Issued by African National Congress - Parliament
11 February 2004
Chairperson
It was in 1906 that Pixley ka Isaka Seme wrote:
"The brighter day is rising upon Africa. Already I seem to see her chains dissolved her desert plains red with harvest, her Abyssinia and her Zululand the seats of science and religion, reflecting the glory of the rising sun from the spires of their churches and universities. Her Congo and her Gambia whitened with commerce, her crowded cities sending forth the hum of business, and all her sons employed in advancing the victories of peace-greater and more abiding than the spoils of war."
As a movement, the African National Congress has been marching on the road to freedom and democracy both within South Africa and throughout our continent since its very founding.
We have seen before us that bright day and we still await the zenith of its sun -
When in the words of the 1955 Freedom Charter:
The People Shall Govern
All National Groups shall have equal rights
The People shall share in the Country's Wealth
The Land shall be shared among those who work it
All shall be equal before the law
All shall enjoy human rights
There shall be work and Security
The Doors of Learning and Culture shall be opened
There shall be Houses, Security and Comfort
There shall be Peace and Friendship
These are the goals that direct us and these are the values that sustain us.
Today we stand here in the tenth anniversary year of our first democratic elections and it is fitting that we examine the road to freedom and democracy.
Yes we look back at the path we have traveled
But we also look forward at the road ahead.
A road with tortuous passes, but with vistas across the valleys as we marvel at the beauty and glory of our diverse land.
Freedom and Democracy - words that have shone like the sun in the dreams of the oppressed - mean different things in different times and in different contexts.
There are those who believe that we attained freedom when we held our first elections in 1994, and that this was the end of our journey to democracy.
This is a simplistic view. We did not with an act of Parliament wipe away the injustices of the past, nor eliminate the barriers, often invisible, that will persist in our society for years to come.
Our transition was a miracle, but our journey is only just beginning.
I am proud to be part of a movement that has fought for freedom and democracy for over 90 years.
And for over 90 years we have been debating the meaning of these terms "freedom" and "democracy"
To us freedom has two aspects. The freedom from aspect: freedom from oppression, from degradation and indignity; from poverty and want; from prejudice and bigotry
And then there is the freedom to:
The freedom to fulfil one's potential as a member of society, to associate with whomever one chooses, to practice the religion of one's choice, to live wherever one chooses and to exercise one's choice in the election of government.
But unlike our neo liberal colleagues, we believe that the freedom of the individual is tempered by the consideration of the collective good, society as a whole.
This is why we protect the most vulnerable in our society with legislation that prevents exploitation.
This is why we implement policies to redress the imbalances of the past, in areas of commerce, of employment and wherever the disabling legacy of apartheid leaves its deathly pall on the aspirations of our citizens.
For to the African National Congress democracy is not simply about voting. Democracy is about the voice of the people resounding throughout the institutions of our land. In our schools, in our boardrooms, in our state institutions. It is about building a society where the opinions, the needs and the insights of the community are respected and the channels are created for expressing these.
Chairperson.
We have, since 1994, enacted a progressive and inspirational constitution, regarded as one of the most advanced in the world.
Our achievements in providing services and support to millions of impoverished people are without peer in our times.
We have established a parliamentary system that increasingly allows for participation by the most marginalized.
Our government goes out actively amongst the people and listens, through imbizos, our multi-purpose community centres, and our constituency offices.
But while there is one hungry child in this country our journey will not be ended.
Chairperson
What must guide us as we march towards deepening democracy and freedom? Some help can be found in our constitution, which creates the framework within which all institutions of our society functions.
The constitution protects our rights from assault; it creates the context and system in which our key institutions operate our courts our legislatures and our institutions that protect democracy.
But it is to the state, that the constitution assigns a specific role when it speaks in clause 195 of a development-oriented public service
In 1994 the buzzword amongst the world experts in public administration and public management.
New public management says - to put it somewhat simplistically - that government departments must operate in the same way as business. It is premised on the assumption that business is always more efficient than government. That if we adopt business principles, government will deliver services more efficiently, more effectively and more economically.
This view was promoted strongly by the radical right of the 80s, led by the Thatcher and Reagan governments.
In the words of Demetriois Argyriades, Professor of Public Administration, New York University
"New Public Management firmly rejected (the concept of) public or general interest"
Ronald Reagan in his inaugural address in 1981 said "government is not the solution to the problem, government is the problem". Through the 80s, the most powerful nations of the world sought to diminish the influence of the state in delivering better lives for the people.
It was this that led to the drastic cutbacks of services to the people, that resulted in privatization, deregulation, off-loading and outsourcing, Regardless of the lack of institutional framework to control the delivery of services, services were privatized and services could not be made available at an affordable price. Internationally, the goals of social justice were obscured.
The new public management still prevails in many societies, but increasingly there is awareness that values and outcomes must play a central role in the way that the state performs its functions.
We in the African National Congress have never sought to sacrifice the common good at the altar of profit, economy or privatization. Yes, government must be effective efficient and economic.
But we must not and will never take our eyes off the common good, the collective well being of our society.
To the African National Congress, it is the people that elect the government. We as public representatives must fulfil our mandate, by ensuring that the welfare of the many is not lost to the profits of the few.
Today of course the name of business as the model of efficiency, of rectitude is tarnished by the massive scandals that scream out from the headlines - Enron, Parmalat etc
But there are still those amongst the opposition who cry for a lean mean state, who see privatization as the panacea to the challenges that face our nation.
I will state categorically that as long as the African National Congress is in power, we will not seek to create a lean and mean state.
What we seek is a state that has the ability to operate efficiently, effectively and economically and dedicated to enhancing the goals of special significance highlighted in the "Millennium Declaration".
Peace and the Rule of Law;
Development and poverty eradication;
Protecting our common environment;
Democracy good governance and human rights.
Chairperson
When we came to power in 1994, globalization was a word seldom heard.
This phenomenon has developed as we have sought to consolidate our democracy.
Globalization has brought in its wake a complex, integrated world.
A world with greater dependencies and increasing imbalance of power and ability to negotiate.
In this context, the state has an ever-greater role to provide an enabling environment for economic growth and development.
It must ensure that basic services reach all people, particularly the poor and the unemployed.
Yes, we must streamline and in some cases ensure that we rid the core public service of certain functions, as well as ensuring that every public servant is productively employed.
But internationally it is now recognized that the state is the pivotal development partner, working along with the private sector and civil society.
"Increasingly the state is called upon to act as linking pin of processes of planning, consultation, negotiation and decision making involving diverse players, State and non-State, at different levels of governance. It is the hub of activities connecting multiple partners and stakeholders, from very varied fields, activities, regions, cultures, professions and interests" (UN, 2001,World Public Sector Report: 32)
Ten years ago the word governance was used far less than it is today.
The increased use of the word 'governance' indicates that "good governance' is of importance, not only to the state alone, but to other sectors - the market, civil society, international agencies.
But this emphasis on governance does not mean that we do not require strong government - a public sector that is capable of addressing market failures and disfunctionalities.
And a state that - in the environment of skewed allocation of resources, inequality, huge gaps in income distribution and challenges of poverty--
-- is capable of developing and implementing solutions that transform the very nature of our society.
We need constantly to question whether our state machinery is able to rise to this massive challenge.
Do we have the finest of minds, the strongest and most talented leaders forging ahead in changing the fabric of South African society?
How do we attend to both the first and second economies, mitigating the disparity between the two?
Our president, in the State of the Nation address raised the issue, both of the talent leadership we have within our public service cadres,
but also very strongly pointed to the weakness that still persists in many quarters.
Our interventions in the Eastern Cape, and our restructuring processes have shown that we are beginning to build a public service that is capable of performing its critical role as the implementers of freedom and democracy.
Parliament has a critical role to play in this regard, in acting as the custodian of these values, of freedom and democracy.
Fearless in its endeavours to hold the machinery of government to account.
Unwavering in pointing out the shortcomings to the executive.
We in this country have strongly adhered to the principles of good governance,
implementing the pre-requisites - the separation of the legislative, judicial and executive arms of government, free press, protection of human rights and so on.
Our Bill of Rights is the most progressive in the world.
But addressing first generation rights such as these does not alone put food in the stomach of a child.
Nor give a roof to a homeless family, nor protect the face of a battered wife.
We must also focus on the role of the state in addressing basic needs - that ensures that the benefits of a democratic state are real to all.
At the recent World Economic Forum. the nature of democracy and good governance and their benefits to the majority of people in the world was vigorously debated at the
Yes, there is a global recognition that the world is more democratic than ever before.
But the number of people slipping into poverty has increased.
What value is democracy itself, if it is accompanied by hunger, by disease and suffering?
We must question, explore and debate what particular models of democracy deliver effectively and rapidly.
There is growing discomfort amongst developing nations about a single application of terms such as good governance.
One single definition does not allow regional and local differences to be reflected, and for indigenous practices to be given due recognition.
We cannot apply a 'one size fits all' solution to the range of challenges and circumstances facing different countries, regions and sectors.
The UNDP, in its study on Capacity Building recently released notes:
"While the best global knowledge should be shared and put to use, developing countries in the end need policy choices that are based on the own development model. They need to be able to make decisions that can be nationally negotiated and agreed on - in ways that seriously respect stakeholder rights"
Chairperson
As a member of the African National Congress, I am filled with pride at what we have accomplished in the first ten years of democracy.
But we cannot be complacent while one child goes with a hollow stomach, while people still suffer the degradation of poverty and the indignity of being without work.
Our debate needs to extend to the nature of a development model most appropriate to South Africa, a complex nation that has emerged from decades of institutionalized oppression.
Should we revise the model on which our state is constructed to address effectively our specific challenges of poverty and inequality, whilst enabling us to play an international role?
That can deliver in the words of the President in his state of the nation address last week:
"greater progress with regard to the integration of our system of governance, achieving seamless cooperation both within and among all spheres of government. (that can) "consolidate the practice of creating public-private partnerships and building government-civil society cooperation, to ensure that we utilise our collective capacities to give further impetus to the overall development and transformation of our country"
Our democratic South African State has be fundamentally transformative in changing the legislative framework, addressing macro-economic stability and eradicating institutionalized racism and inequity.
We have intervened in instances of social need, with social grants and subsidies, with relief to the most needy, and our role with regard to investment, public participation and local economic development has been facilitative.
We have drawn citizens directly into policy debates, through our community forums, through our imbizos, our parliamentary processes and our channels for comment and communication.
At the heart of the debate, which needs to inform the choices made as we enter our second decade of democracy, is:
How do our institutions of state and the various stakeholders that are involved, further develop a sense of the appropriate role of the state and the manner in which we engage in poverty reduction and addressing basic needs? Chairperson
The challenges to deepen and consolidate our very real gains in attaining freedom and democracy require a partnership between government and people.
They require a pubic service that is professional, dedicated and committed to the transformation of our society, implementing policies developed by the elected representatives of the people.
They require a vocal and questioning citizenry, supported by informed and alert media institutions -
It is fitting that parliament is taking the lead in stimulating discussion on such a critical topic.
For it is Parliament that is the custodian of our freedom and our democracy.
It is parliament that must hold the executive to account
And it is parliament that must ask the searching questions and ensure that government fulfills its mandate in delivering to the people to build the better life that we promised in 1994.
I remain confident that with the support of this house, the African National Congress will ensure that the flag of freedom and the torch of democracy fly higher and burn brighter over our land, our region and our continent.
Because the people do govern.