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STATEMENT
ON THE CHAOS IN PARLIAMENT
ON THE OCASSION OF THE STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS
FROM THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS CONFERENCE
ON THE OCASSION OF THE STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS
FROM THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS CONFERENCE
The
Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference is alarmed by the
happenings in Parliament on the occasion of the President’s State
of the Nation Address.
To witness
the disruption of our chief democratic institution, followed by the
needlessly aggressive actions of the security forces called in to
remove EFF MPs, leaves us deeply perturbed. We call on the leaders of
all parties represented in Parliament, together with the presiding
officers, to commit themselves to uphold and respect the dignity of
the institution.
While it is
the right and duty of political parties to hold the executive to
account, we question whether it was appropriate for the EFF to use
the State of the Nation Address for that purpose. At the same time,
we believe that the presiding officers acted too quickly in calling
in security forces. If those forces were indeed members of the South
African Police, then what the nation saw was a serious violation of
the sanctity and autonomy of Parliament. The fact that this was
authorised by the presiding officers only makes it worse.
We also
strongly condemn the use of a jamming device to block cellphone
signals in the House. It is the fundamental right of every South
Africa to know what is happening in Parliament, and any attempt to
deny us that right violates the Constitution and demeans Parliament.
We note that the presiding officers were unaware of the presence of
such a device and we trust that they will conduct an urgent, thorough
and transparent investigation into this matter.
The SACBC
also notes that, as long as President Zuma declines to answer fully
and openly the many questions that remain about the expenditure of
public money on Nkandla, such disturbances are likely to be repeated.
The President has a duty to Parliament and to the nation to put this
matter to rest by providing adequate answers.
The
unfortunate scenes on the floor of the House overshadowed the speech
itself, and detracted attention from the programme set out by the
President. This was in itself a disservice to democracy and to the
citizens of South Africa.
