21 -  27 September 2009

My fellow citizens of KwaZulu-Natal

The IFP has consistently expressed reservations about the ANC government’s conception of public participation. While we have never questioned the government’s formal commitment to public participation programmes (which are a constitutional imperative), we have been vocal in our criticism of the form these programmes take, namely that in practice they are little less than a Legislature-sponsored platform for ANC MECs to beat their own drums with the express exclusion of the political opposition and a minimum of public participation in the exercise.

The recent decision to expand the existing sectoral parliaments (Women’s, Youth and Workers’ Parliaments) to create additional forums for disabled people, business, religious leaders, informal sector, senior citizens, children and community-based NGOs at a whopping annual cost of R2.6-million rand each amid a severe economic recession is even more controversial considering that the substance of these new events will be no different from the way sectoral parliaments have been run until now.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with consulting as widely as possible with the civil society when addressing its challenges in Parliament. Such engagement can only be fruitful – if it is genuine and devoid of unhelpful political undertones. This has not always been the case before. The Workers’ Parliament is an obvious example of the Legislature providing a forum (at taxpayers’ expense) to a narrow political agenda pursued by a clique of the ruling party’s alliance partners with the exclusion of other, for instance non-unionised, workers’ interests.

Nor is it clear that the costly engagement with the civil society through sectoral parliaments has produced a discernible shift in government policy to accommodate the concerns voiced in these forums. The IFP recalls that the most recurring theme of this year’s Workers’ Parliament, sponsored by the ANC-controlled provincial Legislature, was universal condemnation of labour brokers whom the ruling party’s alliance partners see as unashamed exploiters.

This has not stopped the ANC-run KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health from engaging employment agencies to hire non-critical staff in defiance of last year’s moratorium through employment agencies which operate on the same principle as labour brokers. The government has thus created two categories of departmental employees: permanent ones who enjoy all benefits available to government employees and temporary ones who are formally contracted to the middleman and often on a month-to-month basis.

We in the Official Opposition are naturally curious to see who, in the ANC’s books, will be worthy of representing the above-mentioned sections of the civil society in the newly conceived sectoral parliaments. If, as in the past, these new talk shops will be reserved for the closed company of the ruling party’s political allies, we, confined to the opposition benches, will be obliged to see to it that the views expressed in these forums are at least reflected in the government’s policies. That is surely the least one owes one’s best friends.

The ruling party's narrow political bias is apparent in another proposal that will add expenditure to the cash-strapped province of KwaZulu-Natal. The KwaZulu-Natal Legislature is budgeting R750,000 for a new coat of arms and a mace as if the provincial fiscus was not confronting more urgent priorities. One can only hope that the ruling party will muster enough magnanimity to place the current mace in a place of honour.

Sincerely,

Dr Bonginkosi Buthelezi MPL

Leader of the Official Opposition

Contact: Dr Bonginkosi Buthelezi, 082 516 0156