NATIONAL ASSEMBLY : 19th June 2008
 

Sidney Anglo in his essay "the anatomy of political and military decadence" interprets Prince Nicolo Machiavelli's warnings of the signs preceding a potential National Predicament. Among these he warns of the advancement of evil men, irreligiousness, lasciviousness, lack of unity, desire for empty honours, infighting and the pursuit of Party interests at the expense of the greater commonwealth.

The persistent call to establish wholesale street committees to help fight crime presents the country with extremely frightening prospects. This will in practise prove to be unintentional invitation to widespread lawlessness and eventual anarchy, when political no-go-areas are re-established, antagonistic party political armies are formed, lives lost and properties destroyed. And criminal gangs will obviously find umbrage in the ensuing chaos. In the idiom of Chinua Achebe "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold, mere anarchy is loosed upon the world."

The IFP appeals to this House and the leadership of the ANC to reconsider this potentially harrowing social engineering at the time when our democracy is at its most fragile state. Moreover, this resolution is an inappropriate admission to the nation and the international community as a whole that the law enforcement agencies of this country are failing to combat crime, that Churches and Religious lenders are failing to reverse the tide of moral degeneration and that schools, communities and families are failing to instil in their members, young and old, the hallowed values of Ubuntu/Botho. 

Such a situation cannot be conducive for foreign investment and social development.

Let us strive for the legitimate reinforcement of the existing law enforcement agencies, including reorganising, restructuring and resourcing them adequately to deal with any manner of crime.