Madam Speaker, may I address you on a point of order? Madam Deputy Speaker this is yet again another travesty of justice in this House. This Bill is listed for debate on the Order Paper, yet this morning, after the Order Paper was printed, we as parties were informed that the committee had decided not to debate the Bill. I objected to this in a Chief Whips' Forum pointing out that my party did not agree to it. Our member, Mr Kobus Marais, MP, was contacted by the secretary, and he told them that he does not agree, and that he wants to have this Bill discussed. Now it is yet again another instance where there was blatant disregard of an important and long-standing parliamentary precedence in handling Bills in this House.
In fact, Rule 60 of the Rules of the National Assembly anticipates that if no speakers' list has been prepared, members may get up and speak to the Bill before the House for the period normally allocated. In fact, therefore, if a member of a party decides to speak on a Bill, during the Second Reading, the member is entitled to do so and to be heard. I therefore move, as I have addressed the Speaker in a very urgent letter this morning, that the debate either be postponed to another time or that the full debate takes place as is practice.
The people of South Africa need to hear what the parties have to say and not only what the chairperson of the committee has to say.