Deputy Speaker, one of the fundamental values espoused in our Constitution is equality. Equality in the South African abstraction is a highly problematic concept riddled with all kinds of difficulties, of which affirmative action is but one. However, this is not a new problem. The genesis of equality jurisprudence lies in the definition of equality which Aristotle crafted 2 400 years ago. He said that things that are equal should be treated equally, but things that are not equal can be treated unequally in proportion to their inequality.
In the Oxford Dictionary, equality is defined as the condition of being equal in quality, amount, value and intensity, etc. In other words, it is something that can be measured in one way or another. In the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act, equality is defined as follows:
..."equality" includes the full and equal enjoyment of rights and freedoms as contemplated in the Constitution and includes de jure and de facto equality and also equality in terms of outcomes.
Reading all these definitions made me realise that equality, like happiness, means different things to different people - like the cook who made horse and rabbit pie, who, when he was asked in what proportion he mixed the horse and rabbit, said, "Fifty-fifty: one horse and one rabbit".
To illustrate this, I as a full member of this Parliament was only allocated four minutes in this debate, but my ANC colleague got 11 minutes. To me its inequality, to them it's obviously not. For us in the DA, equality means a free and open-opportunity society for all the people. In such a society your path in life is not determined by the circumstances of your birth or the colour of your skin, but by your talents and efforts.
In a free and open society, a child born in poverty should, notwithstanding the circumstances of his or her birth, be able to become a brain surgeon, a rocket scientist or whatever he or she chooses, provided he or she has the talent and the will to succeed. In such a society it won't be necessary to have different entry standards for students as is happening at our universities today.
My point is that the DA, as a party for all the people, cares equally about the identity issues and concerns of all the people in this beautiful country and our key message to all is to promote equality and sharing for all, not only for some. I thank you.