Madam Deputy Speaker, this Excellency our President, this Excellency the Deputy President, hon Ministers, hon colleagues, I wish to congratulate the President on delivering his first Budget Vote.
The Presidency is, as it has been memorably put by President Roosevelt, the bully pulpit of the nation. The success of our common endeavours depends upon the success of the Presidency in discharging its sacred duties. The Presidency, I believe, enjoys the understanding and warm support of the people, which is essential to victory.
By virtue of being Head of State, you are our President across the political divides. And this was the reason, Your Excellency, and the House will recall, why I tried to defend the dignity of your predecessor, President Thabo Mbeki, when he was being denigrated in this House while he was the face of South Africa and undergoing his shameful, unceremonious defenestration.
Whilst it is important to travel in hope, as RL Stevenson memorably puts it, I think it is tantamount to political suicide to give people false hope merely because we consider the truth too difficult a pill for them to swallow.
While we should not abandon our optimism in the midst of these challenges, we dare not lure our people into a fool's paradise, for they will turn against us once the sober reality dawns. Only a foolish optimist can deny the dark realities of the moment. So on this day we should not shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today. We welcome the noble aspirations contained in the 12 policy priority areas, Mr President, but we do question how they will be achieved. The maxim, "less is more" could apply to the present hour.
The government will battle to deliver on its promises because South Africa has gone into recession, as has been emphasised this afternoon, for the first time since 1992, following a sharp decline in the manufacturing and mining sectors. The Economist magazine recently designated South Africa as the most risky emerging market.
I therefore contend that the Presidency must practise economic growth and bat for South Africa at every opportunity. Our President, I believe, has all the attributes to make a fine batsman for South Africa, so we would like to ask how the Presidency and, in particular, the newly-created National Planning Commission, will bolster the government's efforts to promote South African goods and services.
As a traditional leader I must applaud this government's creation of the Ministry of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, and I further wish to congratulate the President for appointing Mr Shiceka in this portfolio. Many of us who knew him were very delighted that that was your choice, but I noted yesterday that the Co-operative Minister, the hon Shiceka, was quoted as saying that South Africa is one country with one President and "no one is expected to be out of tune" when briefing journalists about the possibilities of provinces being scrapped.
Whilst one would normally be discomfited by such a Stalinesque sentiment and hope that the Presidency will staunchly defend our hard-won constitutional settlement, one perhaps would not mind if it was applied to the government's economic strategy. But one must remember that the first custodian of our Constitution is the President. We are all custodians of our Constitution, but the very first one who must protect it is the President.
With the creation of the National Planning Commission and reconfiguration of a number of key Ministries with overlapping competencies, the IFP believes it is vital that the economic policy is seen to be shaped and led by the President and that the Presidency speaks with a unified voice. There are, alas, too many voices off stage, and off key, at the moment.
I must, however, hasten to say that this is not peculiar to your Presidency. I am sure that you will recall that when both of us were in President Mbeki's Cabinet and the government unveiled its macroeconomic strategy of Gear, that the members of the tripartite alliance were shouting all over the country "Asiyifuni iGear!" [We don't want Gear!] [Laughter.]
So, the point, Your Excellency, that I am making is that the multiplicity of voices in the ranks of the ruling party today is creating a Tower of Babel situation, which is leading to unnecessary uncertainty in the country. It creates doubts. The recession can be likened to a time of war where the patriotism of all colleagues across the political divides is being sorely tested. One naturally does not expect all political parties to sing from the same hymn sheet, but we can at least sing certain bars of our song of survival in unison.
Time only allows me to touch upon one aspect of this issue. Whilst I realise that mining is not a direct line function of the Presidency, it should be a matter of grave concern to the government that the South African mining production contracted a staggering 32,8% in the first quarter of 2009, which led to a 6,4% decline in GDP.
Again, we would be interested to know if the National Planning Commission will work with the Department of Mining to review urgently, if I may emphasise, the recently published, misnamed Codes of Good Practice for the mining industry.
These codes, we contend, not only run contrary to international best practice, but also impose a straitjacket on the industry in the midst of the global financial crisis and place South Africa, I think, at a distinct disadvantage to other important African mining destinations, such as Ghana and Botswana.
On the sunnier side, the construction sector is thriving because of the upcoming World Cup, as has been said this afternoon, but this, of course, will end with the completion of the new stadiums. One of the Presidency's priority areas is to ensure the effective oversight of the implementation of the government's 2010 World Cup commitments. And we congratulate the government on the progress they have made so far. We were delighted to learn that there is a possibility that President Barack Obama may attend the opening ceremony.
However, we would like to know what the Presidency's long-term strategic plans are to take advantage of this event to market the country as a destination of choice, and to use the stadiums long after the tournament.
I was very pleased by the remarks that were made by the Deputy President that the Presidency is looking beyond 2010 as far as that is concerned. After all, the Catalonia region of Spain enjoyed a cultural and economic renaissance after the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. Could there be a boost for South Africa? Only, we say, if we can act quickly now.
There is no unsolvable problem if you face it wisely and courageously, and we look to the President to lead us with discipline and vision. We wish him well.
The IFP supports the Presidency's Budget Vote. Nxamalala, siyabonga. [Nxamalala We thank you.] [Applause.]