Publications
Partners
The spirit of camaraderie among parliamentarians and the support shown by opposition party members towards newly elected President Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa was heart-warming.
There was a display of maturity all round and the messages from all those who spoke affirmed our common South Africanness.
Our country needs this. We wish to see this kind of spirit continue right through the term of the sixth South African administration.
The message was as uniform as it was loud and clear: Mr President, don’t forget that you are now not only your party’s president but that of all the country’s 57 million-plus citizens.
The indirect message was that Ramaphosa must not do things that will only benefit and please the ANC, but those that will be to the benefit and enhancement of South Africa.
While we applaud the spirit in this process of welcoming Ramaphosa to his first full term as president, we would like to see robust engagement being maintained and strengthened.
Robust debate is one of the main ingredients of a thriving democracy.
Our appeal would be that this is done in a decent, orderly and mature manner. Parliamentarians must freely express the public’s views and wishes without trading insults.
It would be sad, going forward, to once again witness the chaotic and violent scenes that became the norm during the life of the fifth Parliament.
Debate should be conducted in a mature and decent way, with respect being proven to be a two-way process.
While Ramaphosa must do his best to show that he is president of all South Africans, members of the opposition parties must also criticise constructively and make practical inputs to policy and implementation.
They must not just oppose for the sake of opposing, but because they feel it is right for the country.
ANC members, who make up the majority of Parliament must break the unhealthy habit of being cheerleaders and defenders of their president and his ministers.
They may have got to Parliament on an ANC ticket, but the oath they took was to be faithful to the republic, the Constitution and to all laws.
Their loyalty to the party must never supersede these.
