Okay, thank you very much.
The Deputy Chairperson and the Deputy Speaker are currently dealing with the sector parliaments. These are the Youth Parliament, which we have already held in June, and Africa Day, which we held in May. We now are left with Women's Parliament in August. This year we are going to have the people's assembly. You will remember that we have not yet held the people's assembly during the Fourth Parliament, so we are going to have one this year.
Let me come to the conference on climate change, which we call Cop 17. This is the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. This will be hosted by South Africa in Durban later this year. These deliberations in our country and continent are very important, especially given that environmental sustainability is one of the Millennium Development Goals that we have to achieve.
Also, our government has identified the green economy as a potential growth area for the purposes of creating jobs. As MPs we need to be ready to participate in and follow discussions on climate diplomacy leading up to this important conference. I am sure that our people who are engaged in the preparations for this conference do attend meetings and participate. Therefore, we will be expecting reports from you soon.
Hon Deputy Chairperson, thank you for your five minutes, but let me conclude now. As we celebrate the legacy of freedom we must remember the words of former US President, Dwight Eisenhower, when he said:
Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed - else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die.
Our icon, former President, Nelson Mandela, understood this responsibility very well when he said:
I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way ... But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not yet ended.
Therefore, the long walk for us to deliver to our people has not ended. There is no time to fold our arms and sit and sleep. It's time for us to roll up our sleeves, get all hands on deck, and be at work as usual. If we can all do this and work as a team in the NCOP, we will be finding or cutting ourselves a very wonderful niche that will leave indelible marks. Every person who follows after us will be able to follow our marks and read very clearly that we have been a nation at work.
Deputy Chairperson, I want to deliver to you now and propose that you vote for this R1,674 billion budget. I thank you very much. [Applause.]