No, Mike! Mr Ellis says that I should say goodbye, but I also wanted to announce today that I was going to retire and also when I would retire. I am going to retire on the day that I die. [Laughter.] What am I saying?
I am reminded of the prophets of doom 14 years ago, in particular Mr Hennie Smit of the then NP, who said that this Parliament wouldn't work. It didn't have the experience and it was going to collapse. You were there and you remember that. Yes, we were all inexperienced, or most of us were. The President was inexperienced, the Ministers, the Speaker, the whips, all of them, but we have adapted quickly.
Today I am convinced that we have a parliament that operates according to international parliamentary standards. Today, we have highly experienced presiding officers, Whips, Chairs, Members of Parliament and staff. We can also say that we have progressed very far in respect of reconciliation. Yes, we have done well here. We co-operate well, despite many differences that we still have.
We have in fact, as we sit here, become a real parliamentary family. We have developed our own set of values here. We have the Constitution that binds us together. We co-operate with one another. We have co-operation and camaraderie. We have built friendships over these 14 years. So yes, today I say, after all these years, South Africa has a Parliament of which I am particularly very proud. I am proud to be a member of this Parliament.
I wish to thank everybody and I wish to say to all of you, and in particular to Gerhard Koornhof - we are so sorry your dad passed away, Gerhard - a Merry Christmas, a prosperous New Year and may you all, no matter which party you belong to, enjoy the festive season. Look after yourself and make sure that you come back next year and let all of you try again, but I don't think you will succeed, to get the Children's Bill through. [Laughter.] [Applause.]