SPEECH FOR THE DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE FEDERAL CONGRESS

PATRICIA DE LILLE, MP AND LEADER OF THE INDEPENDENT DEMOCRATS

25 JULY 2010

It is a great honour to join you here today at the Federal Congress of the Democratic Alliance.

We are just months away from our next Local Government Elections, which I believe will mark the beginning of a renewed vigour in opposition politics in our country.

This will show that we are serious about bringing to an end the abuses of power by those that believe that a Government position, or even a political position in the ruling party, is a ticket to loot State coffers.

The elections next year will also show that we have taken heed of the words of the great South African thinker and struggle stalwart Dr Mamphela Ramphele, when at the ID's Special National Conference on 20 March she cautioned that,

"You cannot have a true democracy unless citizens... have got real choices about who they vote for, and how they hold those they vote for accountable for the kind of society they want to live under."

She continued, and I quote,

"Let's look at the question of national unity. Often times people argue that we don't need opposition politics because they create disunity in society. This is particularly a strong argument that has been made in post liberation politics on our continent. We know from numerous sad examples that in fact that is not the case. You can have a semblance of national unity, but if the quality of the democracy is not one that enables the least amongst us to have a voice in how the country is run, that kind of unity is of no use to ordinary people." End quote.

The ID was also very happy to have DA Leader Helen Zille at the same ID Conference, where she too spoke on the future realignment of politics in our country.

In a speech titled "There is more that holds us together than keeps us apart", she likened this process to courtship, saying, and I quote,

"What do I mean by this? I mean that when you are moving beyond coalition politics to alliance politics, you have to make absolutely sure that the partners are compatible. It is like moving from dating to marriage. It is useful to have an engagement in between, just to make sure. An engagement gives a couple a chance to work out whether they are really compatible and whether their shared values bring them closer in the rough and tumble and pressure of daily life - or whether they are driven apart." End quote.

The future realignment of politics in our country is crucial for a number of reasons.

Poverty and unemployment, poor service delivery and education, crime and corruption have thrown millions of our people into a daily struggle for survival.

These challenges have stripped too many of us of our dignity and are often the result of poor governance and incompetent, or greedy leaders.

We live in the most unequal society in the world - proof that most of our people have yet to taste the fruits of our democracy.

President Zuma has been in the media for all the wrong reasons.

Meanwhile, service delivery protests are increasing around our country.

Angry communities are burning tires and blockading roads because the Constitution is being violated when they do not receive basic services because of mismanagement and corruption.

At the same time we see groups like the ANC Youth League and its leader trying to distract the attention of the poor away from the real source of their poverty, which is ANC corruption and greed.

The ANC Government, which for years has missed its own service delivery targets, suddenly became a lot better organised when it came to hosting the Soccer World Cup.

It made most of its deadlines, supervised the building of world class infrastructure and reminded us repeatedly of how we had delivered a world class event.

But for the past 16 years it has failed to deliver a world class education, health services, water and electricity to ordinary South Africans.

The World Cup, where ANC corruption went hand-in-hand with delivery, was the exception to the rule, where ANC corruption usually means there is virtually no delivery at all.

Some people have over the past few weeks tried to liken me to former New National Party leader Marthinus van Schalkwyk.

There is definitely no comparison for the following reasons.

Firstly, during my travels through every province of our country over the past few weeks to consult with ID structures on the way forward it has become crystal clear that there is overwhelming support for the ID leadership's talks with other opposition parties.

Unlike Kortbroek, who jumped off his sinking ship into the arms of the ANC alone and left his membership behind, the ID's leadership, members and supporters will go in the same direction.

The second problem with this comparison is that Mr Van Schalkwyk did not fight in the struggle against Apartheid, or against ANC corruption and mismanagement for the next 16 years.

Instead of stroking our own egos, we have a vision of a strong new entity, one that is greater than the sum of our individual parties.

This is not about simply adding up our current voter percentages.

It is about building a political force that can hold the government accountable where it really counts - at the ballot box.

Let us unite our strengths and discard our current weaknesses.

Let us provide South Africans with an opposition force that can have a realistic opportunity of taking over national government in the near future.

As political leaders we must understand that time is against us.

The 180-day deadline given by the ID's National Conference to the ID leadership to reach agreement with other opposition parties is 20 September.

Our talks with the DA, Cope and the UDM are continuing.

I would like to end with another challenge from Dr Ramphele.

"The issue at stake is the future of the quality of the democracy in our society - nothing can be more important. If we can all put our own egos aside and know that our best self interest will be served by serving the larger interest, then I don't think anything can beat us. We are as a nation and as a country very well positioned to be a great nation. The question is - do we have the will to do that?"

I believe we do.

Thank you.

Issued by the Independent Democrats, July 25 2010

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