Chairperson, first of all, let me, on behalf of the ANC, join the speakers before me in supporting the report on the MTBPS. Secondly, I want to say from the outset that we have sound economic policies. Our finances are in good hands and, therefore, the ANC, once more, supports the direction which the government is following with regard to economic policies. We are moving forward; we are prospering as a country.
The MTBPS 2009 sets out the policy framework that will inform the 2010 Budget allocation. It is an indication of how fiscal and monetary policies, expenditure and revenue will be structured over the next year. Therefore, the MTBPS represents government's vision and set of priorities by means of which it intends to change the lives of our people.
It is important to note that the MTBPS looks into the following areas: the assessment of the economic climate; revision of the fiscal framework; the containing of government's spending priorities; and the division of revenue among the spheres of government - national, provincial and local. We adopted this strategy in order to make sure that our policy brings certainty and predictability to all spheres of government, in so far as the Budget is concerned.
It is true that these days nobody wonders what the Budget for next year will look like; nobody wonders what the Budget will look like in two years' time, because the ANC government has made sure that Budget reform in this country is taking root and is understood by everyone. Most importantly, everybody in the country is now able to take part in the Budget hearings and make inputs so that their lives can be improved on a daily basis.
It is, therefore, important for us to note that our country is moving in the right direction; the ANC is leading this pack in such a way that we are able to improve the lives of our people. I need to indicate, however, that we are discussing the MTBPS within the context of an economic crisis, as mentioned by the previous speakers.
We have been hit hard by the economic meltdown, but we are pleased to note that our government has already made certain interventions in order to save our economy. This has been explained by the Deputy Minister of Finance, who answered questions on economic development in the country when he alluded to a number of steps taken by our parastatals to assist our communities to relieve their economic plight.
Reduced revenue projections are envisaged for 2009, as a result of the economic downturn. We are also pleased and encouraged that, although this country is projecting a 1,9% growth in the economy in 2009, it will improve by 1,5% in 2010, according to figures supplied by the National Treasury.
China and India are probably two of the few countries that are projecting significant growth over the same period. We have read the documents supplied, again by the National Treasury, in which they are saying that China is projecting 8,5% and 9% growth in the economy in 2009 and 2010 respectively; and India 5,4% growth in 2009 and 6,4% in 2010. We, however, need to learn from the experiences of these emerging economic powerhouses and find out what it is that they have done correctly to realise this kind of growth.
The ANC has, however, looked into this economy and prioritised many areas that have been alluded to by the Deputy Minister and also by the chairperson of the committee, one of which is health. We need to improve the health profile of all South Africans. Access to health should be the concern of all citizens in this country. This matter is so serious that one day we should have a debate on it.
The president of America, President Obama, has succeeded in convincing Americans to adopt his health care plan, including insurance for the poor, something that has never been seen in America. Today they boast an insurance plan for the poor in so far as health care is concerned.
Sadly enough, in this country there are still people who are sceptical about the idea of making sure that health care is accessible to everyone. They go out to people and garner votes, and once the votes have been delivered to their parties, they pursue policies other than those that their constituencies would want to identify with. It is sad that we have such people in our country, in this day and age.
We need to intensify the fight against crime and corruption as alluded to, again, by the Deputy Minister and the chairperson. It is a scourge, and we need to close all the fronts so that criminals do not have a market.
We need to inform the police whenever we see criminal activities in our communities. We need to manage our resources very carefully, so that we can save a lot of money and redirect some of it to other programmes.
We have noted the improved government spending on electricity and infrastructure. If you go around the country, anywhere in the country, you will see roads being constructed and you will see massive road construction projects. Sometimes we come across stop-go controls and we wait for a few minutes in order to make sure that those people doing the work do it properly. We have seen airports and stadiums being built through this massive infrastructure investment in our country. In conclusion, the municipal infrastructure grant, MIG, projects need to be speeded up. Rural development is the cornerstone of the economic improvement of our rural communities. They will, after all, be the main beneficiaries of our hard-earned democracy. I thank you, Chairperson.