Speaker, hon colleagues, in the last century, the concept of state planning was often very contentious, especially with the Soviet Union, its satellites and fellow travellers giving the concept a very bad name.
Planning, however, is of course an intrinsic part of government. As the saying goes, "If you fail to plan, you are actually planning to fail." The issue then is not whether you engage in planning, but rather the "when", "how" and "what" of planning.
The IFP believes there is much to agree with in the proposed National Planning Commission. We endorse the inclusivity and nonpartisanship the Minister spoke of. We support the eschewal of "commandism"; we agree on the need to avoid institutionalising bureaucracy. But really, in the end, success or failure will depend in a large part on the composition of the commission and government's response to what it has to say.
In respect of appointments, we are pleased that government is seemingly intending to desist from employing party hacks or rewarding narrow sectoral interests. But equally, of course, it is critical that government listens to what the commission has to say. If the intention is that government avoids being trapped by its own institutional perceptions, then it has to be open to new ideas.
So, colleagues, this is an important initiative, and it is one that we support in principle. We wish the Minister well. Thank you. [Applause.]