Hon Chairperson, Ministers, Deputy Ministers and the members of this august House, this topic will be debated during the 128th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU, which will take place on 22 to 27 March in Ecuador. Buen vivir is a Spanish phrase which simply means good living. This good living concept underpins the National Development Plan of Ecuador between 2008 and 2013.
The plan supports the five revolutions of the citizens' revolution. The first one is a constitutional and democratic revolution to lay the foundation of an inclusive and a reflective political community. This first revolution shows that colonialism took place in that area because there were people who were underdeveloped. That is why the constitution and the development plan had to address those disparities. That is why 35% of the indigenous people of Ecuador were not in the mainstream economy of that country; hence the first revolution had to address that. This revolution is actually similar to what is happening in our country, because we know very well that unlike in Ecuador, where only 35% of the indigenous people were excluded from the mainstream economy, in South Africa 80% of the people were excluded. So it means that whatever plan we are going to come up with must be double what Ecuador is doing, because our job is simply too massive to address those disparities. [Applause.]
The second one is an ethical revolution to guarantee transparency, accountability and a system of checks and balances as the pillars on which to build social relations. The mere fact that they took the issue of transparency and accountability seriously, shows that in the past, in that country, many things were swept under the carpet; many people were murdered during the course of the revolution. So it means that if the current government wants to rule properly, it has to be ethical, transparent and have a system of check and balances as its pillars.
That is why, as we move forward as a country, the critical aspect is that, as South Africans, we have done that. We have an independent judiciary, the Public Protector, the independent National Prosecuting Authority and Chapter 9 institutions. These ensure our rights and that, through accountability, government is held in check. That is why, as the delegates will be going to this IPU, they must carry that message: that South Africa has already done that. Actually, South Africa is deepening that, so that democracy and transparency are felt in all corners of the country. [Applause.]
The third revolution, which underpins the Ecuador development plan, is an economic, productive and agrarian revolution to overcome an inherited model of exclusion and direct state resources towards health, road networks, housing, scientific and technological research to promote employment and production in a way which includes both rural and urban areas. What this revolution speaks about also rings a bell of what happened here in South Africa. Do you remember the Bantustan? When you go to Johannesburg, Cape Town, Transkei and Qwaqwa in the Free State, you can see all these disparities there. But what is very critical is that with the plans that we came up with, in particular the NDP, which has been supported by all and sundry in this House, it is the one that is going to underpin integration.
That is why I am surprised that people will come and speak on behalf of Cosatu. There is one thing which the ANC can never do; the ANC can never muzzle Cosatu. If they have a different opinion from what we have, it is their democratic right. Before 1994, when you had a different opinion to the government you were arrested or killed. So how can we do that to the citizens of our own country? [Applause.]
So, if they see that there are loopholes in the NDP, we have to create forums. We have to create forums where we are going to have constructive engagements in order to sharpen and improve together as the nation. Nothing is perfect on this earth. The only thing I know as perfect is what comes from God, Jehovah; but anything that is man-made can never be perfect. So this must be continuously improved; Cosatu must continuously improve this plan. [Applause.]
Fourthly, there is the social revolution to ensure that the state guarantees essential rights of all individuals, communities, peoples and nationalities. When you look into our Bill of Rights in our Constitution, they have gone overboard to do that. So I think as our delegates go to the IPU, they must bring the good news, but also they must take our Constitution with them as proof that as South Africa, when we departed from the dark past of apartheid we created hope through this Constitution so that each citizen is protected.
Lastly, there is the revolution in defence of Latin America's dignity, sovereignty and integration. This one is very important because when you look at colonialism, which took place around South America; when you look at where Spain is, look at where Ecuador and Brazil are, you can see that those people travelled so many kilometres to come and colonise the people in that area but that is why they took this revolution as very important.
We, as the South African Parliament, must ensure that this dignity, sovereignty and integration also happen in Africa. We should start first with the Southern African Development Community, SADC region. We know that during our era of revolution, all the countries which supported the liberation movement suffered the consequences. We know the race which died in Maseru, we know about the South African Defence Force, SADF, when it was in Angola and we know about the bombs in Botswana. They were there. So, what is critical, in the process of doing that, they were able to undermine the economies of those countries. As a country, we cannot grow as an island. We must integrate with our neighbours. That is where we should start. We should start by promoting intra-Africa trade by starting in our own region. We must support each other. As this Parliament, we must ensure that we conduct oversight work, as we are going to do and as the executive of this country has done by promoting the free trade agreement, the tripartite agreement with the three economies of Africa.
We must ensure that as we scrutinise the budgets of the various government departments, they must be speaking to that integration, because without the support of our neighbours, we will never grow, as a country, to the zenith of which we are capable.
These five revolutions tally up neatly with what the ANC described as the character of the national democratic society in its Mangaung conference in 2012. When it described the national democratic society, it said the national democratic society, which is based on the resolution of the past historical injustice and the building of a democracy with the social content, will include the following: Firstly, a political and socioeconomic system, which places the needs of the poor at the top of the national agenda.
Really, if you were to look at what the ANC-led government has done, the budget that was presented this year, 60% of that budget goes to the social wage. It means that it really addresses the needs of those people who were excluded from the economy of this country. That's why, when you go to tertiary institutions, those students who would not have had the opportunity of going to university are able to get full bursaries through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme, Nsfas, as long as they are able to pass and are able to graduate.
We know that before 1994, for an African child to get a university degree, it was not by design but by accident. So we are happy today, that this government is putting the system in place so that the historically disadvantaged children are by design able to acquire the skills which will help them participate effectively in the economy. [Applause.]
Secondly, it describes a social democratic society which will have the other pillar of accelerated growth and development in a mixed economy, which includes the state and private capital, as well as co-operatives and worker-based forms of social ownership of the means of production. This issue of a mixed economy is very critical. Actually, what hon Ambrosini said today didn't disappoint me, when the first thing he said was: "We are here to speak about ... What did he raise? He raised the issue of the flexibility of the labour market. That is the first thing he spoke about. He also said that we are only emphasising the issue of the achievement of freedom. He can take those things for granted, because he was never on the other side where he had to experience oppression. [Applause.] That is why, with us, we will discuss the issue of freedom on each and every political platform because you can have political freedom, but if you do not have economic freedom, you don't have any freedom. Your freedom is shallow.
That's why the ANC has come with the concept of the mixed economy in order for us not to take the capital as the enemy of the state. The state, together with capital, organised labour and civil society must work together to resolve the problems that are facing this country. We cannot exclude any sector.
That's why I like what Deng Xiaoping, the father of the economic reforms in China, once said. He said: "It doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, so long as it catches mice." [Applause.] [Laughter.] That's why the ANC says we are going to take the capital and labour sectors as our partners in growing this economy, because anyone who goes to bed without food and anyone who does not own a means of production cannot say he or she is free in the land of his own origin. That is why that concept must really be supported and be pushed. [Applause.] But in order to do that... [Time expired.] [Applause]