ID ACCUSES ANC OF ‘BETRAYING OUR DEMOCRACY’
10 DECEMBER 2008-‘President Motlanthe’s decision represents a continuation of the arms deal cover-up by Mbeki,’ says De Lille
‘President Motlanthe’s decision represents a continuation of the arms
deal cover-up by Mbeki,’ says De Lille
ID President Patricia de Lille has accused the ANC ‘of betraying our democracy and the democratic principles of accountability and transparency’ after the presidency announced this morning that President Kgalema Motlanthe would reject the call to set up a commission of inquiry into arms deal corruption.
‘By rejecting the call by the Independent Democrats and Nobel Peace Prize winners Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and former President FW de Klerk, President Motlanthe has made it clear that he will continue the close to decade-long cover-up and denial campaign of his predecessor, Thabo Mbeki,’ Ms De Lille says.
The ID Leader also says comments made yesterday by ANC President Jacob Zuma in Windhoek, Namibia, ‘are laughable.’
At a meeting yesterday with SWAPO, the Namibian ruling party, Zuma said the ANC needed to do “something radical” to stop corruption.
"We are very concerned about the level of corruption in government and we must do something radical about it. Otherwise people get the perception that the ANC condones corruption," he said.
‘It is too late for Zuma to be worrying about people having the perception that the ANC condones corruption,’ says De Lille.
‘We in the Independent Democrats believe that by rejecting the call by clergymen, academics, authors, activists and politicians for a commission of inquiry into the arms deal, the ANC as a whole condones corruption and rejects the democratic principles of accountability and transparency.
‘The ANC has failed to grasp the principle that our democracy is far bigger than the leaders and members inside the ruling party that have diverted billions of rand from the massive challenges faced by our poor, like job creation, poverty, health, education, crime, corruption and HIV/Aids,’ De Lille says.
‘The ANC is sending the message to its cadres that it is okay to commit corruption and divert resources from the poor; in effect that it is okay to steal from the poor, as long as you are a member of the ANC.
‘This is not what the struggle against Apartheid was all about. During the struggle we were informed by a set of clear principles, values and ideals, one of which was that we would one day create a society where all of us would be equal before the law,’ says De Lille.
‘Clearly, the ANC has moved to obstruct the realization of this principle and it is up to all of us to make every effort to uncover the truth about its massive role in arms deal corruption.’
For media enquiries, please call Steven Otter, ID National Media Officer, on 084 233 3811
ID President Patricia de Lille has accused the ANC ‘of betraying our democracy and the democratic principles of accountability and transparency’ after the presidency announced this morning that President Kgalema Motlanthe would reject the call to set up a commission of inquiry into arms deal corruption.
‘By rejecting the call by the Independent Democrats and Nobel Peace Prize winners Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and former President FW de Klerk, President Motlanthe has made it clear that he will continue the close to decade-long cover-up and denial campaign of his predecessor, Thabo Mbeki,’ Ms De Lille says.
The ID Leader also says comments made yesterday by ANC President Jacob Zuma in Windhoek, Namibia, ‘are laughable.’
At a meeting yesterday with SWAPO, the Namibian ruling party, Zuma said the ANC needed to do “something radical” to stop corruption.
"We are very concerned about the level of corruption in government and we must do something radical about it. Otherwise people get the perception that the ANC condones corruption," he said.
‘It is too late for Zuma to be worrying about people having the perception that the ANC condones corruption,’ says De Lille.
‘We in the Independent Democrats believe that by rejecting the call by clergymen, academics, authors, activists and politicians for a commission of inquiry into the arms deal, the ANC as a whole condones corruption and rejects the democratic principles of accountability and transparency.
‘The ANC has failed to grasp the principle that our democracy is far bigger than the leaders and members inside the ruling party that have diverted billions of rand from the massive challenges faced by our poor, like job creation, poverty, health, education, crime, corruption and HIV/Aids,’ De Lille says.
‘The ANC is sending the message to its cadres that it is okay to commit corruption and divert resources from the poor; in effect that it is okay to steal from the poor, as long as you are a member of the ANC.
‘This is not what the struggle against Apartheid was all about. During the struggle we were informed by a set of clear principles, values and ideals, one of which was that we would one day create a society where all of us would be equal before the law,’ says De Lille.
‘Clearly, the ANC has moved to obstruct the realization of this principle and it is up to all of us to make every effort to uncover the truth about its massive role in arms deal corruption.’
For media enquiries, please call Steven Otter, ID National Media Officer, on 084 233 3811
