Buthelezi: Parly failing SA
2008-02-12 20:10
Cape Town - Inkatha Freedom Party leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi on Tuesday blamed Parliament for failure to hold under-performing Cabinet ministers to account.
Speaking during debate on President Thabo Mbeki's State Of The Nation address, Buthelezi said Parliament had failed to perform its oversight role.
"Thus far this Parliament has failed its role. Ours has been a Parliament on call operating at the bidding of the Executive with no own capacity to analyse, criticise, lead and hold accountable," he said.
Instead of speaking and acting on behalf of the millions of South Africans, Members of Parliament had been dancing to the tunes of the Executive.
"This Parliament has failed our Republic because it has been led by the nose rather than exercise its constitutional responsibility of leading, formulating laws and developing policies," he said.
Buthelezi cited the number of bills Parliament had passed without any objections, as evidence Parliament was not doing its job.
"Any review of the about 900 pieces of legislation passed by this Parliament in the past 13 years shows how whatever was introduced by the Executive was approved by us with little or no substantive change," he said.
- SAPA