The Economic Freedom Fighters statement on the developments in parliament on Thursday, the 13th of November 2014
The Economic Freedom Fighters notes the developments in the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa on Thursday, the 13th of November 2014.
The EFF is of the view that the ruling party, the corrupt African National Congress, which is led by a corrupt leader is the main cause of disruptions of Parliament. The ANC is a cause of disruption because they use Parliament to obstruct accountability of a member of the executive, particularly President Zuma who is constitutionally bound to account to Parliament on a regular basis.
On the 13th of November 2014, the Presiding officers in Parliament made lots of questionable decisions concerning the rule of Parliament against members of the opposition. In one instance, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament instructed a member of the Democratic Alliance to leave the Assembly Chambers, which he correctly refused to obey because such an instruction was illegal. When such an instruction was issued, there was no force used against that Member of Parliament.
However, when the House Chairperson instructed a female EFF Member of Parliament to leave the House, she also correctly refused because she was stating the obvious and truthful fact that Jacob Zuma is a thief and a known criminal who avoids courts and refuses to account to Parliament.
What Parliament did is in violation of the Constitution, which says in Section 58 (1), that "cabinet members and members of the National Assembly have freedom of speech in the Assembly and in committees, subject to its rules and orders; and not liable to civil or criminal proceedings, arrest, imprisonment or damages for anything that they have said in, produced before or submitted to the Assembly or any of the committees".
The presence of riot police in the National Assembly chambers violates this sacrosanct principle and value of the Constitution. If the ANC chooses to use the police inside the National Assembly, we will be left with no option, but to develop mechanisms to defend ourselves even in the National Assembly.
The EFF has noticed that the ANC has chosen an approach to undermine democratically elected opposition parties, which according to the Constitution have a right to participate in Parliament not as junior partners, but as legislators and overseers of the State with mandates from various constituencies.
The EFF assures the people of South Africa that the EFF, which was voted for by more that 1.1 million voters will continue to be an unapologetic and radical voice in Parliament and will never allow the ANC to undermine institutions of democracy and the Constitution. The EFF will continue to expose the rabid disregard of laws by the ANC and will always call spade a spade and will not be drowned in legalistic languages which fail to expose that leaders of the ruling party are thieves and criminals who attempt to use Parliament to legitimise their criminal activities involving theft of state money meant for the poor.
The EFF will never allow South Africa to degenerate into a kleptocracy, where government and parliament are used as institutions for politicians to steal public funds and legitimise their theft. In our founding Manifesto, the EFF commits as part of its 7 cardinal pillars, to a corrupt free and accountable government. When it comes to our 7 cardinal pillars, we fight with everything we have and use everything in our arsenal because the 7 cardinal pillars constitute the programme that took us to the Parliaments of South Africa to defend our people.
The EFF will soon approach the Courts to seek urgent and permanent interdict against police officers who enter into the premises of parliament to remove democratically elected members. It can never and will never be correct for the police to interfere with the proceedings of parliament because elected members of parliament will always be in fear that whatever they say and do in parliament will be subjected to the police.
The EFF will continue to be the necessary voice that combats all practices that undermine the rule of law, and in such task we will never retreat. No retreat! No surrender!
The only thing that will bring peace to parliament is the resignation of Jacob Zuma as President of South Africa. Until that time there will be no peace because it is his criminal actions that are being defended at the cost of democratic and constitutional rule by the ANC.
Statement issued by the EFF Chief Whip's Office, November 14 2014
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