Often, reforms mean reducing and amending laws to the detriment of workers who are being casualised daily. It is about time that, when you think of reforms, you think about how reform should benefit the majority in South Africa. Critical in that matter should be the working class.
I want to emphasise that the World Bank has said that focusing solely on improving the business climate is not going to take us anywhere. It cannot only be about the business climate. It must also be about the climate for the working class. If that climate is proper, it will reverberate into proper health, education and infrastructure.
It is clear that the same criticisms are applicable to the global competitiveness report. Note that as these tables are formulated, there is no space indicating where the gold and diamonds that have been stolen from Africa are. [Applause.] The table needs to be improved. It should not only be designed by these 45 people of wisdom. It can't be right. Earlier we heard that the global competitiveness report ranked us very lowly with regard to labour market efficiency. Once again, the World Bank's independent evaluation group discussed the Doing Business report. They said in the report that there is no relationship between labour market and deregulation and any genuine improvement in economic performance such as higher growth, investment and employment rates. This is not what the global competitiveness report and its author, the World Economic Forum, want us to believe. It says we should deregulate and keep on deregulating. They never say it is enough. Take away protections and leave it to the market in order to improve our competitiveness and our rankings on the table. [Interjections.]
Is it not the market approach that has engulfed the whole world in an economic crisis? Is it not this wonderfully described market economy that has engulfed the whole world in the economic crisis? More than 20 years ago, Michael Porter, a professor at Harvard Business School and a global authority on company strategy and competitiveness, recognised that competitiveness does not mean economic well-being.
Let me show and illustrate to you something about the DA. You must stay away from the DA because some people here still have hope. Don't be too close to the DA. One has to ask ... [Laughter.] [Time expired.]