Only the Democratic Alliance (DA) stands in the way of a one-party state in South Africa, the DA said on Thursday.
”Were the DA removed from the equation, there would be almost no opposition in Parliament, oversight of the executive would be fundamentally compromised and transparency and accountability severely undermined,” DA chief whip Douglas Gibson told reporters at Parliament.
Presenting an overview of the DA’s performance in Parliament this year, he said the party’s performance demonstrates it remains the ”primary driving force” behind oversight and accountability in both the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces (NCOP).
”The DA has held the government to account, it has ensured transparency and openness and, where appropriate, it has proposed alternatives — both in the form of legislation and policy proposals — all of which aim to strengthen our democracy and improve South Africa’s system of government,” he said.
The DA was responsible for 1 495 (83%) of the 1 798 written questions submitted — an average of 32 questions per DA MP, and double that of the next opposition party.
It was also responsible for 146 (39%) of the 379 oral questions submitted in the assembly.
The DA introduced 25 (56%) of the 45 motions in the assembly and 11 out of the 35 introduced in the NCOP.
Regarding private members’ legislative proposals, the DA introduced six private members’ Bills in 2006, out of a total of seven.
On members’ statements, Gibson said there were 23 sitting days on which members’ statements — granted proportionate to a party’s size — could be made.
”The DA used every one of its slots in 2006 and delivered approximately 69 statements in the National Assembly.”
The party supported 17 budget votes and opposed 17, making 17 declarations of vote.
Eight of the 15 opposition parties supported all 34 budget votes, while two others supported 33.
The DA also produced 40 new policy and discussion documents, including a review of the criminal justice system, a series of policies for helping small business, an overview of the state of public education and an alternative budget.
Until the end of November, the party distributed 1 032 statements to the media, while leader Tony Leon held 74 public events on the ground in different communities, released 84 press statements, made 62 speeches both inside and outside Parliament and released 46 weekly newsletters.
All this while the African National Congress’s (ANC) ”attitude towards Parliament makes it extremely difficult to hold government to account”, Gibson said.
”Certainly, the ANC does not use those mechanisms that are available to all parties in both houses to hold the executive to account.
”Questions, motions and members’ statements are used to promote the ruling party, not to probe policy or practice and, while options such as private members’ bills are somewhat redundant for ruling party members, strict party discipline means that individual ANC members are essentially prevented from proposing alternatives.”
Gibson claimed other opposition parties are failing to provide oversight and policy alternatives — a problem exacerbated by floor-crossing, which created a number of new parties last year, almost all of which had failed to contribute anything to Parliament.
The facts prove the DA’s view that it is the only alternative to the ANC, he said. — Sapa