DA, EFF ANARCHY IN THE HOUSE TODAY
16 November 2014
The Office of the ANC Chief Whip deplores the rowdiness and general chaos deliberately perpetrated by members of several opposition parties during this afternoon's sitting of the National Assembly. We are disappointed and concerned by the degeneration of the decorum of the august House of Parliament, caused by the perpetual disregard for the rules of the House and the rulings of the Speaker.
The appropriate intervention by the Speaker in today's sitting, which was duly made firmly in line with the rules, was intended to assist the course of proceedings and ensure the House is able to sufficiently fulfil its programme today.
The ruling by the Speaker that the item on ‘motions without notice' on the programme be shifted towards the end of the programme would have assisted the House to prioritise the most important items on the agenda given today's lengthy programme.
The most pressing items on the agenda, notably the ad hoc committee report on security upgrades at the President's residence and consideration of budget review & recommendation reports of all departments, are extremely lengthy in nature and thus deserve priority. In terms of the longstanding practice, the motions may be shifted or deferred due to their less important nature when there are more important items on the agenda.