Mr Chairperson, hon Minister, hon chairperson of our portfolio committee, hon members, distinguished guests, and not forgetting those who are viewing us on the TV this afternoon: To spy or not to spy! To be or not to be! Can a nation state be what it aspires to be without effective intelligence services that collect and analyse secret information that enables its leaders to make better informed decisions? I think not.
George Smiles once asked, when he was speaking to a group of newly recruited officers:
Why spy ... for as long as rookies become leaders we shall spy. For as long as there are bullies and ... madmen in the world ... for as long as nations compete ... politicians deceive ... your chosen profession is secured.
The need for intelligence has in fact existed since the dawn of time and the origins of the profession can be traced back to the Old Testament, as evidenced by the reference to Moses dispatching his spies across the River Jordan to bring back reports about the land of Canaan.
As human societies evolved, growing ever more complex and interdependent in their interactions with one another, so the need for intelligence grew as leaders across the centuries increasingly relied upon the skills of their spies.
Developments illustrate how intelligence was viewed as an indispensable adjunct to statecraft, which intimately gave rise to the establishment of specialised intelligence services with both a national and international reach. These remain a permanent feature of nation states today. Given the threats in our unpredictable global world that knows no borders, we cannot afford to discard the age-old craft of intelligence.
We must collect and analyse unique information, most often under the cloak of secrecy in order to ensure the security of our state, our people and the country. No responsible government can allow the neglect of its intelligence services.
Mr Chairperson, I am not convinced that we are not doing just that at this point in time. I will come back to this point.
The Constitution, by providing for the establishment of the intelligence services, recognises their importance and necessity in building a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental rights. In so doing, it envisions them as a credible force for good which protects the state, its citizens and the democratic order according to the intelligence services' special powers and capabilities for that purpose.
Yet these powers and capabilities are by no means unfettered, and whatever fears and misgivings some might have about the intelligence services, our constitutional imperatives provide for powerful checks and balances. In this regard the Constitution, in Chapter 11, sections 198, 209 and 210, clearly spells out the key principles and directives for the intelligence services.
Mr Chairperson, if all of us present here today would just think for a moment about what I have been saying, then all would agree that what I have said is very clearly defined and stated in the 2009 manifesto of my party, the DA, namely that we stand for an open opportunity society and that we will, under all circumstances, protect and defend our Constitution at all costs.
Further, Mr Chairperson, it is not only our high-sounding principles that define the role and function of our intelligence services, but we have put in place oversight bodies to enforce the necessary parliamentary and public control.
The White Paper on Intelligence, the National Strategic Intelligence Act of 1994 and the Intelligence Service Act of 2002, establish the guidelines and regulate the activities of the intelligence services, providing the framework for effective control and oversight.
The Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence is a creation of the elected representatives of the people to ensure that our intelligence services can enjoy the trust of all South Africans. It maintains a vigorous oversight that ensures that the secrecy our services need is not abused but is used to protect one of the key challenges of parliamentary oversight, namely, to strengthen confidence in and mobilise community support for our intelligence services.
Intelligence services are conducted under conditions of changing global threats. This has generally resulted in granting more power to intelligence agencies to deal with these threats in most parts of the world.
This, Mr Chairperson, brings me back to the statement that I made earlier, that I am not confident that we are not neglecting our intelligence services. I am of the opinion that we are neglecting our intelligence services to a great extent and that they are not getting the recognition they deserve.
Mnr die Voorsitter, ek is een van die bevoorregtes om deel te mag wees van die Gesamentlike Staande Komitee oor Intelligensie en het gister die voorreg gehad om die Minister en al die hoofde van die verskillende dienste van ons intelligensiedienste te ontmoet.
Dit was vir my opmerklik met watter passie van toegewydheid en verantwoordelikheid hulle hul aan die nuwe komiteelede kom voorstel het en watter groot ontsag hulle vir die voorsitter van die komitee en die komitee self het.
Dit beteken egter nie dat alles wel is nie. Ek is van mening dat ten spyte van die feit dat ek 'n voorstander is dat daar op di vlak van intelligensie gespesialiseer moet word, wat wel die geval is, behoort die verskeie agente nouer met mekaar saam te werk om moontlike duplisering te voorkom.
Wat egter opvallend was, was dat die Nasionale Intelligensie-agentskap se begroting vir die finansile jaar 2009-10 met meer as R72 miljoen gesny is in verhouding met die vorige jaar se begroting, en dit in ag genome dat die Wreldbekersokker net om die draai is, 'n tyd wanneer ons land deur middel van ons intelligensiediens paraat moet wees.
Dit is juis in tye van sulke groot byeenkomste waar mense oor die wreld heen na Suid-Afrika gaan kom dat ons nie kan bekostig dat ons onkant gevang word nie, en dat daar nie verwag kan word dat die huidige ekonomiese toestand van wreldwye reses die rede is dat daar op die begroting van intelligensiedienste gesny moes word nie.
Want sien, met die aankondiging van die Begroting in Februarie vanjaar het die Minister van Finansies nog ontken dat ons land in 'n reses is. Dit wys vir my daarop dat in daardie stadium die belangrikheid van ons intelligensiedienste nie deur die Minister van Finansies erken is nie.
Daar is onder andere drie aspekte van die Gesamentlike Staande Komitee van Intelligensie wat my diep bekommer. Die eerste een is die feit dat die ondersoek na die komiteelede - "vetting" - en onderhoude eers werklik die afgelope week gedoen is. Dit het veroorsaak dat die onderskeie agentskappe, onder andere, die NIA, eers Maandag, 29 Junie, kennis gekry het van gister se vergadering.
Wanneer in ag geneem word dat die Parlement reeds op 6 Mei geopen het en dat die proses rakende die komiteelede eers na meer as ses weke 'n aanvang geneem het, dui dit vir my daarop dat die proses nie met verantwoordelikheid bestuur is nie.
Verder beklemtoon dit vir my dat die waarde van die komitee totaal en al onderskat word. Na my mening is die Gesamentlike Staande Komitee van Intelligensie seker di komitee wat verantwoodelik is vir die oudit van ons land en sy mense se veiligheid en dus 'n groot rol speel in die sukses van ons land se veiligheid.
Artikel 6 van die Wet op die Komitee van Parlementslede oor en Inspekteurs- generaal van Intelligensie, Wet 40 van 1994, bepaal dat die Gesamentlike Staande Komitee oor Intelligensie jaarliks 'n verslag oor die werksaamhede van die komitee aan die Parlement moet voorl. Die laaste beskikbare jaarverslag dateer terug na 2004-05. Dit was gedoen onder die voorsitterskap van die destydse voorsitter, wat vandag ons agb Minister is. Volgens inligting is die laaste twee jaar se verslae onderweg van die komitee na die President, wat dit eers moet goedkeur alvorens dit gepubliseer kan word.
Ek is verseker dat die proses dringend ondersoek en reggestel moet word. Dit geld ook vir die ouditeursverslae. Die twee dokumente is onder andere die belangrikste verslae wat die publiek nodig het om verseker te wees dat daar na hul en die land se binne- en buitelandse veiligheid gekyk word. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Chairperson, I am one of those privileged to be a part of the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence and yesterday I had the privilege of meeting the Minister and all the heads of the various services within our intelligence services.
It was remarkable to see the utter dedication and responsibility with which they introduced themselves to the new committee members and how deferential they were to the chairperson of the committee and the committee itself.
However, this doesn't mean that all is well. I am of the opinion that, regardless of the fact that I am a proponent of specialisation at this level of intelligence, which is indeed the case, the various agents ought to be working more closely so as to prevent possible duplication.
However, what strikes one is that the budget of the National Intelligence Agency has been decreased by more than R72 million in comparison with last year's budget, and this at time when the Soccer World Cup is just around the corner, which is when we as a country should be on the alert by way of our intelligence services.
It is, in fact, when people from all over the world will be coming to South Africa to attend such a major tournament, that we cannot afford to be caught unawares, and that we cannot give the current worldwide economic recession as the reason for budget cuts to the intelligence services.
You see, when the Budget was presented in February the Minister of Finance was still in denial about our country being in a recession. To me, this shows that at that stage the Minister of Finance did not acknowledge the importance of the intelligence services.
There are, inter alia, three aspects of the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence which concern me deeply. First of all there is the fact that investigation of the committee members - vetting - and interviews only really took place in the past week. This resulted in the various agencies, among others the NIA, only being notified on Monday, 29 June, about yesterday's meeting.
When one takes into account that Parliament had already opened on 6 May and that the process regarding the committee members only started six weeks later, this tells me that the process has not been managed responsibly.
This also underlines the fact that the committee's worth is being totally underestimated. In my opinion, the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence is probably the committee that is pre-eminently responsible for the auditing of our country and its people's safety, and therefore plays a big role in the success of our country's safety.
Section 6 of the Committee of Members of Parliament on and Inspectors- General of Intelligence Act, Act 40 of 1994, provides that the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence must present a report on the committee's proceedings to Parliament annually. The last available annual report dates back to 2004-05. That was done under the chairmanship of the then chairperson, our current hon Minister. According to information, the reports on the last two years are on their way from the committee to the President, who must first approve them before they can be published.
I have been assured that the process must be urgently investigated and corrected. The same applies to the audit reports. These two documents are, amongst others, the most important reports which the public needs to be assured that their and the country's domestic and foreign safety is receiving attention.]
Members will recall that in 2004 a pledge was made to build the professional, effective, accountable intelligence services that South Africa requires to meet the complex security threats of the 21st century.
The need for professionalism has become all the more apparent in recent years where intelligence services internationally have had their fair share of mishaps.
Another concern which is referred to over and over again, is the vetting of personnel in certain positions of the three tiers of government. There is no sense in only vetting a person a year after his or her appointment to a position where vetting is required prior to the person's appointment.
Chairperson, in conclusion, personal safety is an imperative for an open opportunity society for all. Yet South Africa is trapped in a web of terror caused by crime. Many lives have been lost. Many of us have been deeply traumatised. We have become suspicious of fellow citizens and distrusting of the institutions that are supposed to keep us safe.
We will all agree that crime is crime, whether it is rape, or organised crime or self-enrichment or protecting someone who has committed a crime. With the lack of annual reports over the past few years, I am curious to see the intelligence services' reports on the Selebi case and the arms deal. Thank you. [Applause.]