House Chair, this is one of the few instances in which this House is unanimous in its support for a particular matter. That is commendable, as the support is from all parties. Hon members, indeed, as stated by the Minister, South Africa will be hosting the 5th Brics summit in Durban.
There is no doubt in my mind that, at least from a hosting perspective, it will be as successful as all other preceding international events hosted on South African soil, and that our distinguished guests will indeed speak highly of our country, about its fauna and flora, and particularly the warm hospitality received from our people.
For South Africa, the origins of Brics can be traced back to our historical ties of mutual support that the South African liberation movement enjoyed with the progressive governments of China, Russia - the then Union of Soviet Socialist Republics - and India. South Africa is now in the company of the world's fastest growing and potentially influential nations. This Brics formation may well come to serve as a model for future international relations and diplomacy, characterised by equal partnership and co- operation, rather than neocolonialism and domination; mutual benefit and collaboration, rather than superexploitation.
We are not and should not be oblivious to the hard and long road South Africa has had to travel to earn its place in global governance or multilateral forums, including Brics. South Africa almost always has had to justify her presence or participation in these forums, especially in Brics, when in fact all other global players were spared such indignity.
Public commentary on Brics by pundits, so-called analysts, economists, our own media and academics has more often than not centred on whether South Africa belongs in Brics or not, with little or no effort spared in ensuring that they understand the dynamic shifts in the global balance of power that have resulted in what could be seen as push-and-pull factors which developed organically, leading to the formation of a grouping such as Brics.
Most, if not all, of the commentary has been focused on the size of the South African economy, compared to the economies of the other Brics countries, which, according to their logic, automatically disqualified South Africa as it was seen to be punching above its weight. Some critics, like O'Neil, based their arguments on the fact that Brics countries have characteristics such as large populations, high GDP per capita, globally competitive companies and strong government-based business relations.
These views were unfortunately - and tragically, I may add - faithfully copied and pasted and adopted by some here at home. They were repeated ad nauseam as the gospel truth by some South African commentators, with South Africa's membership of Brics being parodied. My own view, however, is that this bleak picture only tells a small part of a much, much bigger picture, and I will illustrate this to you.
Contrary to what the prophets of doom and the naysayers say, South Africa did not campaign for Brics membership; we were invited. It would then be worthwhile for us to examine the reasons why Brazil, Russia, India and China saw South Africa meeting the criteria for membership of this formation. What they saw, amongst other things, was a stable democracy with strong institutions supporting that democracy, a governing party that is committed to the realisation of a truly national democratic state, and a people that will never allow the cause of freedom to be subverted.
They saw a strong, dedicated, committed, consistent and reliable global partner who takes her international commitments seriously and who pursues a progressive international agenda. They saw an African country pursuing an independent foreign policy, firmly anchored on its distinctly African character and committed to the creation of a better South Africa, a better Africa and a better world.
They saw South Africa playing a constructive role in global governance structures, a role appreciated globally, in particular by the global South and especially by Brics members. They saw a resilient economy that has survived the worst turbulence of the global financial crisis.
They saw a country with an exemplary Constitution for the world to emulate and that subscribes to the rule of law. They saw a country with policy certainty, stability and predictability, and possibly the only country in the world whose ruling party allows for broad civil-society participation in its own policy formulation processes.
They saw a country that subscribes to the principles of transparency and accountability. They saw sound banking and finance systems, and good practices in our banking sector. They saw a country that is strong in auditing and reporting standards, a fact reflected in the soundness of our banking sector and the efficacy of corporate boards. This, in fact, has been reported in World Bank reports.
They saw a safe investment destination, which does not require special investment protection protocols, as is the case with some countries. Of course, lastly, they recognised South Africa's huge untapped potential, a fact that is lost in the stale debate about whether South Africa belongs in Brics or not.
We are aware that among the highlights of the Brics summit are the modalities for the Brics bank. We recognise the importance of this mechanism in mobilising resources for infrastructure development and sustainable development projects in Brics and other developing countries, thus providing a complementary institution to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank for financing development in poor countries. We indeed give our unreserved support for the establishment of the bank and wish you success in that regard.
The creation of Brics has proven the importance of collaboration between governments, academia and business, and we wish to congratulate you on your work done in this respect. The invitation of other African heads of state is a noble development worth applauding and reaffirms our commitment to the centrality of Africa in our foreign policy and international relations, Africa's development and future prosperity.
I want to draw your attention, hon members, to the following. Given the growing role and influence of Brics, it is crucial that a parliamentary dimension is added to this partnership to ensure effective monitoring of agreements and broader participation beyond the executive, business and academia. I wish to suggest that a process of consultation be undertaken with a view of bringing into existence such a forum.
There is clearly a need for greater understanding and knowledge by the majority of South Africans and the international community about South Africa's role in Brics. In this regard, I believe that Members of Parliament are best placed and well equipped to demystify Brics to our citizens and explain it to our constituencies in terms that ordinary people will understand. We acknowledge government's attempts to take the message to South Africans through their road shows in various provinces.
We depart from the premise that our foreign policy is an extension of our domestic and public policy and, as such, Brics is but one vehicle through which we must strive to deal with the challenges of poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment. We have no doubt, therefore, that South Africa took the right step by joining Brics. We are convinced that the Brics mechanism - as stated in its mission expressions, and I quote, "aims to achieve peace, security, development and co-operation" - is indeed consistent with our foreign policy objectives and presents our country with a unique opportunity to pursue its objectives within the ambit of, and supported by, a significant global forum whose stated aim is to contribute significantly to the development of humanity and establish a fair, equitable and just world. We remain convinced that South Africa's involvement will better serve South Africa's domestic priorities and Africa's development.
I heard a comment by one of the hon members over here. When I listed all the attributes that the other Brics countries saw in South Africa, he asked "Which South Africa?". Now, it is my considered view that that is unpatriotic. [Applause.] You cannot close your eyes to the realities that permeate South African society. South Africa is not the South Africa of 1976 or 1985. There has been measurable improvement, and to close your eyes to those facts is to live a lie.
Yes, indeed, the ANC has maintained and continues to maintain that while progress has been registered, a lot of work still needs to be done. This organisation - this party - is committed to dealing fatally with those contradictions that continue to define the South African landscape. But we will not be told that South Africa is worse off than it was under apartheid. There is absolutely no way we can agree with that. [Interjections.] Now, you see the kind of pessimism ... [Interjections] In fact, let me tell you this: people from other countries are more optimistic about South Africa than some South Africans themselves. [Applause.]
You will recall that during the Soccer World Cup it was the media in this country - including the opposition - that questioned our ability as a country to host the World Cup. [Interjections.] Now, other media in the world were positive and had no doubt about us. Currently, Brics partners are saying, "South Africa, you are right. We are with you." Again, it is some South Africans that question whether South Africa belongs in Brics or not. I think members must wake up from this slumber and smell the coffee. South Africa is a different place. [Applause.]
Debate concluded.