Speaker, on Wednesday, 16 March 2011, the Minister responsible for the National Planning Commission in the Presidency addressed the SA Legislative Sector 2011 Consultative Seminar on the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs. The theme of the seminar was to address the role of legislatures in ensuring that the global targets of the MDGs are met in the context of national priorities.
The Minister's address focused, amongst other things, on key issues of Parliament's role with regard to keeping the executive accountable in terms of these targets. More specifically, he stressed the importance of keeping the executive accountable in terms of the government's undertaking to eradicate the scourge of poverty.
As the ANC, we recognise that in a truly democratic system such as ours we must ensure that we hold our leaders to account on behalf of the people whom we represent.
As a truly democratic organisation, we know from our history that it is our duty to speak out when required. We cannot simply accept explanations from government departments and Ministers about expenditure without fully understanding where the money was spent. As the majority party in Parliament, we recognise and accept that it is incumbent upon us to ensure that our government delivers on the MDG promises and creates a better life for all.
We therefore heed the call to be more vigilant and play our role in meeting these goals. I thank you. [Applause.]