SPEECH BY
PRINCE MANGOSUTHU BUTHELEZI MP
PRESIDENT OF THE INKATHA FREEDOM PARTY
 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

I am delighted to share this platform with my fellow leaders and Colleagues, such as Mr Tony Leon the Leader of the DA and leader of the opposition and Rev Kenneth Meshoe the leader of the ACDP and Dr Pieter Mulder the leader of the Freedom Front Plus.

This kind of a meeting has long been overdue. But I still think that it is appropriate that we are meeting in this way, in the year in which we are celebrating the 10th Anniversary of our Constitution. It is an appropriate time to look back, and assess whether in fact we acted in such good faith when Parliament decided to amend our Constitution to put this legislation on our statute books.

As all of you are aware my Party and I were opposed to the amendment that was effected in order to permit floor-crossing from the very beginning. I had no doubts that the amendment would haunt us as a blemish on our Constitution that was hailed throughout the World as one of the best in the World.

Floor-crossing in this Country is by international standards one of the most controversial practices within the context of parliamentary democracy. What was ominous about the legislation is that the ruling Party, aided and abetted by all the parties that supported them in Parliament, was doing so after the Inkatha Freedom Party had successfully challenged the unconstitutionality of floor-crossing in the year 2002.

The amending of the Constitution to allow floor-crossing after we had been regaled with statements that the Constitution was so sacrosanct that it could not be touched at the drop of the hat, told us something about any promises from politicians' lips. Today I fear for the sanctity of our Constitution, after the rude shock this parliamentary amendment gave me.

Let me make it clear from the outset that I have not come here to participate in this rally in a spirit of just apportioning blame. What I am saying is no more than just stating the facts of the matter. I therefore believe that we have joined hands as opposition Party leaders and as South African patriots, to appeal to the governing Party to join hands with us in correcting that which we did wrong as Parliament when we passed this legislation. That exercise has no doubt struck a devastating blow to our fledgling democracy. It has really betrayed the people's right to choose.

We can now look at this floor-crossing legislation having experienced how it has amounted to a betrayal of the ideals of democracy to which all of us are committed. I remember that at the time that the legislation was going through Parliament it was argued that its rationale was the enhancement of the very principle that in democracy people have a right to change their minds. No one amongst us can quarrel with that. But we pointed out from the very word "go" that the legislation permitting floor-crossing had nothing to do with the principle of 'the freedom to choose'. But that it was introduced for what were patently expedient reasons. Political expediency dictated it.

We have seen how floor-crossing has tarnished our young democracy in the way it has operated. It has operated in favour of the majority Party and to the detriment of smaller parties. And what is so difficult to understand is that the ruling Party has already got a two-thirds majority, and does not therefore need to increase its majority through such legislation.

As we know, our members of Parliament, members of Provincial Parliaments and our local government Councillors may change political parties leaving Parties which put them into those positions! They can form a new Party and take their seats with them as they do. As all of us here are aware scores and scores of them have done so over and over again each time there comes this so-called "window of opportunity". It should really be called "the window of political opportunism". By doing this they virtually undermine the very system that they are supposed to sustain. The way this legislation has operated, it appears to ordinary people like us, to be unethical. But it is of course quite legal and adorns our statute books. To ordinary observers it appears to be immoral. It has become a basis of corruption in our corruption-ridden land because people are lured with cheque-book politics and patronage to defect. These things happen each time we have the so-called "window of opportunity". It is therefore no wonder that floor-crossing has become such a great source of political controversy.

The Inkatha Freedom Party and other parties argue that this floor-crossing disenfranchises voters. It allows politicians to 'reallocate' votes given to their parties as they see fit.

In fairness to the ruling Party they were not the only party that supported this legislation. But in effect it is the ruling Party which has benefited the most from this system. The reason is that floor-crossing encourages "cherry-picking" where larger parties offer more attractive positions to members of smaller parties and so lure them away. There are numerous examples of spectacular career moves of floor-crossing. In fact too spectacular and too numerous to mention here.

Floor-crossing has been known to lead to tragi-comic situations. Dr Matsoko Peko, the leader of the PAC referred to the whole exercise in Parliament as 'prostitution' and to those who cross to other parties under these circumstances as "CROSTITUTES".

We in the IFP believe that the floor-crossing legislation, as it stands, is particularly controversial because South African MPs are elected by proportional representation, and are nominated by political parties on a party list before a general election.

Voters are left with limited choices. They vote for the bulk of a political party, rather that for an individual MP. However, floor-crossing allows for MPs to change parties, leading to well-grounded accusations that the process undermines the choices made by the electorate.

I once compared floor-crossing to the HIV virus and I will do it again. I genuinely believe that it robs the political system of all honour, holding political parties hostage by rendering them unable to discipline their own wayward members.

It shamelessly allows the emergence of careerists and self-serving politicians who are a very strange breed because they do not honour the sanctity of the vote cast in the ballot box.

The IFP and my prejudice against floor-crossing is not just a matter of political gut-feeling. There is some empirical evidence that floor-crossing does discourage voters from taking part in the elections. In fact scores of IFP supporters and members have told me that they will not vote as long as this legislation is on our statute books.

According to a survey conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council, most South Africans view floor-crossing as a wasted vote.

The survey was conducted among 5 000 participants throughout the country in the run-up to the 2006 local government elections and the intention was to determine the state of political culture with respect to voting behaviour in South Africa.

The survey revealed that half of the respondents stated that floor-crossing discourages people from voting and about 46 percent stated that it meant that they had wasted their vote. Less than a third indicated that it was a true reflection of a real democracy.

These are our people's views. If our democracy wants to call itself representative, accountable and responsive, it needs to take them into consideration when it drafts our future electoral legislation.

Failure to do so might signal that we are moving closer to a system of government that is both wicket keeper and umpire - and which in future may be prepared to move the wicket every time the bowling gets a bit rougher.  South Africa deserves and demands better.

President Mbeki has already said that he welcomes a debate on this legislation. I hope the President will realise that there is really not much room for debate about the evils of floor-crossing and the extent to which it undermines our democracy and tarnishes our Constitution. We can only appeal to the President and the ruling Party to heed the cry of most South Africans against this floor-crossing legislation including members of the ANC. It should not be allowed to continue being on our statute books.  It is not a party-political issue, but a South African issue.

I thank you.