Presidency Budget Vote By Hon. Patricia De Lille
2004-06-23. The Independent Democrats is the only true, independent voice in this country. This has been confirmed in the April 2004 elections and we will execute our mandate without fear or favour. The ID remains the only political party with a non-racial message of opposition politics, which is pro-transformation and the building of a new South Africa where inequalities has no place. This is the vision of the ID and is shared by many Independent Democrats who mandated us.
There are several coalitions in this
house - there is on the one hand a coalition for the disappearance
after 90 years and on the other hand we have a coalition for change or
is it for fear?
We are interested in what the status of this coalition is. It seems this coalition only comes together when it fears being excluded from positions of power by the majority.
Mr. President I will focus on a few key issues integral to the operations of the Presidency: Poverty, the Youth and HIV/AIDS.
Poverty
While each government department has its own poverty alleviation budget these programmes must be aligned tightly to assure effectiveness. We welcome the closer monitoring the President has now announced today and we look forward to fulfilling our function of watching closely.
We support the latest Human Rights Commission Report, which recommends that child support grants be extended from 14 to 18 years of age. Government is under obligation to provide in terms of Section 28 of the Constitution, which makes provision for second-generation rights for children.
It has been proven all over the world that when government finds ways to stimulate SMME sector there is a significant reduction in unemployment. Therefore job creation in the informal sector must be a priority.
Youth
The majority of the unemployed are the youth of our country. Policy interventions directed at this must be strengthened and linked to broader employment initiatives.
The performance to date of the National Youth Commission and Umsobomvu Youth Fund is disappointing. These stand to benefit most from efficient and independent monitoring to gauge its effectiveness and to justify the increases in their budget.
Our education system must also be designed to deliver the skills required within our economy. There is currently a mismatch that needs to be corrected. There should be a demand driven approach to skills development between the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETA's) and the industries for which they have been created.
Given the resources allocated to the Umsobomvu Youth Fund to make a visible impact in creating employment, it is disappointing to note that this has not been realized mostly because of the lack of capacity in this institution and its inaccessibility.
HIV/AIDS
Mr. President, the current rate at which anti-retro viral drugs are rolled out, you will not achieve your target of 1,4 million by 2008. Various provinces have bottlenecks.
There is no time for 'philosophical and intellectual' debates around HIV/AIDS or grandstanding. What is needed is a strong political will to make high impact and cost effective interventions. It is the role and responsibility of everyone in this country to stand up and do something about HIV and AIDS.
For government to achieve its target it must partner with the private sector, NGOs and civil society and the people of this country as a whole. Government cannot do it alone.
It is a fact, Mr. President, that all pandemics, such as polio and smallpox, have been all contained by vaccine intervention. We must, therefore, make more resources available for the HIV/AIDS vaccine initiative. We must commend SAVI in this regard.
It is quite embarrassing Mr. President to always attend International Conference on HIV/AIDS and be confronted by different presentations by different South African organizations. The ID hopes that we will finally be able to take a country position to the Bangkok Conference on HIV/Aids and not simply as individuals as has been the case in the past.
We accept that the growth rate in the President's budget of 10.4% over the medium term is sufficient to cope with the increasing leadership role on the continent and the implementation of domestic policy and service delivery.
The restructuring of the Presidency is critical to ensure proper coordination and implementation of policy. We therefore welcome the appointment of the Chief Operations Officer in the presidency to fast track delivery.
We heard from inside your camp honourable President that you are cracking the whip on your ministers and not letting them get away with non-performance. You are correct in this approach because they must work hard in order to come back in 2009. The question is: how can I help you in this task, because I am sure I can shout louder than you.
On the restructuring of local government; we agree with the steps that are being implemented because it is at this level where the face of poverty is most obvious. The equitable share allocation is imperative if this Presidency wants to stand out in the minds of South Africans in the years to come for its achievements with regard to poverty eradication.
Instead of being a bunch of reactionaries who continually criticize policies without having credible alternatives, the ID is building a majority that is determined and dedicated to get South Africa working.
I am convinced, that when you look back, many years from now you would want to be remembered, Mr. President, for the goals that you intend achieving over the next 5 years.
I thank you
We are interested in what the status of this coalition is. It seems this coalition only comes together when it fears being excluded from positions of power by the majority.
Mr. President I will focus on a few key issues integral to the operations of the Presidency: Poverty, the Youth and HIV/AIDS.
Poverty
While each government department has its own poverty alleviation budget these programmes must be aligned tightly to assure effectiveness. We welcome the closer monitoring the President has now announced today and we look forward to fulfilling our function of watching closely.
We support the latest Human Rights Commission Report, which recommends that child support grants be extended from 14 to 18 years of age. Government is under obligation to provide in terms of Section 28 of the Constitution, which makes provision for second-generation rights for children.
It has been proven all over the world that when government finds ways to stimulate SMME sector there is a significant reduction in unemployment. Therefore job creation in the informal sector must be a priority.
Youth
The majority of the unemployed are the youth of our country. Policy interventions directed at this must be strengthened and linked to broader employment initiatives.
The performance to date of the National Youth Commission and Umsobomvu Youth Fund is disappointing. These stand to benefit most from efficient and independent monitoring to gauge its effectiveness and to justify the increases in their budget.
Our education system must also be designed to deliver the skills required within our economy. There is currently a mismatch that needs to be corrected. There should be a demand driven approach to skills development between the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETA's) and the industries for which they have been created.
Given the resources allocated to the Umsobomvu Youth Fund to make a visible impact in creating employment, it is disappointing to note that this has not been realized mostly because of the lack of capacity in this institution and its inaccessibility.
HIV/AIDS
Mr. President, the current rate at which anti-retro viral drugs are rolled out, you will not achieve your target of 1,4 million by 2008. Various provinces have bottlenecks.
There is no time for 'philosophical and intellectual' debates around HIV/AIDS or grandstanding. What is needed is a strong political will to make high impact and cost effective interventions. It is the role and responsibility of everyone in this country to stand up and do something about HIV and AIDS.
For government to achieve its target it must partner with the private sector, NGOs and civil society and the people of this country as a whole. Government cannot do it alone.
It is a fact, Mr. President, that all pandemics, such as polio and smallpox, have been all contained by vaccine intervention. We must, therefore, make more resources available for the HIV/AIDS vaccine initiative. We must commend SAVI in this regard.
It is quite embarrassing Mr. President to always attend International Conference on HIV/AIDS and be confronted by different presentations by different South African organizations. The ID hopes that we will finally be able to take a country position to the Bangkok Conference on HIV/Aids and not simply as individuals as has been the case in the past.
We accept that the growth rate in the President's budget of 10.4% over the medium term is sufficient to cope with the increasing leadership role on the continent and the implementation of domestic policy and service delivery.
The restructuring of the Presidency is critical to ensure proper coordination and implementation of policy. We therefore welcome the appointment of the Chief Operations Officer in the presidency to fast track delivery.
We heard from inside your camp honourable President that you are cracking the whip on your ministers and not letting them get away with non-performance. You are correct in this approach because they must work hard in order to come back in 2009. The question is: how can I help you in this task, because I am sure I can shout louder than you.
On the restructuring of local government; we agree with the steps that are being implemented because it is at this level where the face of poverty is most obvious. The equitable share allocation is imperative if this Presidency wants to stand out in the minds of South Africans in the years to come for its achievements with regard to poverty eradication.
Instead of being a bunch of reactionaries who continually criticize policies without having credible alternatives, the ID is building a majority that is determined and dedicated to get South Africa working.
I am convinced, that when you look back, many years from now you would want to be remembered, Mr. President, for the goals that you intend achieving over the next 5 years.
I thank you
