Chairperson, Mr Speaker and Members of Parliament, this present Parliament is one year old. In this year, we have seen the introduction of a whole new crop of members, as well as several new government departments. The new executive has made some attempt towards a more consultative relationship with all the parties in Parliament. This has also been felt in this House where our concerns regarding speaking times have been addressed somewhat. We are grateful for the improvement, however marginal. I was personally very excited when I looked at the screen and saw that I was given 12 minutes, but after a few minutes it was changed to three minutes. [Laughter.]
However, it is our belief that this budget and the policy that it underpins still fail to address many of the underlying concerns about this institution.
The proportional formula that is applied to speaking times, funding and other aspects of the functioning of Parliament do not foster an environment where all voices get a reasonable opportunity to be heard. The functioning of Parliament should be measured against its success at allowing all voices to be heard. This can only be achieved in two ways: firstly, by giving all political parties the time, resources and opportunities to represent the views of their voters; and secondly, by ensuring genuine public participation in the formulation of policy and law.
Our country faces huge challenges, not least of which being the worst inequality on the planet. It is our constitutional and moral duty to ensure that we explore all avenues and listen to as many voices as possible in our pursuit of solutions.
In the early 1990s, we proved to the world our unique ability to find solutions when we enter into a genuine dialogue amongst ourselves. This Parliament should seek to emulate that spirit of nation-building. The UDM supports this budget, and we hope that the time will be increased in the future. I thank you.