Mr Speaker, I move without notice:
That the House -
1) notes that amidst the peaceful festival Saga Dawa, upon which Tibetan Buddhists observe the birth, enlightenment and passing of Buddha, the people of Tibet suffer at the hand of gross human rights violations;
2) further notes that in view of recent self-immolations, the International Network of Parliamentarians on Tibet calls on parliamentarians worldwide to observe a Parliamentary Solidarity Day for the people of Tibet on World Refugee Day, which is celebrated on the 20th of June 2012;
3) acknowledges the request by the International Network of Parliamentarians on Tibet to include the Tibetan plight in local World Refugee Day celebrations; and
4) calls on governments and civil society not only to address the plight of the Tibetan people and other refugees worldwide, but also to include human rights protection as a key agenda item in all bilateral and multilateral discussions.
If there are no objections to motion being moved now, I put the motion.
There is an objection, Mr Speaker!
Is there an objection?
We have indicated, as the ANC, that we received the motion late, and we were not able to consult and deal with it. Therefore, we would like to object to the motion. We have also informed the DA of the process.
Noted.
On a point of order, sir, may I address you?
Yes, please go ahead.
The motion was sent on time, and it was not accepted by the ANC. It was reworded and sent at 12h33. I was informed 15 minutes before the sitting that the Chief Whip of the Majority Party had not seen the motion, and therefore there would be an objection. Sir, I think that that is not acceptable, and I ask you to reconsider.
Hon member from the ANC?
Mr Speaker, I think hon Kalyan should correctly inform the House that the first motion that we objected to was the motion on World Refugee Day, on which we indicated, as per Rule 95, that you can't have the same motion passed by the House twice in the same term. [Interjections.] Hon Kalyan, will you allow me to finish?
Order, hon members!
That is when we rejected the motion. She confirmed that she would go and work on the motion.
The motion that is before us now is a new one, which arrived 15 minutes prior to the sitting, as she has said. I received it just five minutes before I came to her. Therefore, we had no time to consult. She is correct in saying that the Chief Whip of the Majority Party, as the leader of the caucus, did not look at the motion, for it arrived five minutes before the bells rang. What else did she expect me to do? [Interjections.]
Order, hon members, order! Hon members, we will treat this as a notice of motion. It won't be a motion for today, but it will be a notice of motion. Shall we proceed.