Deputy Speaker, I am going to deliver my speech in Afrikaans.
Agb mevrou die Adjunkspeaker, hopelik sal dit in die toekoms beter gaan met die belerde Suid-Afrikaanse Uitsaaikorporasie, SAUK. Die arme SAUK het as't ware 'n bespotting geword. Dit is tog bitter jammer dat die ANC- beheerde Portefeulje Komitee oor Kommunikasie nie al tydens die derde Parlement van die Republiek van Suid-Afrika opgetree het nie.
Die DA het gehoop dat die ANC waardevolle lesse geleer het tydens die aanwysing van die vorige SAUK-raad. Dit was 'n toonbeeld van wat gebeur indien die aanwysing van so 'n belangrike raad verpolitiseer word.
Die SAUK is 'n besonder belangrike staatsentiteit wat aan die mense van Suid-Afrika behoort. Nie een politieke party in die land kan daarop aanspraak maak dat die SAUK aan daardie party behoort nie. Indien 'n megakommunikasie instansie verpolitiseer word, word die boodskap wat na die mense van die land, via sy radionetwerke en TV-stasies uitgesaai word, verwring. Enige politieke inmenging deur 'n politieke party het 'n vernietigende invloed op vryheid van spraak en die onafhanklikheid van joernaliste. Dis nie 'n nuwe verskynsel nie. Jy kry nie 'n beter voorbeeld as die SAUK in die apartheidsjare nie.
Kom ons kyk na hoe die proses verloop het om die nuwe SAUK-raad aan te wys. Laat ek dit duidelik stel dat die DA diep teleurgesteld is deur die optrede van die ANC, tydens die hele proses. Dit was weer 'n baie duidelike voorbeeld dat die ANC nie vertrou kan word nie. Die ANC kan of wil nie sy beloftes gestand doen nie. Dit is baie duidelik dat die ANC 'n bang party geword het. Die ANC word duidelik deur sy alliansievennote gyselaar gehou.
Die ANC het nie woord gehou nie. Die mense van Suid-Afrika moet dit weet. Die ANC stel net belang in sy eie belange en stel dit voorop. Daarteenoor, is die DA 'n oop geleentheidsgedrewe politieke party wat gelyke geleenthede aan alle mense van Suid-Afrika bied. Die DA stel dit voorop dat die beste individu 'n geleentheid gebied word, op grond van vaardighede, kennis en uitnemendheid, nie soos die ANC kies, op grond van die politieke verbondenheid van die individu nie. Dis belangriker vir die ANC om sy alliansievennote, Cosatu, die Suid-Afrikaanse Kommuniste Party en die ANC- jeugliga, gelukkig en tevrede te hou.
Wat gebeur toe met die proses? Die ANC laat 'n geleentheid deur hulle vingers glip soos wat Bafana Bafana die kanse wat hulle kry, oor die doelhok skop.
Die SAUK s, en ek haal aan uit die jaarverslag van 2008:
Corporate goals create an SABC that enjoys the support and respect of its shareholders, viewers, listeners and other stakeholders.
Die ANC verkondig in die Portefeulje Komitee oor Kommunikasie hulle gunsteling frase tot vervelens toe:
The opposition must engage in the process.
Goedgelowig raak ons toe betrokke. Ons "engage" laat die biesies bewe.
Ek onthou agb de Lille het aan die begin van die proses ges: "Moenie ons tyd mors nie." Die opposisie gaan nie net 'n rubberstempel wees vir 'n ANC- beplande anneksering van die SAUK nie.
Daar belowe die ANC so tussen die lyne 'n 8/4 bedeling. Wat gebeur? Dit lees soos 'n mirakel. Die DA saam met die opposisiepartye, die Inkatha- Vryheidsparty uitgesluit, ondersteun sewe van die kandidate wat die ANC ook ondersteun. Omdat die DA glo aan 'n oop geleentheidsgedrewe samelewing, glo ons dat mense op meriete 'n kans moet kry. Wat doen die ANC? Hulle vat die volgende vyf op die lys ook vir hulle.
Die ANC is 'n bang party. Hulle is bang vir die alliansievennote en dit nadat een van die ANC-lede my die vorige dag gebel het om te s dat mnr Golding opgeoffer sal word vir dr Danny Titus. Toe kom daar dadels van die storie. Na ses maande in die politiek wil ek vir die redelike mense s dat hulle nie die ANC moet vertrou nie. Die ANC leef in 'n mirakelagtige droom- en dwaalwreld van hul eie.
Die ANC is nie in staat nie. Die proses was van die begin af soos 'n sprankelende bruid. Toe gaan beduiwel die ANC alles. Daarmee maak die DA 'n duidelike beswaar teenoor die proses waar die ANC onder druk van hulle alliansievennote, geswig het. As gevolg daarvan ... (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Hon Deputy Speaker, it is to be hoped that things will improve at the beleaguered South African Broadcasting Corporation, the SABC. The lamentable SABC has truly become the object of ridicule. It is really regrettable that the ANC-controlled Portfolio Committee on Communications failed to intervene at the time of the third Parliament of the Republic of South Africa.
The DA hoped that the ANC would have learnt valuable lessons from the appointment of the previous SABC board. That was a textbook lesson in what happens when the appointment of such an important board is allowed to become politicised.
The SABC is a state entity of particular importance that belongs to the people of South Africa. No single political party in the country can claim ownership of the SABC. If a mega-institution of communication becomes politicised, this distorts the message it broadcasts to the citizens of the country via its radio networks and TV stations. Any political interference by a political party has a devastating impact on freedom of speech and on the independence of journalists. This phenomenon is not new. There is no better example than the SABC of the apartheid era.
Let us now look at the process that was followed in appointing the new SABC board. I want to state unequivocally that the DA has been deeply disappointed by the conduct of the ANC throughout the process. It was once again a clear demonstration that the ANC is not to be trusted. The ANC is unable or unwilling to fulfil its promises. It is very clear that the ANC has become a frightened party. It is clearly being held hostage by its alliance partners.
The ANC failed to honour its promise, and the people of South Africa should be aware of that. The ANC is only concerned about its own interests, which it puts first. By contrast, the DA is an open opportunity-driven political party that offers equal opportunities to all the people of South Africa. The DA sets great store by the principle that opportunities should be given to the best individuals on the basis of skills, knowledge and excellence and not by way of the ANC's selection process, on the basis of an individual's political connections. To the ANC it is more important to please and appease its alliance partners - Cosatu, the South African Communist Party and the ANC Youth League.
So what happened to the whole process? The ANC let a golden opportunity slip through its fingers, in the same way that Bafana Bafana spoil their chances by putting the ball over the cross bar.
The SABC says in its 2008 annual report, and I quote:
Corporate goals create an SABC that enjoys the support and respect of its shareholders, viewers, listeners and other stakeholders.
In the Portfolio Committee on Communications the ANC repeat their favourite phrase ad nauseam:
The opposition must engage with the process.
And thus we committed ourselves in good faith. We engaged so wholeheartedly with the process that it was a joy to behold.
I remember the hon De Lille saying at the start of this process: "Don't waste our time." The opposition would not become a rubber stamp for the ANC's intended hijacking of the SABC.
Between the lines, the ANC offered a dispensation in the ratio 8 to 4. Then what happened? It reads like a miracle. The DA together with the other opposition parties, excluding the Inkatha Freedom Party, supported seven of the candidates that the ANC also favour. Because the DA believes in an open opportunity-driven society, we believe that people should get a chance on merit. But what did the ANC do? They also claimed the next five on the list for themselves.
The ANC is a scared party. They are afraid of their alliance partners, and that after one of the ANC members had phoned me the previous day to say that Mr Golding would be sacrificed for the sake of Dr Danny Titus. In the end, nothing came of it. After six months in politics I want to say to the reasonable people that they should not trust the ANC. The ANC lives in a miraculous, erratic dream world of its own.
The ANC is just not capable. At the outset, the process was like a sparkling bride. And then the ANC blew it. And with this the DA expresses its clear objection against this process, where the ANC buckled under the pressure of its alliance partners. And as a result ...]
... the DA will abstain.
Ten spyte van meneer Vadi se goeie pogings om die proses so oop en regverdig te hou, moes hy, mnr Vadi, en die Hoofsweep van die Portefeulje Komitee oor Kommunikasie, swig onder die druk van die alliansievennote en hul opperbevelhebbers in die Raad. Dit is uiteraard ook die druk vanuit Luthuli-huis. Ek dink dis die opperbevelhebber, die veldmaarskalk, Luthuli- Huis. Ek dank u. [Applous.] (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.) [Despite Mr Vadi's best efforts to keep the process open and equitable, he - Mr Vadi - and the chief whip of the Portfolio Committee on Communications had to yield to the pressure of their alliance partners and of their own commanders-in-chief in the House. Naturally that is also the pressure from Luthuli House. I believe that is the commander-in-chief, the field marshal, Luthuli House. Thank you. [Applause.]]