It is safe with our President who, more than any amongst us has had to humble himself before its might on many occasions. [Applause.] For the Constitution to be alive, the people must give it a breath of life, just as happened the day a human was created in the Creator's own image. [Interjections.]
We must embrace it, promote it and defend it in the same way it seeks to do for us. In this regard, we cannot afford to be selective and embrace only sections which might appear to favour our own sectional interests, such interests being material or ideological. It is, therefore, our collective responsibility to enhance and not to diminish the legitimacy of this Constitution as it is the real, and perhaps only true foundation of our democratic state.
Though we may take it for granted, this Constitution has given us the peace rarely experienced on the continent and indeed elsewhere the world over. This has been possible because it recognises and restores the humanity of us all, as well as promotes a society based on human solidarity. The peace we enjoy affords us the opportunity to correct our genuine and sometimes silly mistakes. This would not be possible in a society consumed by warfare.
In order to transform our justice system, the Constitution has, amongst other things, established the Judicial Service Commission. In this regard, the commission has discharged its duties with enterprising diligence and great fortitude, sometimes in the face of vicious attacks from powerful quarters resisting change. There have been occasions on which some have sought to impose their own preferences and wills on the Judicial Service Commission. In this regard, sustained assaults have been mounted both in the courts and also in the domain of public opinion.
The judiciary itself has not been spared by these forces who are convinced that it is their God-given right that its decisions must always be in their favour or in accordance with their world view. Our judiciary must uphold the values of our rainbow nation, not the exclusive values of an unrepentant minority.
This point cannot be overemphasised: that, as a nation, we must rally to the defence of the institutions underpinning our nation's democracy, including the Presidency of this country, which deserves more respect than we have given it until now. [Applause.]
These institutions are young and they are still vulnerable, and we must therefore protect them. This is crucial because were they to collapse, we would have neither winners nor losers in this country. We would then have an unmitigated freefall into the state of nature where there are no rules and anarchy prevails. In this state, it is not unusual to find a dog eating another dog. There won't be smart debates out there, as we shall all be fighting for survival in the state of nature.
The sad truth is that, were we to arrive at that point, we would have destroyed not only our future, but the future of the innocent: our children and our children's children to the fourth generation. Thank you. [Applause.]