Asmal bows out amid accolades
2008-02-26 21:05
Cape Town - Political differences took a back seat in the National Assembly on Tuesday as MPs from all parties paid heartfelt tribute to African National Congress MP Kader Asmal, who retires from active politics at the end of the month.
Finance Minister Trevor Manuel often had the House laughing out loud as he related anecdotes of Asmal's cooking skills and the like, while Asmal himself listened intently, beaming broadly at times.
In paying tribute to Asmal, Manuel took the House through his political career, including his tenures as water affairs and forestry minister and subsequently as education minister.
Tony Leon of the Democratic Alliance said Asmal's retirement was extraordinary for several reasons.
He was leaving Parliament, literally, to become a professor-extraordinary at the University of the Western Cape.
"Although, as he remarked in a recent interview, the 'extraordinary' aspect about his new appointment is that it is unpaid.
"Second, it is also an occasion to pay tribute - across the aisle - to a person who has rendered extraordinary service to Parliament and to the politics of South Africa for the last decade-and-a-half.
"Kader Asmal is a very rare politician, particularly within the confines and stricture of our young democracy. He actually engages in debate.
"He understands that any worthwhile conversation must include at least one other person - a rare occurrence on any side of the House.
"More: he has never profited from the considerable offices of state he has occupied, nor sought to exploit commercially his political connectivity and his access to state power.
Leon said: "If we want to offer an example to the country, this is what a life of public service to South Africa should be all about."
In a statement, the ANC parliamentary caucus saluted Asmal, saying his retirement was a culmination of 14 years of disciplined and tireless service to the people of South Africa.
Will still hear from him
"We convey our profound gratitude for his valuable political contribution to the organisation in Parliament.
"As representatives of the people in Parliament, we will continue to draw inspiration and wisdom from the legacy of his outstanding service."
Thanking speakers for their kind words, Asmal said it was a real challenge to know what to say to do justice to the occasion, "although I can assure you that these will not be the last words you will hear from me".
"I shall not be leaving public life, because politics is in my blood and because my whole life has been one long political journey where the public and private have been inseparable.
"Ten years as a minister taking part in one of the most-creative acts of reconstruction the world has seen was incredibly rewarding.
"What we have achieved together cannot be expunged from memory because of our current difficulties.
Must not allow complacency
"Human rights are never static; they are always dynamic. They are never completely won, just as they are never completely lost. In our defence of them, we too cannot afford to stand still.
"We must never allow complacency of the sort that has betrayed the people of Kenya.
"We need constantly to seek to improve how and by what means we can promote and protect the rights set out in our own Bill of Rights. This is the challenge that Parliament faces," said Asmal.
- SAPA