Statement on the outcome of the 2014 Annual Caucus Lekgotla The African National Congress held a successful annual Caucus Lekgotla this weekend, 26-27 July 2014, in Cape Town. The Lekgotla, which was the first in this fifth term of Parliament, was convened under the theme Together We Move South Africa Forward, reinforcing the steadfastness with which we shall put into action the progressive electoral commitments we developed together with our people. The Lekgotla was attended by ANC deployees in both Houses of Parliament. From this Lekgotla, we have developed an intensive five year programme of action that will ensure that we strengthen Parliament`s oversight function to realise our key electoral commitments around the economy and jobs; rural development, land reform and food security; human settlements and basic services; education and training; health; and fighting corruption and crime. We emerge out of this crucial Lekgotla with great purpose and resoluteness inspired by concrete plans to strengthen Parliament as a maker of quality and transformative legislation, as an oversight authority over the executive, and as a facilitator of regular and meaningful interaction between public representatives and the people. It shall be business unusual during this term. We will execute the huge mandate given to us by our people and re-affirm our commitment to work better and smarter than before. We will intensify the need to radically transform the economy and drastically improve the material conditions of our people through an activist Parliament that conducts its oversight function without fear, favour or prejudice. We will consistently assess and closely monitor the performance of each of our 282 MPs to optimise the work of the ANC in particular and Parliament in general. The Lekgotla agreed that ANC MPs in both Houses of Parliament must continue to be at the forefront of producing constructive questions, superior arguments and quality motions as tools of oversight - informed by the living conditions of our people in constituencies. During this term, constituency work will take centre stage in all our programmes. This will ensure that our Members are on the ground and visible amongst our people so that they are able to respond timeously and constructively to any matters raised by the communities. We will confront difficult issues head-on, assert the hegemony of our progressive ideas, promote and bolster multiparty debates, and maintain internal discipline and the prestige of the institution. We will strive for the production of quality transformative legislation that passes constitutional muster. At least 40% of our MPs are new to Parliament, and therefore greater attention will be given to building capacity of Members through practical political, skills and academic development programmes. For Parliament to remain relevant as an agent for qualitative change in the lives of our people, we call upon the institution to change the current parliamentary political party funding model to ensure that parties have the necessary capacity to effectively conduct their constituency business. There is general recognition that appropriate and sufficient funding of political parties is not only critical to the functionality and fulfilment of parties` core responsibilities but also to our maturing multiparty democracy. The Lekgotla deliberated on the Code of Ethical Conduct and Disclosure of Financial Interest for Assembly and Permanent Council Members and supported its objectives of promoting ethical conduct amongst public representatives thereby ensuring public confidence in Parliament. As the Majority Party in this institution, the ANC has a responsibility to protect the integrity of this important democratic institution and to ensure its MPs lead by example in their conduct and observance of the Code. In this regard, caucus will ensure that workshops are conducted to educate members about theAssembly on Tuesday, 29 July. Mechanisms to discourage unethical conduct must be created at all levels to enhance the integrity of our state institutions. Therefore we will also prioritise the passing of the Public Administration & Management Bill which will, amongst others, make it illegal for civil servants to do business with the state. The Parliamentary Code, already mentioned, also prohibits public representatives from doing business with the state. Through its enhanced oversight function, this Parliament will intensify the fight against corruption, crime, greed and violence against women and children. During this term of Parliament, deliberate strategic interventions will be made to strengthen the oversight capacity of our Study Groups and Portfolio Committees to ensure that they play meaningful oversight and monitoring roles over the departments for the attainment of radical economic transformation. Our oversight efforts will be directed at ensuring that we increase levels of employment, substantially reduce poverty and inequality, ensure meaningful black ownership and control of the economy through the BBBEE and the industrialisation of our economy. Our oversight will also ensure that private sector actively contributes to inclusive growth, investment, social development and economic transformation of our society. Eradication of unemployment amongst the youth is critical, and our oversight will ensure youth-based empowerment, education, training and job creation through a multi-pronged approach in infrastructure, public works and other projects. The Lekgotla noted that effective communications is central to the institution`s ability to continuously interact with and be closer to the people it represents, thereby making it a truly people`s Parliament. Lekgotla has therefore resolved that the institution introduce a free-to-air television channel and a radio station to ensure that parliamentary issues reach the people. The SABC must reinstate its live broadcast of afternoon parliamentary sittings to ensure debates are followed by majority of South Africans. The Lekgotla noted with outrage the continuing acts of blatant and brutal violence committed with impunity by the Israeli government through its devastating military offensive in the Palestinian territory of Gaza, killing innocent children and civilians. We reaffirm our condemnation of the ongoing atrocious Israeli ethnic cleansing onslaught across the occupied Palestinian territories. While we welcome the humanitarian ceasefire, we believe that it will be futile if it does not lead to the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops. The Lekgotla also called for the unconditional release of the Cuban Five, unjustly imprisoned in the US and the lifting of US sanctions against our sister country, Cuba. The Five were arrested on espionage charges; held in solitary confinement; denied the right to a fair trial by an impartial jury; and sentenced, collectively, to four life terms and 75 years. One of the five has since been released but is not permitted to return to his home country. By arresting these men without a fair trial the US has violated their basic human rights. We call on all who stand for peace and social justice to join the campaign for the release of Gerardo Hernández, Antonio Guerrero, Ramón Labañino, Fernando González, and René González. We call on the US to also lift its 54-year old economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba, which has resulted in untold socio-economic hardships in that country. The ANC will on Tuesday formally table a motion in the National Assembly proposing that the South African Parliament officially call for the release of the unjustly imprisoned Cuban Five and the lifting of the US sanctions against Cuba. We will also propose that the Mandela Day debate, scheduled the same day, focuses on the situation in Gaza and on the Cuban matter to enable Parliament to formally pronounce itself on these international issues. Our positions onaccompanied by a concrete plan of action which will be announced soon. - Read more at: anc.org.za/caucus/show.php?ID=3453#sthash.vAVCqzWc.dpuf
Posted on: Mon, 28 Jul 2014 12:38:56 +0000
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