Mr Speaker, given some of the facts - the revelations - that we have discussed in the House here today about political leaders and members of the executive who have been entrusted with the responsibility of delivering services and opportunities to the people of this country, but who have instead used their political connections for the purpose of personal enrichment, would the hon President concede that this government, and in fact any government, is the last body that should control, seek to dictate and influence people's so-called morality?
State-led efforts to control what citizens think and believe in the privacy of their own homes are the preserve, actually, of authoritarian governments.
Has the hon President, in fact, only made this call for a national debate on morality as a direct consequence of the negative public reaction to certain revelations about his personal life? If not, why not; and if so, what are the relevant details?
Finally, does the constitutional principle of freedom of speech not empower South Africans with the freedom to hold whatever opinion they choose, without the government attempting to influence those opinions, based on certain narrow provisions? Thank you. [Applause.]