Mnr die Speaker, die DA sal hierdie verslag steun en ten gunste daarvan stem, maar ons voel sterk dat die aanbevelings baie verder moes gaan, soos wat dit aanvanklik in die oorspronklike verslag was, voordat die ANC-hoofsweep ingemeng het en sy lede beveel het om die verslag af te water.
Dit is belangrik dat, wanneer LP's oortree, die Parlement sterk sal optree ... ja, ook teen sy eie lede. Slegs dan sal ons dit aan die kiesers duidelik maak dat ons ernstig is om korrupsie ook elders uit te roei. Lede van die Parlement is, soos alle ander landsburgers, ook onderhewig aan die landswette, maar ons het 'n bykomende morele verantwoordelikheid om 'n voorbeeld te stel. Hoe kan ons die uitvoerende gesag tot verantwoording roep as ons nie self bo verdenking staan nie? Hoe anders kan ons ooit hoop om die beeld van die Parlement te herstel? Hoe anders kan ons die kiesers se vertroue in die Parlement herwin? Daarom, wanneer een van ons eie lede oortree, moet ons ons eie etiese kode handhaaf.
Die heel belangrikste is egter dat die Wet op die Voorkoming en Bestryding van Korrupte Bedrywighede van 2004 ons as LP's verplig om enige vermeende korrupsie by die polisie aan te meld. Met die afwatering van sy verslag het die komitee dus sy wetlike plig versaak. Nadat die ANC-hoofsweep die rug van die etiekkomitee gebreek het, het ek egter namens die DA persoonlik 'n omvattende klag ... [Tussenwerpsels.] (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Ms A M DREYER: Mr Speaker, the DA will support this report and vote in favour of it, but we feel strongly that the recommendations should go much further, as been the case in the original report, before the ANC's Chief Whip intervened and instructed his members to water down the report.
It is important that, when MPs transgress, Parliament should take decisive action against ... yes, its own members as well. Only then will we make it clear to the voters that we are serious in rooting out corruption elsewhere as well. Members of Parliament, like all other citizens, are also subject to the laws of the country, but we have an additional moral responsibility to set an example. How can we call the executive authority to account if we ourselves are not beyond reproof? In which other way are we ever hoping to restore the image of Parliament? In which other way can we regain the trust that voters should have in Parliament? That is why, when one of our own members transgresses, we should uphold our own code of ethics.
However, the most important thing for us as MPs is that we have an obligation to report any suspected corruption to the police in terms of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act, Act No.12 of 2004. By watering down its report, therefore, the committee has failed to meet its legal obligation. After the ANC's Chief Whip broke the back of the ethics committee, I personally laid a comprehensive charge on behalf of the DA ...]