Chairperson, the UDM is proud to announce once again that on 29 September 2007 we will be celebrating our 10th anniversary at Gallagher Estate. The UDM was the first serious political party born under the new democratic Constitution. We were launched without access to taxpayer funding afforded to parties already represented in Parliament and without the artificial and immoral benefit of floor-crossing. In September 1997 we gathered a diverse group of people from all sectors of society and embarked on the road that has brought us here today. Within less than a year of its launch, the UDM held its first national congress where we elected our national leadership, unveiled our policy documents and our party constitution. Within 18 months of our launch, we contested our first national and provincial elections in 1999 and proved that we had a legitimate place in the political landscape. Since that time, we have gone through many ups and downs and shown that we have withstood the knocks.
We are proud to say that we have reached this important benchmark in our existence, and would like to thank each and every person who has over the years contributed to the growth of the UDM. I thank you, Chairperson.