It felt quite good on that side of the floor, sir. [Laughter.] Mr Speaker, this has undoubtedly been one of the most emotional moments in my life and I didn't expect it, to be quite frank with you.
However, it is certainly a privilege to have been given this farewell tribute and I thank you, sir, in the first instance, for the honour because, certainly, the prerogative lies in your domain. The fact that you have granted it certainly does mean a great deal to me.
I also want to say that I am aware of the fact that you are in the Chair while this is happening, and that, too, means a great deal to me. I have been really and truly deeply touched by everything that all members from all parties have said. It is truly a remarkable occasion.
It may seem strange, Mr Speaker, as I mark today, the end of my 24-year career as a member of the South African Parliament, when I acknowledge that I commenced my service and time here as an accidental politician. It really is a fact. I am an accidental politician, although, hopefully, the accident hasn't been too bad. [Laughter.]
I was first elected to Parliament at a very different time, in a much darker phase of our turbulent history. But my election, as members have mentioned today, as the MP for Durban North on 6 May 1987 was of both personal and political significance.
Back then, I was the headmaster of a Durban school and the president of my teacher society, deeply concerned about the perilous path on which South Africa was headed. But, quite frankly - and I have to admit it - I had no real personal ambition or understanding as to how to alter its course.
Like a bolt from the blue, I was approached by the Progressive Federal Party to be its candidate in the forthcoming polls. I realised then that I could no longer be a bystander in the unfolding events of our times, and I did take the plunge. But, Mr Speaker, it is worth recalling that, although the ANC in those days was a banned organisation, its presence and prospects were even then at the centre stage of our politics.
The ruling National Party fought a vicious campaign against the liberal Progressive Federal Party on the slogan "Reform, Yes - Surrender, No". But the Progressive Federal Party was swept aside as the official opposition in that election of 1987, as white South Africa shifted sidewards - or rightwards, perhaps - and I entered Parliament as the only new Progressive Federal Party MP to gain a seat from the then ruling party. Mr Speaker, can I say to the members of this House that those were indeed very different times.
The inconvenient truth, as it were - inconvenient for some, certainly - of my election back then is simply that there were always corners of white South Africa that were prepared to stand and vote against the forces of apartheid. And I want to say to the House today, even 24 years later, I am certainly very proud to have had the opportunity to be the voice of such voters. [Applause.]
The Parliament I entered over two decades ago really bears little resemblance to the Chamber I leave today. The rule of white men appeared to be immutable in 1987, but in reality it was the very eve of the most sweeping and transcending change, which was to commence just three years later, when F W De Klerk, an unlikely iconoclast, would inaugurate an era of change and negotiation.
Since my arrival in this House - or in Parliament at least - my political party has undergone three name changes; from the Progressive Federal Party to the Democratic Party, to the DA. I have served under no fewer than four leaders: Colin Eglin, Zach de Beer, Tony Leon and Helen Zille. But I can, with candour, recount that my entire political and parliamentary career has been in pursuit of a single and overwhelming ideal: to help establish a nonracial democracy based on the inalienable right of the individual to achieve a better life.
Quite frankly, how successful or otherwise I and my parliamentary colleagues in my party and, perhaps, in this House as a whole have been in its achievement is a matter of debate. But what is beyond doubt, debate or question is the need for all of us to keep on trying.
In a sense, the most challenging time of my parliamentary career was also the most rewarding. At the very moment that South Africa achieved its democratic rebirth on 27 April 1994, my party very, very nearly ceased to exist. In fact, it is well-known in my party that I won my seat by 0,001%, and my colleagues, for many years, referred to me as 001. [Laughter.] What are you laughing at? That's true. [Laughter.]
So, for five years, between 1994 and 1999, I was just one of the seven Members of Parliament in the Democratic Party, trying to carve out the role of an opposition party in an Assembly where no fewer than 94% of all MPs belonged to parties represented by the Government of National Unity.
There were epic fights, tough battles - and, certainly, some reference has been made to that today - as we defied the push for consensus in the opposition in the belief that any worthwhile democracy needs a vigorous opposition to hold its government to account. And this, I believe, has been vindicated time and again.
Strangely enough, it was no less a person than our founding democratic president, Nelson Mandela, who legitimised this goal when he told us "to hold a mirror to the government". There certainly have been times when not everyone has enjoyed the reflection in this mirror, but that is beside the point.
It was in those epic times, when I, along with six colleagues, juggled half a dozen portfolios and the duties of a Whip, that I learnt the truth of the injunction: In the furnace of great events you find the fire of passion within yourself.
There were then, as today, many people inside and outside of Parliament who presumed that the presence of a majority conferred a monopoly of wisdom on government. In fact, as we all know, to be legitimate a government needs a majority, but, to be right, a government needs to listen and to learn from all viewpoints.
I believe that this South African Parliament has learnt an enormous amount and we have developed enormously in this regard in the past years, and it has been for me a major benefit. However, after 1999, when the Democratic Party grew fivefold and became the official opposition, I found that my duties as Deputy Chief Whip of the Opposition became the dominant factor of my parliamentary life. It is perhaps worth remembering that in this period of a heightened cold war between Thabo Mbeki and Tony Leon, and a freezing of relations between government and the opposition, the Whippery of all parties still managed to keep Parliament on the rails and to keep the management of it in reasonable shape.
I believe that this is a tribute to many MPs from all parties who, uncited and unheralded, managed to disagree with each other without being disagreeable and often ensured that the needs of the institution were placed above the wishes of the party. That for me has been one of the focal points of my entire career in this Parliament. [Applause.]
However, Mr Speaker, a farewell speech such as this one is also an opportunity, not simply to say thank you and goodbye, but to reflect on some of the remarkable people who have crossed my path here and sustained me in the victories and vicissitudes that are the hallmark of any political life.
If I look at my own party, first of all, it is a privilege and an honour to have shared benches with great people such as Helen Suzman, Colin Eglin, Tony Leon, Douglas Gibson, Dene Smuts and more recently people such as Ian Davidson and Athol Trollip. I have had the privilege of working closely with the best, and here I do want to single out, if I may, Tony Leon, in particular - a man of great intellect, great courage and enormous ability, who kept alive the liberal voice in this country at a time when most thought it had already died. And today Tony still remains a very close friend of mine.
When I do look back on the last 24 years of my life, there are many people in the opposition benches whom I have come to admire and for whom it has been for me an enormous privilege to have been in Parliament with. Obviously, at the head of the list would be Mr Nelson Mandela. But there have been many others that I have had the pleasure of working with in Parliament, people like Cyril Ramaphosa, Trevor Manuel, Naledi Pandor, Tokyo Sexwale, Mangosuthu Buthelezi, and you, sir, Mr Speaker, one of the first Whips in this Parliament. And it would be absolutely wrong of me not to mention, of course, Blade Nzimande. [Applause.]
You know, Mr Speaker, Blade and I go back many years to when he was the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Education from 1994 to 1999. We worked hard, we fought, we had great fun. But, Blade, I do have a special relationship with you and it's nice to say it today: Thank you very much for everything. [Applause.]
I have worked very closely with the Chief Whips of all parties, including my old friend, Koos van der Merwe, Corn Mulder and others, and with a wide range of senior party leaders. I have also interacted with many frontbenchers and backbenchers, all of whom have made a massive impact on my life. You are my life, and I have really appreciated it. Thank you very much for that. What a remarkable privilege it has been to serve my country in this Parliament.
To my own parliamentary leader, Athol Trollip, and to my own Chief Whip, Ian Davidson, you are remarkable men and true leaders. To have worked with you and to regard you as my friends is indeed a massive privilege. To the Whips in my party, especially Sandy Kalyan, who has served on the Chief Whips' Forum with me with distinction, and to all the members of my caucus, for whom I have the greatest respect, thank you very much indeed. I really appreciate the great working together that we have had for the last two years and, with many of you, for a lot longer than that.
To the Chief Whip of the Majority Party and to the Deputy Chief Whip of the Majority Party, who made a wonderful speech today, I want to say to you, Mr Deputy Chief Whip, as a fellow Deputy, you and I have developed a very special relationship.
To the Whips of all other parties, with whom I have worked so closely for so many years on the Chief Whips' Forum, inside the Chief Whips' Forum and outside it, thank you for your camaraderie, thank you for what we have been able to achieve on behalf of Parliament, on behalf of the members. And, of course, I cannot simply ignore Ben Turok as I see him sitting there. Ben, we've crossed swords many times, but well done, sir, and thank you. [Applause.]
To the Whips in general, I believe we have achieved a great amount on behalf of our members. To the Speaker, to you sir, to the Deputy Speaker, to the House Chairs, our interactions have been interesting and lively. I want to thank you, in particular, for the leeway you have given me at times with some very frivolous points of order and for your good humour and dedication to your tasks.
To all of you ladies and gentlemen, to all the members of this House across all party lines, it really has been a privilege working with you and I will miss you all. To the Secretary to Parliament, the Secretary to the National Assembly and all the staff associated with this august House, I thank them, too, for their support, assistance, advice and friendship.
I have enjoyed it all with all of you. So, to all associated with Parliament, thank you for a truly wonderful 24 years. I wish you all, individually and collectively, every success for the years ahead. Thank you so much. [Applause.]