political parties entering into relationships with donors who may have an expectation of legislative or other benefit arising from their support. This would ultimately undermine the democratic process. I think it is important to note that many countries that made a contribution towards this submission, to the report and the resolutions that we have made as South Africa, agreed with our resolutions, which are finding expression in many countries. These countries supported us in terms of how we formulated those draft resolutions. They also agreed in terms of how we expressed ourselves as members of that standing committee, but mainly as South Africa, on ensuring that accountability and transparency exist in the protection of democracy and our human rights.
Further to this, I would like to quote from President Zuma's address at the commemoration of Human Rights Day at Athlone Stadium on 21 March 2011, when he said:
Today we urge all our people to celebrate our Constitution and use it as an instrument of freedom, as a tool that enables us to enjoy the freedoms and human rights that so many heroes and heroines sacrificed for.
This is the tool that the IPU urges many members of parliaments to have for ensuring that citizens are protected. In the current global climate, and given what is happening in other countries in Africa, South Africa can be proud of our Constitution, which protects our democracy, our rights and our freedom. We owe this to the many who sacrificed their lives for us to have this democracy and this freedom. In so doing, we acknowledge the role of those who support us in making sure that the Constitution is protected, those who are making sure that all of us adhere to the principles and what is said by the Constitution. In making sure that we continue to acknowledge what has been achieved by our country, I need to acknowledge the fallen heroes and heroines who made this country what it is for all of us.
To conclude I quote Comrade Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu before he was executed on 6 April 1979, when he said:
My blood will nourish the tree that will bear the fruits of freedom. Tell my people that I love them. They must continue the fight.
I thank you. [Applause.]