Madam Deputy Speaker, we in the IFP join other speakers who are saying thank you to everybody who has worked hard to make a success of this institution. Yes, we have undergone very important changes. We have a new Speaker, a new Deputy Speaker and even a new Chief Whip. What I specifically remember about the Speaker, when he was still the ANC Chief Whip, was his willingness to listen. He opened doors, and very important is the fact that he never made a distinction between Members of Parliament - whether they were from his party or other parties, he listened to all of them. That, of course, is the main characteristic of a good Speaker, and that applies, hopefully, also to the Deputy Speaker and the Chief Whip.
I would be remiss if I did not mention the former Speaker, Gwen Mahlangu. She sits there - and your hair is very beautiful today, Gwen. [Laughter.] Although she once chased me and my cake out of Parliament ... [Laughter.] ... I have never stopped liking her. We miss her and we wish her very well in her new job. There is also Baleka. We really miss her, and whenever I walk through Parliament and I see her photo, I say: "Hello, Baleka!" [Laughter.]
Deputy Speaker, how did we do? We now come to the point of weighing up Parliament's performance during the past year. How did we do? Speaking about the functioning of Parliament, we did well. We had our challenges, which were many. We had numerous meetings. We assisted one another, and I think we coped - not in the Cope way but in the other way, we coped. [Interjections.] So, as a machine we operated well. There are, however, some points I wish to raise under the heading Moral Leadership. Parliament, as an institution, should set the example to all in our land when it comes to moral leadership. Unfortunately, our image does not always reflect that. People watching TV sometimes see us coming late, see some people sleeping in the House, there is sometimes not a quorum, and we even had an example of booing some weeks ago.
We are still saddled with severe criticism about the so-called Travelgate scandal. That will not go away. Eighteen of our members have been convicted by the High Court on very serious criminal charges, such as fraud, and their careers have been seriously damaged.
But another 12 MPs, who have committed more or less the same offences, have not been prosecuted. The reasons advanced by the National Prosecuting Authority have never convinced me. Parliament itself instituted disciplinary steps against the 12, but those cases are still pending and have never been finalised. Mr Speaker, that stain remains on Parliament's image, and it will not go away.
What should happen is that a judge of the High Court should be appointed to investigate the whole Travelgate matter and give us a report. That is the only way we can demonstrate moral leadership.
In addition to Travelgate, we know now that KPMG has found that we were fleeced of millions of rand by certain companies. It is painful. It will not go away. We need to clean up our image.
In conclusion, Deputy Speaker, I do not want to paint only a negative picture. We are a family as we are here. We have an institution to respect and protect. Our Parliament has weathered many storms. There will be more, and we will also overcome them.
I remain a proud member of this Parliament. I am proud of this Parliament. I have been here for 32 years and I still enjoy every day. [Applause.] We, as Members of this Parliament, are being cared for better than many MPs in many other countries of the world.
My attitude as a Whip - and I have been a Whip for more than 20 years - has always been to fix things. So, my message today is: We are aware of our shortcomings in this Parliament, but we will fix them! [Applause.]