Madam Chair, hon Minister and Deputy Ministers present here, permanent delegates and special delegates from provinces, it is really unfortunate to speak after the DP, because the manner in which they address issues disrupts one's mind. Their narrow understanding of the Youth Commission shows a clear lack of understanding of what the mandate of the Youth Commission is. I think it will be important for the DP, and Mr Raju in particular, as part of the Council, to read the mandate of the Youth Commission.
Secondly, they need to understand that the issue of unemployment does not only affect certain people in our country. It affects all of us. We are clearly aware of what the causes of unemployment are in South Africa, namely the structured economy that we dealt with and the fact that our economy was destroyed in the past. I think that they must be aware of those particular issues.
The input Mr Raju has made also shows the lack of interest by the DP to address the fundamental concerns that affect young people and society at large, especially issues of unemployment, HIV-Aids and a whole range of other issues. The DP must get its act in order, because if it is a party with a vision, it will know that it has to invest in young people in order for its party to continue to exist. Otherwise, without the youth, it has no future as a party, and that is the message that we need to get through to it.
The National Youth Commission was established because of a particular historical importance. That historical importance is informed by the previous apartheid system of government which strategically worked in such a manner as to deliberately disadvantage, isolate and destroy the future of the majority of black young people in our society. In addition, the establishment of the Youth Commission is a recognition by our Government of the heroic contribution that young people have made in the attainment of our freedom and democracy.
We therefore need to be conscious of the fact that today, as we debate the amending Bill, it is only a few days before we commemorate the 24th June 16 anniversary. We will once more be reminded of the brutality of the apartheid system and its masters to which the taking of the lives of our innocent people was nothing else but an act of pride and glory. However, it will also remind us of the sacrifices that our young people have made in the struggle against oppression and exploitation.
When we look at the National Youth Commission Amendment Bill we should therefore look at it from the perspective of that important role that young people have played, and should continue to play, in the reconstruction and development of our society. We need to acknowledge that if we seek to build a better future for ourselves and generations to come, we should and must invest the necessary resources and energies towards the development of young people. We should therefore view the amendments that we are making within this particular context.
Clearly, in terms of the amendments, the question of co-ordination is an important aspect of our new system of governance and it is at the heart of our President's vision and that of his executive. Therefore the amendment emphasises the issue of national and provincial interaction in order to ensure that those who deal with issues of youth development deal with them in such a manner that they encourage the question of co-operative governance. Indeed, the NCOP would be doing the future of our country and our provinces an injustice if we were to be unable to pass this amendment.
This amendment also reinforces our policy position as Government. We must also note that despite the tremendous achievements that we are making, we still need to engage further on the issue of uniformity in approach towards youth development by all spheres of government. I am referring here in particular to the different approaches that the provinces have in furthering the goals of youth development. We honestly cannot afford a situation where we seem confused in addressing the concerns of young people in a holistic manner.
We need to continue with the debate of finding appropriate mechanisms of ensuring a united drive by all spheres of government in pursuing the agenda of our young people. It is therefore imperative that our future interaction should seek to find the necessary policy framework in order to regulate youth development in our country as a whole.
The reduction of the number of youth commissioners to five will save scarce resources and greatly contribute towards a better, efficient and proper co- ordination of the commission's work and programmes. Public participation in the nomination and interviewing process by the two Houses of Parliament will greatly improve the role of South Africans in determining who our commissioners should be. That is essential in strengthening our democratic rights and the principle of participatory democracy, transparency and openness, which the DP continues to advocate whilst doing the contrary. Moreover, this will make sure that youth development takes the national centre stage in our broader developmental agenda and therefore is able to unleash the greatest potential amongst the young people of our society.
We as the ANC support this amendment wholeheartedly, with the intention of furthering the interests of young people in our country as a whole.