ID National Congress – resolutions up for adoption Calls for a complete overhaul of the ‘Government’s failed HIV/Aids prevention strategy
05/07/2007, 14H30 At least five resolutions will be put forward for adoption at the ID National Congress this weekend in the Main Hall of the University of the Western Cape.
One of the resolutions covers the ‘urgent need’ for party funding
legislation, another deals with climate change, which ‘threatens the
livelihoods of millions of people across the world with the most
vulnerable being in Africa’, the third would make a call to ‘Government
to institute immediate temporary relief measures for our devastated
fishing communities’, while the fourth involves the attainment of the
Millennium Development Goals. The last one deals with SABC coverage of
2010 and PSL soccer matches.
These are the four…
1. Resolution on need for Legislation Concerning Party Funding
This Conference notes with concern the large number of party funding scandals that have taken place over the last few years in South Africa. These scandals include the considerable Brett Kebble funding of the ANC and the DA, as well as the infamous Oilgate scandal, where public money was funnelled into the ANC General Election campaign. The conference believes that these scandals could have been avoided through proper regulation of party funding.
Resolves
1) That in the interest of democracy, good governance and transparency parliament must set up a multiparty committee to draft legislation concerning party political funding.
2. Resolution on Climate Change
This Conference notes with extreme concern that climate change threatens the livelihoods of millions of people across the world, with the most vulnerable being in Africa. It further notes that climate change will have a disastrous effect on our country’s rich biodiversity as well threaten our already scarce water supply. South Africa is one of the top twenty emitters of greenhouse gases in the world and our emissions have increased by over 20 percent in the past 15 years.
Therefore resolves:
1) That the Government must play a leading role in brokering a binding international agreement to effectively deal with the threat of climate change.
2) That South Africa must institute a comprehensive plan to reduce our own emissions by substantially investing in energy efficiency measures and renewable energy technologies.
3) That the Government must ensure that South Africa is positioned to become a leader in the renewable energy market, thereby creating jobs and building an export industry.
3. Resolution on our Fishing Communities
This conference recognises the extreme suffering that has been caused by the implementation of the Government’s unjust fishing policy. We further note that many of our fisher people have been denied the right to earn a livelihood without any alternative form of income being provided. This has consequently led to the social fabric of many of these communities being torn apart by an increase in crime, drug and alcohol abuse.
The conference therefore resolves:
1) To call upon Government to institute immediate temporary relief measures for our devastated fishing communities.
2) To call upon Government to institute a comprehensive economic recovery programme for our fishing communities through the provision of alternative livelihoods;
3) Further calls upon Government to institute a proper review and assessment of the implementation of the long-term fishing rights so as to root out fraud and corruption and ensure that only bona fide fisher people are given quotas.
4. Resolution on the Millennium Development Goals
The conference notes with alarm the United Nations report that South Africa is currently not on track towards meeting at least half of its Millennium Development Goals. Of particular concern to the conference is that South Africa is far off meeting the goals concerning HIV/Aids, child mortality and maternal mortality and looks set to fall short of halving poverty by 2015.
Resolves
1) That the Government must completely overhaul its failed HIV/Aids prevention strategy and devote more resources and political will to slowing down the pandemic
2) That the Government must speed up the delivery of essential services to poor households to reduce the incidence of diseases of poverty
3) That youth desks are set-up in all Government departments to deal better with the health and general well-being of our youth.
5. Resolution on SABC Coverage of 2010 and PSL Matches
The Conference notes with concern the struggle by the SABC to obtain the rights to screen live soccer matches of the 2010 World Cup to the poor people of South Africa, who often do not have access to stadiums because of high gate fees.
Resolves:
1) To call on Fifa not to just consider the high profits they can make from the World Cup, but also the fact that South Africa is a developing country with millions of poor soccer fans. They must therefore allow the SABC to screen all the matches live and not put profits ahead of a soccer-loving nation. We also call on the PSL to award their contract to the SABC, instead of the pay channel, as the majority of soccer-loving fans cannot afford pay these station fees.
Released by Steven Otter – 084 233 3811
These are the four…
1. Resolution on need for Legislation Concerning Party Funding
This Conference notes with concern the large number of party funding scandals that have taken place over the last few years in South Africa. These scandals include the considerable Brett Kebble funding of the ANC and the DA, as well as the infamous Oilgate scandal, where public money was funnelled into the ANC General Election campaign. The conference believes that these scandals could have been avoided through proper regulation of party funding.
Resolves
1) That in the interest of democracy, good governance and transparency parliament must set up a multiparty committee to draft legislation concerning party political funding.
2. Resolution on Climate Change
This Conference notes with extreme concern that climate change threatens the livelihoods of millions of people across the world, with the most vulnerable being in Africa. It further notes that climate change will have a disastrous effect on our country’s rich biodiversity as well threaten our already scarce water supply. South Africa is one of the top twenty emitters of greenhouse gases in the world and our emissions have increased by over 20 percent in the past 15 years.
Therefore resolves:
1) That the Government must play a leading role in brokering a binding international agreement to effectively deal with the threat of climate change.
2) That South Africa must institute a comprehensive plan to reduce our own emissions by substantially investing in energy efficiency measures and renewable energy technologies.
3) That the Government must ensure that South Africa is positioned to become a leader in the renewable energy market, thereby creating jobs and building an export industry.
3. Resolution on our Fishing Communities
This conference recognises the extreme suffering that has been caused by the implementation of the Government’s unjust fishing policy. We further note that many of our fisher people have been denied the right to earn a livelihood without any alternative form of income being provided. This has consequently led to the social fabric of many of these communities being torn apart by an increase in crime, drug and alcohol abuse.
The conference therefore resolves:
1) To call upon Government to institute immediate temporary relief measures for our devastated fishing communities.
2) To call upon Government to institute a comprehensive economic recovery programme for our fishing communities through the provision of alternative livelihoods;
3) Further calls upon Government to institute a proper review and assessment of the implementation of the long-term fishing rights so as to root out fraud and corruption and ensure that only bona fide fisher people are given quotas.
4. Resolution on the Millennium Development Goals
The conference notes with alarm the United Nations report that South Africa is currently not on track towards meeting at least half of its Millennium Development Goals. Of particular concern to the conference is that South Africa is far off meeting the goals concerning HIV/Aids, child mortality and maternal mortality and looks set to fall short of halving poverty by 2015.
Resolves
1) That the Government must completely overhaul its failed HIV/Aids prevention strategy and devote more resources and political will to slowing down the pandemic
2) That the Government must speed up the delivery of essential services to poor households to reduce the incidence of diseases of poverty
3) That youth desks are set-up in all Government departments to deal better with the health and general well-being of our youth.
5. Resolution on SABC Coverage of 2010 and PSL Matches
The Conference notes with concern the struggle by the SABC to obtain the rights to screen live soccer matches of the 2010 World Cup to the poor people of South Africa, who often do not have access to stadiums because of high gate fees.
Resolves:
1) To call on Fifa not to just consider the high profits they can make from the World Cup, but also the fact that South Africa is a developing country with millions of poor soccer fans. They must therefore allow the SABC to screen all the matches live and not put profits ahead of a soccer-loving nation. We also call on the PSL to award their contract to the SABC, instead of the pay channel, as the majority of soccer-loving fans cannot afford pay these station fees.
Released by Steven Otter – 084 233 3811
