Hear, hear!
THE CHIEF WHIP OF THE OPPOSITION: You know full well that power corrupts and that absolute power corrupts absolutely. But do you know how frustrating it is to sit on that side of the House, powerless to prevent the absolute corruption of government? Do you know how frustrating it is to have all of our efforts, as opposition, heckled, thwarted, belittled, mocked, blocked, and ridiculed by members of the ANC? [Interjections.] Do you know, Madam Deputy Speaker, how frustrating it is to be constantly denied any real opportunity for public accountability?
It is vital that the National Assembly starts speaking the truth to power, because whilst the President said he was waging a war against corruption, the war that the President has waged is against the very opposite of that. In fact, the war that this President has waged is against every attempt at open and public accountability, and its first victim is Parliament. The lack of respect that the executive has for Parliament's oversight authority was captured perfectly a few weeks ago. The most important official report on executive corruption to have been released to the public this year, the Guptagate report, was deliberately withheld from Parliament until the debate had started.
A total of 218 questions for written reply were not answered by Ministers last year. The answers we received are, frankly, a disgrace. The nonsense they sometimes contain insults the intelligence of the people of South Africa. The arrogance of their tone demonstrates the contempt of our government for accountability.
Do you know that DA members sent 90 letters to Ministers during the course of last year's parliamentary session? Do you know, Madam Deputy Speaker, that none of our requests was acceded to? DA members also sent 70 letters to committee chairpersons, requesting, for example, resolutions to summon a Minister to the committee. Do you know what, Madam Deputy Speaker? None of our requests was acceded to. [Interjections.] The Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence has not reported on its work in years. Yet, all of my suggestions to hold that committee to account have been refused. Now, the single most important report on executive corruption, the Nkandla report, has also been thrown into that parliamentary abyss. It is a shame.
Worst of all is the fact that under this President, the National Assembly does has not have the esteem or the willpower to assert its constitutional right of debating a motion of no confidence in the President. But, to our shame, the blame cannot solely be laid on the President.
How can members be expected to perform effective oversight when Parliament's administration cannot even produce Minutes by the following week? How can members, I ask you, be expected to perform effective oversight when they have to adopt committee Minutes for an entire term or even the entire year in one go sometimes, when committee reports are tabled months, even years, after the event? And how, Deputy Speaker, can members be expected to perform effective oversight when virtually no committee reports are ever debated in this House? The fact is that Parliament is being tripped up by its incompetence and the lethargy of its very own administration - an administration that receives a whopping R400 million each year. Rigorous and meaningful oversight cannot happen under these conditions.
To the Speaker, I must say that I have not forgotten about you, like you forgot to respond to 19 of the 23 letters I sent to you before Parliament closed last year. I have not forgotten, sir, about the R40 million your office receives on a yearly basis. How many more millions of rands do you need before your administration starts responding to members timeously? How many more millions of rands do you need before presiding officers start responding on the spot to points of order in this House? With a multimillion rand budget, Mr Speaker, responding to letters and responding to points of order should not cause any operational strain. Your office needs fundamental transformation. You need more support in upholding the Rules and making rulings timeously. Your office must no longer pride itself on organising events and fanfare. Rather than pomp and ceremony, your office must be properly versed in parliamentary practice. It must guide you through the practices, procedures and processes of a democratic Parliament.
But let's consider for a minute a more serious charge. Parliament is not immune from the plague of corruption. The very legislation that was meant to immunise this institution from corruption creates an environment that allows it to fester. The Financial Management of Parliament Act gives far too much power to only three individuals. The power that this Act gives to the Secretary to Parliament, the Speaker of the National Assembly and the Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces is extraordinary. Giving unbridled power to only three individuals is like giving whisky and car keys to a teenager. [Laughter.] That power has led to officials from the Office of the Deputy Speaker spending millions of rands on events, without a single member ever seeing or agreeing to that budget. The so-called sectoral Parliament events are drawn up by officials and officials alone. As things stand now, we will never know how much of that money falls into the wastebasket of corruption.
But we know, Mr Speaker, that R2,1 million went into the Chief Whip's "sugar daddy fund" for President Zuma. I sincerely hope, Chief Whip, that the President rose to the occasion, gave your Parliamentary Interfaith Council a sterling speech and made you look good. I myself would not know, because opposition parties were not pre-informed and were not even invited to the event. Even more sickening is that officials in this institution - not Members of Parliament - see fit to serve food platters amounting to R16 million during meetings.
To fix these fundamental problems, we need a budget that has been put together with members having proper oversight and input. Until such time as Parliament's presiding officers and its Secretary allow themselves to be held to account for this budget by Members of Parliament, this institution stands no chance of being fixed.
I have here in my hand a Private Member's Bill aimed at amending the Financial Management of Parliament Act so that these errors could be rectified and these problems done away with, but out of respect for the Portfolio Committee on Finance, which I am informed is presently engaged in reviewing the Act, I have decided to withhold it. But mark my words, Mr Speaker! If the next Financial Management of Parliament Act does not make the Secretary and the presiding officers more accountable and does not allow Members of Parliament to have more say, then I will introduce a Bill that will ensure that those in control of Parliament's money begin to account for their part in its crumbling demise.
Akunamfula ungenawo amahlahla. [There is no overflowing stream without branches.]
I thank you. [Applause.]