Nxamalala, le nkqubo yenu yedemokhrasi ithath' ixesha, hi! [Kwahlekwa.] Ndiyakucebisa ngowubhenela kulaa mgaqo wethu singooNjengele wokuthi xa ufuna ukuthatha umbuso, uwuthathe qha. [Kwaqhwatywa.] (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[Mr B H HOLOMISA: Nxamalala, this democratic process of yours takes a long time, hey. I advise you to take a leaf out of our book as generals, that when you want to stage a coup d'tat, you go ahead and do it. [Laughter]].
Mr Speaker, hon President of the Republic, the President-elect and hon members, firstly, we need to say thank you to the voters who brought all of us here. Secondly, collectively, we must now recapture the lost ground of the past few years when service delivery took a back seat to other issues. Indications on the ground suggest that the population is becoming restless. Those who have studied the phases of revolution would be concerned about the signs of anarchy we are witnessing on a daily basis. This requires the undivided attention of both the members of this House and the new executive in order to quickly address the grievances of the citizens. We urgently need to address those issues that promote lawlessness and anarchy.
It is for that reason, sir, therefore, that we congratulate His Excellency President Zuma and his party, who have been mandated to govern.
Kodwa ke, Nxamalala, kuya kufuneka ukuba ulawule ukusukela ngoku, ngoba amaxa amaninzi uye ufumanise ukuba abantu benza nje unothanda phandl'apha. [However, Nxamalala, you have to start cracking the whip from now on, because many a time you find that people just do as they like.]
In the same vein, we must acknowledge that the opposition parties are not here by accident. We also have a mandate to play a certain role. To all of us, the interests of the country must come first, as opposed to the interests of our parties.
Finally, I wish to assure the President and the public that the UDM will continue to act in the national interest when called upon to do so, as we have demonstrated in the past. Indeed, Mr President, we expect a far better relationship between the opposition parties and the ruling party in this House, unlike in the past. If we respect one another, I am sure that we can build a better and more prosperous society. I thank you. [Applause.]