... the immense socioeconomic challenges facing the leadership of this country, irrespective of political affiliation or differences, demand of all of us that everything we say and everything we seek to do as a people must be guided and underpinned by our common desire to achieve our long-term strategic objectives. That is the creation of a prosperous, nonracial, nonsexist and democratic South Africa.
To achieve this national project, there is a need to forge a national consensus, translated into a national long-term plan, which will be clearly defined in terms of short-term interventions in the form of a developmental state. Secondly, our discussions must be guided by the work we have done in the last 15 years. We need to take stock of our successes and failures, and identify the areas that need serious attention, to improve the quality of life of the ordinary masses of our people. Therefore, the Green Paper should be seen as the beginning and not the end of a process that seeks to enhance or improve the work of government that is undergoing serious structural changes.
Let me take this opportunity to congratulate the executive on taking this bold and courageous step, in particular the Minister in the Presidency responsible for the National Planning Commission, by engaging Parliament in the consultative processes that seek to generate public discussions on how government can best improve its work. Judging by the number of written submissions and public debates on this topic, there is no doubt that it is, indeed, a matter of national importance. It is an important proposal that will have a far-reaching, really positive impact on the successes of a developmental state.
I must mention and commend the high interest that the opposition parties have shown in the processing of this matter. Not only did they participate in the committees, but they also did so at the highest level of their leadership.
What is the Green Paper all about? The Green Paper is a platform to test ideas, to consult with the public, to broaden the debate and build consensus around a national vision. Through the ad hoc committee, Parliament, as a vehicle to realise the abovementioned objectives, has succeeded in discharging its mandate.
After going through this process, the committee also agreed that not all the issues raised in the Green Paper would be resolved overnight. Some of the issues should be treated as work in progress that the executive must, and will, continue to pay attention to. Equally, Parliament will also have to continue on an ongoing basis to perfect its oversight role in line with the challenges that are arising at the level of government.
Some of the concerns raised with the committee during the public hearings or through written submissions included the following: the leadership and location of the National Planning Commission; over-concentration of power at the centre and probably with one or so individuals, to the exclusion of the executive; inclusivity of the National Planning Commission in terms of appointing national commissioners, but also independent institutes that tend to take on a life of their own and become unaccountable; and the status of the National Planning Commission, as an advisory body or a statutory body.
The other concern that was raised was that there might be a tendency from the centre to undermine the constitutional provisions, in terms of other spheres of government, such as municipalities, in terms of planning, and concerns that strategic plans of other spheres will be undermined by the centre. Centralisation of planning equals state planning, to the exclusion of market objectivity, and it might inhibit creativity in the line departments and other spheres of government.
I must say that after processing more than 56 written submissions and eight oral submissions, there were more areas of agreement than disagreement, that South Africa needs a long-term plan to guide shorter term trade-offs. It needs to improve planning and co-ordination at the level of government, but interrelationships between policy planning, monitoring and evaluation are intertwined.
We need international experience in appointing the national planning commissioners, but not to the exclusion of local experience and local competence. There is a need for the National Planning Commission to be located within the Presidency, and the Minister responsible for the National Planning Commission should supervise the activities of this commission. The national plan is the domain of the executive committee, meaning Cabinet.
An area that needs further clarification is the status of the National Planning Commission: if it is considered as an advisory body, whether the process is going to culminate in a White Paper, and constitutional provisions to protect the autonomy or plans from other spheres.
In conclusion, it is our considered view that, as the ad hoc committee, we have discharged our mandate as expected by this House. We have provided the public with the platform for South Africans to engage with the consultative document, and their concerns and advice are of great value that has shaped the overall thrust of this document or report. We appreciate the consultation sought by government from Parliament to process this important debate.
As regards our recommendations, I will not go through all of them. They are there in the report, but I think it is important that, as Parliament, we should support that the Green Paper on National Strategic Planning should be allowed to proceed and that the National Planning Commission should be a body that should be supervised by the Minister in the Presidency responsible for the National Planning Commission. Lastly, the primacy of Cabinet should not be debatable. I, therefore, recommend that the House accepts and supports the report as tabled before this House. Thank you. [Applause.]