Ramaphosa: Here are the facts

The Deputy President, Cyril Ramaphosa, has misrepresented the outcome of the meeting that took place on Tuesday, 18 November.

I agreed in that meeting to the establishment of a working group that would include opposition leaders, the ANC Chief Whip and the Deputy President to discuss the current tensions in Parliament.

At no point did I agree to the alteration of the business of Parliament and at no point was altering the business of Parliament discussed. 

What was agreed upon during the Tuynhuys meeting was that the motion on the report of the Powers and Privileges Committee will be held in abeyance, and that leaders of political parties will again meet with the Deputy President, next week.  

The Chief Whip of the ANC proposed these processes and an extended discussion was had about Executive accountability.

The solution he proposed, to which I agreed, was one of opening political communication on some of the sensitive issues that Parliament faces. I am willing to participate in any political discussion that seeks to improve the relationship between the Executive and Parliament in order to ensure Parliament is able to fulfil its constitutional mandate. 

However, I vehemently reject any attempt by the Deputy President to negotiate the business of Parliament, and I vehemently reject the misconception that this was the subject of Tuesday's meeting. 

The Deputy President has no purview over what Parliament does or does not do. He can only assist in his role as Leader of Government Business to ensure that effect better Executive accountability

The President of South Africa has not answered oral questions in the National Assembly, fully, since November 2013. 

The DA put a motion of censure against President Zuma on the Order Paper because this fact alone has caused a constitutional crisis and this cannot go unchecked. 

The ANC manifestly do not understand the basic principles of a parliamentary democracy, and simply do not like having controversial issues discussed in Parliament. 

For Parliament to work the Deputy President must instil a sense of respect for the institution amongst the Executive, starting with the President. Only this will address the root cause of Parliament's diminishing authority over the Executive.

Statement issued by Mmusi Maimane MP, DA Parliamentary Leader, November 21 2014

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