Madam Acting Speaker, the recent judgment of the Constitutional Court declaring some of the Rules of this House unconstitutional has left no winners or losers - it is rather a victory for the whole of democracy and for all of us.
It has opened the doors to a new, higher, more intense, and all-round better stage of our parliamentary democracy. The doors are open for a new, braver Parliament in which legislators actually legislate by applying their minds to both general and constituency concerns which they seek to address by means of their own Bills.
It would be remiss of me if I were not to take this opportunity to publicly thank the lawyers who helped our Republic achieve this democratic milestone. I wish to place this on record, and recognise and thank advocates David Unterhalter, Max du Plessis, Sarah Pudifin, Anton Katz and Michael Osborne. I also wish to offer a special word of thanks to the man who has acted both as an attorney and as a source of constant guidance and moral support, attorney John Smith.
As the dawn rises on this new horizon, together, both in the ranks of the opposition and those of the ruling party, we hope to take advantage of this opportunity for all of us in a manner which is constructive and beneficial to the strengthening of our democracy. Thank you very much, Madam Acting Speaker. [Applause.]