Chairperson and hon members, in processing the Green Paper, we, in the IFP, did not try and look for a snake behind every bush, but participated, being mindful of the fact that since 1994 our country's development has been contradictory and that there has been progress, stagnation and regression.
Whilst we should be proud of what we have collectively achieved over the past 15 years, poverty especially remains as critical as ever with the numbers of the poor increasing every year. Inequality is growing, and the income gap between the rich and the poor is widening. Obscene wealth lives alongside obscene poverty.
In the past 15 years, many promises have been made, many of which have just been empty promises. As the recent service delivery protests highlighted, many South Africans still lack access to basic services, sustainable jobs, quality education and healthcare and security.
Fifteen years since the dawn of democracy, South Africa stands at a crossroads. Ordinary citizens are demanding that the promise of a better life for all be fulfilled.
The IFP's vision of a prosperous society is one in which mass poverty is eradicated and in which our people are able to pursue a better life. The IFP believes that addressing our societal ills is not just a matter of changing policies, but how one deals with them. For too long, policies have remained mere pieces of paper. One thing has been said, and another done.
We, therefore, welcome government's frank admission in the Green Paper on National Strategic Planning that their lack of coherent long-term planning has limited their capacity to mobilise all of society in pursuit of its development objectives.
Furthermore, we welcome the admission that a weakness in the co-ordination of government has led to policy inconsistencies and, in several cases, to poor service delivery outcomes and also that government faces serious challenges in intergovernmental co-ordination.
We would like to reiterate our support for a co-ordinated service delivery plan, which must ensure that policies do not remain mere pieces of paper, but can be implemented on the ground.
The IFP, however, warns against the potential danger of using this National Planning Commission, NPC, to centralise too much power in the hands of government. We see the role of this new NPC merely as a co-ordinator between the three spheres of government in line with the Constitution of our country.
We have a few concerns, and I will just highlight one or two matters. One of them is: what role will Parliament play? In this respect, hon members, the IFP suggests that there should be a standing committee on the NPC to ensure that Parliament has checks and balances against political influence and to ensure that the voices of those we represent are taken into consideration.
We also want to emphasise that, as the National Planning Commission goes about its work and focuses on specific areas of research, such as the eradication of poverty, unemployment or meeting the Millennium Development Goals, MDG, etc, there must be maximum consultation with all stakeholders. All voices must be heard on the issues that this commission will be dealing with. Broad consensus from all sectors of our society is needed if the commission wants to reach its goal of building a truly nonracial, nonsexist, prosperous and democratic society.
The IFP supports the recommendations in the Green Paper and we would like to thank the chairperson and other hon members for the collegiality that exists in the ad hoc committee. Thank you. [Applause.]