RAINBOW NATION JOURNEY TO A
of the European Parliament are directly elected by European citizens, the European Parliament called on Parliaments in all EU member states to set up similar activist structures to combat Islamaphobia and xenophobia, with many states adhering to this call. In the United Kingdom, the
House of Commons Modernization Committee was established in 1997 to consider how to modernize the parliamentary process. In 2004 it published a report entitled “Connecting Parliament with the Public,” which today forms a strategic platform upon which various projects are rolled out to involve citizens in the work of the U.K. Parliament. In Brazil, the National Council
for Combating Discrimination, established in 2001, has institutionalized activities through their Parliament to address social inequalities and thus work towards greater social cohesion in this highly inequitable society. Although the Pan-African
Parliament (PAP) has been plagued by organizational and budgetary challenges, it has on numerous occasions called on member Parliaments to integrate activities of national reconciliation within their parliamentary agendas. Regional parliamentary organizations, such as the African Parliamentary Union (APU), have also passed resolutions that call on their members to institutionalize their activities towards greater social cohesion and national reconciliation. Similar instances abound of Parliaments across the world engaging in nationally strategic matters, way beyond mere legislation and oversight. In essence, parliamentary functions (and structures) respond to the strategic dynamics present in the societies in which they function.
Creating a new identity through Parliament The slave trade, colonialism and apartheid degraded and dehumanized black people and Africans in particular. Apartheid
colonialism went on to divide South African society along ethnic and racial lines. Due to South Africa’s divided past and the resultant divergent experiences of South Africans, both black and white, there exists a lack of a shared appreciation for the challenges confronting the country. This phenomenon continues to play itself out in parliamentary debates where MPs tend to speak past each other and fail to arrive at a shared view of current and future priorities. It impacts negatively on the quality of parliamentary debates and legislation required to build a national democratic society that is united, non-racial, non- sexist, democratic and prosperous and in which the value of every citizen is measured by our common humanity (ubuntu). Besides, South Africa’s long
history of colonial and apartheid domination left a deep scar on the psyche of South Africans that divorced them from their African roots. This phenomenon poses a major threat to South Africa’s national identity and the strategic objective of building a socially cohesive nation united in its diversity. Inculcating national pride and self-respect, self- worth and self-esteem, embedded in the African cultural heritage and indigenous knowledge systems, is critical for nation-building, social cohesion, tolerance for diversity and the growth of South African and African heritage. These challenges forced
Parliament to look for creative means of engaging South Africans around issues that continue to obstruct nation-building, to foster tolerance for diversity and to assert our South African and African heritage, national identity and pride. Parliament is a primary nation-
building institution. It has a strategic and political obligation to deepen democracy, advance nation-building and promote social cohesion. As an organ of the state, Parliament has a duty to respond to the constitutional imperatives laid out for it, both in terms of the specific responsibilities assigned to it by the higher-order values and the objectives embodied
in the preamble and chapter 4 of the constitution. For Parliament to help deepen
democracy and promote nation- building requires a commitment to heal the divisions of the past and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights in order to lay the foundations for a democratic and open society in which government is based on the will of the people and every citizen is equally protected by law. The goals are to improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of each person, and to build a united and democratic South Africa, able to take its rightful place as a sovereign state in the family of nations.
A parliamentary project to engage the nation Sections 42 (3) and (4) of the constitution oblige Parliament to provide for the consideration of relevant issues. The constitution explicitly states that in making rules and orders concerning its business, both Houses are compelled to take due regard of representation, participatory democracy, transparency and public involvement (Sections 57 (II) and 70 (II). The achievement of these objectives required the creation of a special mechanism of engagement and interaction with the people. This mechanism was the Parliamentary Millennium Project (PMP), governed by a board consisting of experts from outside Parliament. The PMP Board to provide the programme with appropriate and adequate guidance within the context of the parliamentary milieu was not duly constituted. This resulted in Parliament providing the PMP with (ostensibly) administrative guidance rather than political stewardship. It was therefore resolved to replace the board with a Multiparty Parliamentary Council, to be established by a resolution of both Houses of Parliament. The Chief Whips’ Forum
proposed the establishment of a multiparty Parliamentary Millennium
Council (PMC) which would serve as a vehicle for Members of Parliament to respond to the renewed call by President Zuma for nation-building, social cohesion, African advancement and international co-operation. The President called on Parliament to be proactive in its goal to deepen democracy and advocate social justice. The Whippery believed that the establishment of the Parliamentary Millennium Council (PMC) would provide the appropriate impetus for ensuring that Parliament remained relevant, responsive and truly representative of the South African people. The Nation Building and Heritage
Council will:
• Serve as a mechanism for inter- action and engagement with com- munities on developmental issues; • Promote the Legislature as an instrument for social change and dia- logue, reconciliation, nation-building and social cohesion, and • Engage with institutional and na- tional efforts to develop and promote the South African and African identity and heritage. •
The Nation Building and Heritage
Council is mandated to contribute to building an activist Peoples’ Parliament that is interactive and responsive to all of South Africans and that is driven by the ideal of freeing the full potential and improving the quality of life of all. The Chief Whips’ Forum, in
partnership with the Department of Arts and Culture, other government departments and the Nelson Mandela Foundation initiated and institutionalized the Nelson Mandela Month celebration in July, ubuntu month. This is a nation-building project to inculcate the values and principles that Nelson Mandela fought and lived for. In particular, it is used to promote
spiritual transformation, that is, the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) of the soul, as a prerequisite for social and economic development.
The Parliamentarian | 2013: Issue One - South Africa | 29
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