As the symbols of the past moved out, the RDP moved in to kick-start the process of parliamentary transformation, write Richard Calland and Christelle Terreblanche
THE long-awaited transformation of Parliament, driven by Speaker Frene Ginwala of the African National Congress, will be paid for by a one-off grant of R82,5-million from the coffers of the Reconstruction and Development Programme.
An 11-project reform programme is under way. A transformation office is being established at Parliament to monitor the process and a transformation committee will oversee the projects’ implementation.
A senior parliamentary source said the transformation officer will have an overall salary package of
R267 000, reflecting the importance attached to the project.
However, the source said, unless the relationship between the transformation officer and the secretary to Parliament (Robin Douglas) is resolved early on, there could be a bit of a power struggle.
Ginwala’s role has been pivotal. Critics of her hands- on style argue she has built up an empire of power which she runs like a large government ministry, according to sources close to the office of the Deputy Speaker, National Party MP Dr Bhadra Ranchod, who leaves in March for an Australian diplomatic post.
Ginwala defends her strategy for change. Although her overriding intention is to be a manager, not a boss, she argues that for the first year I very consciously, deliberately, got myself into almost everything something I don’t believe any speaker should do but it was necessary to know what was going on and who you could delegate to.
The ANC’s parliamentary party intends playing a key role in the change process. An internal ANC caucus document says the main driving force for the transformation of parliament should be the ANC as the leading component of the Government of National Unity.
The document continues to say the ANC national executive committee’s subcommittee on Parliament will determine policy which will be implemented by the ANC caucus in Parliament.
It is time we stopped thinking of Parliament as a few buildings in Cape Town, said ANC caucus leader Baleka Kgositsile, who also heads the ANC’s national working subcommittee on transformation. From now on every constituency office across the country should be seen as an extension of Parliament, where ordinary people can make an input on a day-to-day basis.
After intensive debate in both the NEC and ANC caucus it was decided that to serve the electorate effectively the parliamentary portfolio committees and the constituency offices should be strengthened.
We started off with the recognition that the Parliament we inherited is an institution that we fought against, and that does not suit our needs, purposes or ideals, Kgositsile explains.
The underlying issue is the need for society to participate and inform the process of legislation because it will affect them. Hence the need to create a participatory culture for parliament.
One of the 11 projects is a Public Education Programme (PEP) that will absorb nearly 50% of the overall RDP funding. With this in mind opposition parties will be concerned that the transformation of Parliament will be controlled almost solely by the ANC.
Particularly so, given that Ginwala has taken the decision to retain an active membership of the ANC caucus, while many speakers around the world opt to resign.
Also, the ANC is likely to argue that Ranchod should be replaced by another ANC MP, not an NP MP. The NP, Democratic Party and Inkatha Freedom Party will be anxious to find strategies to influence the transformation process.
Christelle Terreblanche and Richard Calland write for the Idasa publication, Parliamentary Whip