PARLIAMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY


particularly in financial management and administration. These committees must ensure that a high standard of ethical practice is maintained by all in the public sector and that public resources are used efficiently and in the manner intended to ensure that the development needs of our people are attained. The oversight processes and mechanisms must therefore ensure and assist our governments in deepening democracy by delivering on the developmental needs of our people.


Given South Africa’s developmental challenges, it is critical that our oversight function place strong emphasis on financial accountability to ensure that the limited resources of our country are dedicated to improving the lives of our people.


Within the context of the global


economic downturn, our oversight must therefore emphasize the pursuit of value for money to ensure that governments do more with less. Parliamentary oversight must


be precise and we need to change the manner in which we engage the executive. In doing our oversight work,


we have to shift our focus beyond statistics as statistics alone do not reflect quality nor do they reveal the real changes. We need to focus more on the intended outcomes of policies and legislation. The shift in the legislative


workload of our Parliament has initiated a new focus, one which goes beyond the passing of Bills. Over time, Parliament’s legislative workload has increasingly emphasized monitoring the impact of legislation and how the form and content of legislation may facilitate such monitoring. All of this has been contingent on


the understanding that law-making and oversight should be based on actual outcomes. Legislation must be drafted in such a way that it presents clear and realistic objectives. The South African Parliament will be introducing an Impact Assessment Report, which will require the executive to undertake


an assessment before it is tabled in Parliament of the likely impact that each Bill will have. This will empower Members of Parliament and provide a good basis that enables them to interrogate the executive on priorities and the intended outcomes of legislation. The main objective is to ensure


that legislation to be enacted is relevant and addresses the needs of our people. This has been incorporated in the process of the comprehensive review of our Rules. The oversight function of


Parliament is the most important power we have to ensure and assist our governments to meet their commitment to implement strategies that eradicate poverty and inequality over time. We are continuously looking at ways and means of improving on this function in responding to the demands of our modern societies.


Responding to the peoples’ Millennium Development needs


Parliaments all over the world are faced with the challenge of remaining relevant and how we, as representatives of our people, ensure that we deliver on our people’s expectations. The answer to these questions requires of us to consider how, within our traditional roles as Legislators and overseers of executive action, we respond and adapt to the changing needs of our societies.


Parliament is not only the guardian


of democracy, but an institution that must shape and give meaning to it. Putting people at the centre of development is not merely a slogan. It is a principle that emanates from the central role of Parliament in representing the people. Therefore, society in general has


to be recognized as a key component in finding solutions to national problems and this ensures ownership of the agreed solutions. Parliament’s oversight and representational roles ensure that it is at the forefront of improving the lives of people and ensuring access


and delivery of basic services. The ultimate responsibility of Members of Parliament is to oversee the acceleration of efficient service delivery and improvement of the quality of life of the people. Our responsibility is to ensure that we exercise our legislative, oversight and budgetary responsibilities prudently so that we can achieve our developmental goals. In our deliberations on the role


of Parliaments in accelerating the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), we emphasized the need for Parliament and its Members to ensure that governments follow through on their commitments and obligations. There is consensus that the


MDGs provide a framework for the international community to work together towards a common goal of ensuring that human development reaches all our people and give practical effect to basic human rights and promote human dignity the world over.


Parliaments must exercise their


legislative, oversight and budgetary responsibilities prudently so that we ensure achievement of the MDGs by also being part of the processes that both shape national policies and respond to development needs of our people. Our Parliament held seminars


and workshops on MDGs and more importantly on how Parliament should assist in their attainment by the country. We have opted to mainstream


the MDGs in the work of committees rather than creating a dedicated committee. This was to ensure that it is an ongoing part of the work of each parliamentary committee to review the progress and impact made by government departments in achieving the MDGs. The MDGs must continue to


provide a focus for our efforts to respond to the needs of those we represent, while the vision of a world without poverty must not be lost despite the current difficult times. The post-2015 discussion on what should succeed the MDGs is gaining


momentum. The latest projections emanating from the United Nations suggest that, sadly, in 2015 almost one billion people will still live in extreme poverty. Such suffering is inconsistent with the vision of dignity, equity, freedom and prosperity and our responsibility to address the needs of our people. The post-2015 arrangement


must take into account the lessons of over a decade of implementing the existing MDGs and must be shaped by the profound global change since the MDGs were first introduced. It must also address the significant problem of inequality which has stood in the way of reaching the MDG targets.


Parliaments must ensure that


they are part of the design of the next generation of global development goals and more importantly must agree on their measurements to ensure that they can monitor their implementation.


Striving for a better world As it is our responsibility as representatives of the people to ensure the lives of our people are improved, it cannot be business as usual. Parliaments as forums for consideration of public issues must continue to ensure that the needs of those we represent find expression in our work. We must continue to focus on the commitment to eradicate poverty and support human development without despairing due to the prevailing world economic situation. We need to sharpen our oversight role, in particular fiscal oversight, to ensure that our governments can do more with less.


Parliaments must take up the


challenge of the 21st century and become activists for change in our societies. We need to constantly review our


roles to ensure that we can respond to and are at all times in step with the needs of our people. We do this not for ourselves, but for the people we serve and to whom we owe a world where human dignity and human rights are paramount.


The Parliamentarian | 2013: Issue One - South Africa | 9


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156  |  Page 157  |  Page 158  |  Page 159  |  Page 160  |  Page 161  |  Page 162  |  Page 163  |  Page 164  |  Page 165  |  Page 166  |  Page 167  |  Page 168  |  Page 169  |  Page 170  |  Page 171  |  Page 172  |  Page 173  |  Page 174  |  Page 175  |  Page 176  |  Page 177  |  Page 178  |  Page 179  |  Page 180  |  Page 181  |  Page 182  |  Page 183  |  Page 184  |  Page 185  |  Page 186  |  Page 187  |  Page 188  |  Page 189  |  Page 190  |  Page 191  |  Page 192  |  Page 193  |  Page 194  |  Page 195  |  Page 196  |  Page 197  |  Page 198  |  Page 199