The Democratic Alliance is to ask for an urgent parliamentary debate on the question of foreign deployment of the SA National Defence Force.
President Thabo Mbeki should explain to the people of South Africa how the government could spend just over R1-billion on foreign troop deployments, while at the same time denouncing a Basic Income Grant, DA spokesperson Roy Jankielsohn said.
”It is now also possible that the SANDF might deploy soldiers to Liberia,” he said.
South Africa was in dire need of a coherent policy on the foreign deployment of its troops.
”We simply cannot make ad hoc decisions on sending the SANDF to foreign countries.
”The White Paper on South African Participation in International Peace Missions states clearly the principles on which any SANDF foreign deployments must be based.”
These included the need for a clear international mandate, sufficient means, a domestic mandate and budget, and clear entry and exit criteria.
Regardless of the cost of sending troops to Liberia, Mbeki should remember he had a duty to inform Parliament before making such a decision.
”This is a matter of national importance, especially when taxpayers’ money will be used to finance such deployments,” he said.
The DA urged certain steps be taken before South Africa made any more commitments in terms of foreign troop deployments.
Current deployments had to be scaled down to those funded by the United Nations or other regional organisations, defence policy had to be reviewed to provide for foreign deployments, and this had to be streamlined with foreign policy.
The DA also wanted the third tranche of the arms deal cancelled, as these acquisitions were not compatible with the SANDF’s new role in peace support operations.
All foreign deployments, with their inherent policy and budgetary implications, should be debated in Parliament prior to executive decisions in this regard, Jankielsohn said. – Sapa