Agb Voorsitter, daar is nie twyfel dat die instelling van 'n permanente militre dienstekommissie die korrekte ding, op die regte tyd en op die regte plek is nie. Inderdaad ja, ek wonder wat dink die agb Mosiuoa Lekota, die voormalige Minister van Verdediging, as hy hier sit en na al hierdie kritiek luister. Ek wil vir die vorige Minister s dat hy die weermag laat verrot het. Dit is nie 'n goeie ding om teen u naam te h in die geskiedenis nie. Dit is dus nodig dat ons hierdie kommissie het. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[Mr P J GROENEWALD: Hon Chairperson, there is no doubt that the introduction of a permanent military service commission is the right thing, at the right time and in the right place. In fact, I wonder what the hon Mosiuoa Lekota, the former Minister of Defence, is thinking as he sits here and listens to all this criticism. I want to tell the former Minister that he let the Defence Force rot away. That's not a good thing to have against your name in history. So it is necessary for us to have this commission.]
The FF Plus, however, differs on clause 2: the definition of the military command. That was thumb-sucking. There are no direct criteria to say that it is lieutenant generals and upwards. That is not acceptable. What happened is that the Military Command Council was taken with the exclusion of the commander of the reserve forces. That is, in effect, what it is.
As lid van die kommissie wil ek vandag vir die agb Minister s dat 'n Lid van die Parlement - en dis my persoonlike ervaring - nie die tyd het om ook 'n lid van die kommissie te wees nie. Daardie lid gaan f sy parlementre pligte f die werk van die kommissie laat skade ly. Dink daaraan.
Minister, dit is ongelukkig ook so dat ons vir mekaar moet s dat die verslae van die bestaande kommissie wel 'n bepaalde leemte gelaat het. Die agb Maynier is reg rakende sekere goed wat hy s, alhoewel ek verskil oor ander aspekte.
Wat ons wel vasgestel het is dat dit 'n werklikheid is dat 'n portefeuljekomitee nie die mag het om 'n Minister te dwing om 'n verslag daar te stel voor dit nie by die Kabinet was nie. Dis 'n leemte in die parlementre Rels waarna gekyk moet word. As die Minister dit gebruik, dan is sy reg oor wat dit is. Hierdie wetsontwerp bewys nou egter dat daar 'n jaarlikse verslag van die kommissie aan hierdie Parlement voorgel moet word. Dan sal ek s dis beter om voort te gaan om hierdie wetsontwerp goed te keur en die VF Plus sal dit ondersteun. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[As a member of the commission I can tell the Minister today that a Member of Parliament - and this is my personal experience - does not have the time to be a member of this commission as well. That member will do damage to either his parliamentary duties or the work of the commission. Keep that in mind.
Minister, unfortunately it is also true that we must admit to each other that all the reports of the current commission have left a certain gap. The hon Maynier is correct regarding some of the things he has said, although I differ on other aspects. But we have determined that it is a reality that a portfolio committee does not have the power to force a Minister to make a report available before it has gone to Cabinet. This is a deficiency in the parliamentary Rules that should be investigated. If the Minister should use it, she will be correct in that regard. This Bill now proves, however, that an annual report by the commission must be submitted to this Parliament. I would therefore say it is better to proceed and agree to this Bill and the FF will therefore support it.]