Speaker, comrades and hon members, Comrade President, the APC joins the House in congratulating you on the state of the nation address.
Our Constitution enjoins us, amongst other things, to honour those who fought and suffered for freedom and justice in our country. This is meant to ensure that future generations do not forget the enormous sacrifices that their forbears had to make for the freedom that they enjoy. It is, therefore, correct and fitting for us, on this occasion, to focus on the release of former President Mandela 20 years ago, for this represented the victory of the liberation. It is thus equally fitting that we should remember that in this same month, 20 years ago, the liberation movement unbanned itself through the hand of Mr F W de Klerk. We also want to honour the memory of Robert Sobukwe, that great patriot and outstanding leader of our struggle, who passed away in February 1978.
As we evoke the memory of our leaders today, we are challenged to reaffirm our commitment to the vision and the values they represented. We are challenged to assess whether we, today, still represent a continuum in thought and in action and whether we, the leadership crop of today, can live up to Sobukwe's dictum on leadership. I quote:
True leadership demands complete subjugation of self, honesty, integrity, uprightness of character, fearlessness and courage and above all a consuming love for one's people.
Amilcar Cabral, the outstanding revolutionary, teaches us that in fighting for freedom, the people are fighting for an improvement in their lives and not for ideas or things in anyone's head. This means that our freedom must have material meaning in the lives of our people.
The APC believes that for this to happen, the state has a decisive and central role to play. But for the state to do so, it must have the requisite capacity and correct orientation. As things stand, the APC believes that there is a serious challenge for leadership. We need competent and farsighted leadership, both politically and administratively.
Whilst we welcome the performance management system that the President has announced, the APC believes that much more needs to change in the state of public administration to deliver timeous and quality services to our people.
We believe that senior leaders in the departments must be permanent and professional employees. The current arrangement of short-term contracts leads to a lack of continuity and instability. We have a number of departmental heads in acting capacities. This cannot be helpful as it leads to a lot of indiscipline and noncompliance with legislation, especially on financial matters.
Is it surprising that disciplinary cases and cases of financial misconduct are not dealt with firmly, decisively and swiftly? Is it surprising that financial disclosures, which are under the supervision of Ministers, are not adhered to fully, despite the fact that our disclosure requirements are in need of urgent amendment to make them more comprehensive?
The Minister of Finance will be presenting his budget allocation for departments soon. In the absence of proper leadership and with weak controls, should we not be worried about how these resources will be managed? Twelve months down the line, departments will not be able to properly account for the use of these resources.
We need competent and patriotic administrative cadres who are committed to serving the public and are infused with a sense of national consciousness, pride and national goals.
The APC believes that, as part of the measures to enhance the fight against graft, there is now a need to look at establishing, via a legislative or enabling mechanism, the relationship between parliamentary oversight bodies and law enforcement agencies. As things stand, corrupt officials are let off the hook because managers in departments have little appetite to correct ill-discipline.
A number of state-owned enterprises, SOEs, have been in the news for all the wrong reasons. A perception has taken root that they are badly managed and need perpetual bailouts by the state.
The APC takes the view that SOEs must be properly aligned to the developmental goals of the state and that people in leadership positions must have national consciousness, pride and national goals. We think the state can do more to provide decisive leadership and guide them in the direction of progress.
It is our conviction that our people need alternatives for their livelihood and self-reliance - as an antidote to handouts - through entrepreneurship and microenterprise development. This has been proven to be effective in all developing countries, especially for women empowerment and rural development. Our people need to be enabled to do and think for themselves and not be dependent or degenerate into declassed elements.
As we celebrate two decades of freedom, let's take cognisance of the fact that values and practices that are totally inconsistent with the lives and ideas of Mandela, Sobukwe and Steve Biko, have taken root in our society and threaten to devalue the glorious liberation we achieved at a great and costly price. This is the cancer of corruption.
Unless government summons up the requisite courage and stamina to fight this scourge, we will not succeed in our developmental goals. The challenge as seen by the APC is not the absence of legislation, but its implementation within government. Many cases of corruption are not acted upon by the officers responsible within departments. Is it a case of their being compromised? We cannot resist concluding that.
The APC reiterates its call for African unity, for only in unity can our continent and people be lifted from the margins of world politics and underdevelopment. We agree with the new chairperson of the African Union, His Excellency President Bingu wa Mutharika, that the basis of Pan- Africanism is still relevant today.
In the same tone of celebration, let us not forget the plight of the oppressed Palestinians who, like us, are fighting for freedom and, like every human being, deserve their freedom. We salute them for their unwavering stand against an overwhelming combination of forces. Our country and our government must stand shoulder to shoulder with the Palestinians and condemn the brutality, the humiliation, the killings and imprisonment visited upon them daily. Thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]