Chairperson, when it comes to the matters at hand, I must say from the word go that as Members of Parliament we are all speaking one language. When we hear Mr Greyling panicking here, I am sure he is bothered by his own personal issues which have nothing to do with what we are talking about here.
Chairperson, colleagues, fellow South Africans, allow me to dedicate this debate on the vulnerable to those who are vulnerable - the people who have very little alternative, if any, in times of natural disaster, the have- nots, the downtrodden, the proletariat - because the haves have all sorts of alternatives to help them survive when such times come.
Within the context of the theme, Attaining Consensus and Commitment in Achieving an International Agreement on Climate Change, at Cop 17, our national Parliament continues to play the role of providing a platform for national dialogue; overseeing the work of the executive; enacting laws; ratifying such agreements; and allocating budgets. Consistent with these roles, we are proud to have convened such a successful seminar. It drew a number of players from labour, traditional and religious leaders, CBOs, NGOs, business, government and MPs, all speaking with one voice, as we were called upon by our commander in chief, the President of the Republic of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, to play our part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
President Zuma further commands us to play our part as we welcome the world to our shores to attend Cop 17, also known as African Cop, and to wear green, as I am today, in support of the conference. Our Parliament has been exposed to these Cops, at least since Cop 15 in Copenhagen, building up to our African Cop 17 in Durban. As this is a government-to-government negotiating process, Parliament plays more of a support role and familiares itself with the details of the negotiations. This is important because, in the final analysis, it is Parliament that has to ratify the agreements that are made at these forums.
We are equally looking forward to hosting parliamentarians from the G20 countries and nations through the Global Legislature Forum here at the Old Assembly. It is a forum of parliamentarians and experts from these countries who are influential in driving our respective positions home. This is going to be held from the 2nd to 4th December 2011. Also, Parliament shall join MPs of more than 150 countries under the banner of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU, in Durban on 5 December 2011.
The importance of our role as MPs speaks volumes, as has been demonstrated in other parliaments, such as in the USA and European Union. Soon after Senate elections in the USA, the legislative processes that had been started by Congressman Ed Markey were scuttled when the Republicans increased their majority in the Congress, effectively stalling the processing of progressive legislation on climate change. Another example is that of EU MPs who had to increase the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from what had been agreed upon by the executives. Guided by our negotiating position as Africa and South Africa, we are confident that we will progress towards a 2C reduction by the end of 2050 and a second commitment to the Kyoto Protocol, while South Africa has set for itself a target of reducing emissions by 24% in 2020 and 42% in 2025 respectively.
As Parliament we have started our own plans regarding the greening of our institutions and the villages where we stay. These are at an advanced stage. We are glad to inform the House that on all matters relating to climate change we are indeed speaking with one voice, across the political spectrum.
While we are all focusing on a legally binding agreement to be reached at Cop 17, we must also focus on the day-to-day work that is being done by our own municipalities through the installation of solar heating geysers and Eskom, which has just closed applications for phase one of renewable energies through IPPs, among others.
In conclusion, not all is gloom and doom. Today is indeed better than yesterday, and tomorrow shall be better than today. As the people of South Africa started an organised war of liberation on 16 December 1961, the manifesto of our glorious army, uMkhonto weSizwe, declared: "The time comes in the life of any nation when there remains only two choices: submit or fight." That time has come to South Africans again. We shall not submit and we have no other choice but to hit back with all the means in our power in defence of our people, our planet, our future, and our freedom. South Africa, Africa and the world communities must adapt or die. Victory is certain. The ANC-led Parliament leads! The ANC-led Parliament lives! Forwards to Cop 17 - African Cop!
Debate concluded.