Hon Deputy Speaker, hon members, the freedom we enjoy today did not come free; it was achieved through sacrifice by many who are here and those outside the walls of this Parliament. The freedom we enjoy brought freedom to the oppressor and the oppressed today. That is why you will never find anyone that was responsible for apartheid today. All of us have become patriotic freedom fighters.
Those who waged the struggle against apartheid did not do so because of a promise of material benefits. They waged the struggle because of their love for the country. They can appropriately be referred to as genuine patriots. They were from different political parties, races and social classes. What united them was the desire to see South Africa free from racial oppression and discrimination. Some of these heroes and heroines are remembered by name, while, regrettably, others' role is deliberately ignored. All the same, one day the true history of this country will be told.
It is within this context that we have to ask: Can we objectively say it is possible to work together to build unity and prosperity for all? In 1994, the slogan towards ushering democracy in was "A better life for all". Today, 18 years later, can we honestly look back and say we are still on the road to building a better life for all? The fact that we are all here today holding this debate without fear that we will be locked up tomorrow for exercising our freedom of speech is indicative of the progress we have made. The fact that most of you of African descent arrived today in Parliament without running away from the municipal police, because you forgot your pass or do not have section 10 recognition, is proof that freedom has ultimately arrived.
We need to take stock and evaluate the past without romanticising our freedom and without demonising the shortcomings we have encountered. The truth is that much has been achieved philosophically while much still has to be achieved materially. We should not be drunk on self-praise or be demoralised by what could have been.
We acknowledge that all South Africans, black and white, regard themselves as owners of this land. They are willing to work together to build a better South Africa, a South Africa in which there is prosperity and peace.
The challenge we have as a country is to reach consensus about what it means to be a South African. We will not work together to build unity and prosperity for all if the gap between the rich and the poor continues to grow. We will not be able to build unity and prosperity for all if every time we are not happy about something we burn public property, because we believe that what belongs to the state also belongs to the governing party. We will not be able to build unity and prosperity for all as long as the governing party, which is sometimes confused and refers to itself as the ruling party, projects itself as the state and projects nepotism as the best form of distributing wealth and opportunities.
We cannot build unity and prosperity for all if corruption is institutionalised and those with connections get their criminal cases dropped at the speed of lightning, whilst those who pursue the ideal of equality before the law are suspended under false pretences and threatened with gun shots. Are we moving too fast towards renaming corruption "empowerment of a special kind"?
We will not be able to build unity and prosperity for all if the public broadcaster is the blatant mouthpiece and propaganda machine of the governing party. We look back to the 1980s SABC and correctly say, "The more things change, the more they stay the same."
Today we are part of the global citizenry. We also talk about Millennium Development Goals. These goals are the basic needs about life or death. The public protests about service delivery cannot be ignored, and their frequency should be a source of concern to all of us. Are these an indication that we have decided to transform the promise of a better life for all to a better life for looters? Thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]