House Chairperson, this private member's Bill is PMB 1 - 2012, and that stands as a testament to the invaluable efforts of hon Oriani-Ambosini to assert the constitutional rights of all members to introduce legislation in this House and to have that legislation properly and seriously considered. Our thoughts continue to be with the hon Oriani- Ambrosini in the struggle he is currently waging.
In the past, private members' Bills were cut off at the pass by an intransigent ANC majority not interested in seeing any good ideas emanating from outside its own ranks. Whenever a private member's Bill was too obviously sensible and positive that it could not be simply blocked, the argument was usually made that similar and more comprehensive legislation was imminent from the executive and so, therefore, we should rather wait for that legislation. Sometimes it could be years before that legislation would come to the House, as with the National Lotteries legislation, which the DA proposed in 2009 and which came to this House earlier this year.
However, the courts have now underscored the constitutional principle that all members can and should influence a legislative agenda at any time they like and irrespective of what other legislation is being prepared elsewhere in the government; hence, this very first private member's bill submitted by the hon Oriani- Ambrosini under the new Rules.
At the time that this Bill was submitted, there was no comprehensive amendment to the National Credit Act on the table from the Department of Trade and Industry. Indeed, the department told us in the committee that such legislation would still take several months before they could present it. Therefore, it is a victory for opposition oversight that after seeing this Bill, the department was able to produce a broader amending Bill in a matter of weeks, not months.
However, the argument must never be used, as it was done by the ANC in this committee and in the case of this Bill, that we should not proceed with piecemeal improvements to legislation because comprehensive legislation from the executive is imminent. This was the argument that was used to block private members' Bills under the old Rules, and it seems that it is being used anew to block private members' Bills under the new Rules. We will not stand for that. The fact is that piecemeal improvements to legislation are perfectly acceptable, and we do not need to have comprehensive legislation from the executive before this House can move. Thank you. [Applause.]