Honourable Speaker, it has been only a short time since I became the Chief Whip of my party, the Independent Democrats. I have spent that time trying to understand the inner workings of this institution and some of its more bizarre practices. Allow me to share some of my observations.

 

My first observation was that the Chief Whip’s Forum is a bit like a soap opera – you can miss ten episodes and still know what is going on. Sometimes the cast changes, but the dramas keep repeating themselves. It has, for instance, been almost two years since the last floor-crossing and yet we still have not managed to resolve the issue of seating in the house.

 

The larger parties simply refuse to budge on this issue and as usual it is the smaller parties who get the short end of the stick. Unless you as the Speaker institute basic principles to guide seating in the house I can guarantee you that we are going to have the same mess after the next floor crossing. As for security in the parliamentary villages, all I can say is thank goodness I don’t stay there, because this item has been on the agenda of the Chief Whip’s Forum ever since my first attendance.

 

These are by all accounts petty issues though and what I want to concentrate on today is the theme for this year’s Parliament – ‘deepening the debate.’ Madame Speaker, as a young parliamentarian who some might call idealistic; I have a vision where this Parliament becomes a place which can inspire the nation. Our country is demanding leadership on crucial issues and it is all of us seated here today that should be providing exactly that.

 

Unfortunately, though, I have been horrified to watch debates over important issues degenerate into personal slinging matches, where the only intention is to score cheap political points and to prove the other person wrong. While we might be amused by these antics, it does not inspire the nation at large and in many ways sets back nation building in this country. Some might say that this is just politics, but it is the same kind of politics that the people out there have been turned off to. This has been the case with particularly the youth in this country, many of whom have moved on from these old divisions that we continually reflect in this House.

 

One tangible change that we can make is to do away with proportional speaking times. How can a smaller party be expected to deepen the debate when they are only given a minute to speak on important issues. By contrast, the governing party is allowed to speak ad nauseam for forty minutes on the same debate. This does not translate into robust and insightful debate in the House and we urgently need to revisit this practice.

 

Finally, Madam Speaker and Madam Deputy-Speaker, I would like to see two things happen in this Parliament to show true leadership to the nation. I would like you to convene an ad-hoc committee to discuss the long overdue issue of party funding as suggested by the President three weeks ago. I would also like to see you make Parliament carbon neutral by installing solar panels on the roof and encouraging all Members of Parliament to plant trees.

 

Released by ID Chief Whip Lance Greyling – 083 298 8553