Johannesburg - Parliament must transform into a “real activist” national legislature with a developmental focus, but details of how this should happen will be fleshed out at a special summit before the ANC’s upcoming national general council (NGC), or mid-term review.
According to the ANC NGC “Legislature and Governance” discussion document, the special summit would table its report on the strategy and implementation plan for an activist Parliament at the gathering of 3 000 delegates in October.
Parliament’s long-standing motto is “the People’s Parliament”, and the institution has highlighted as key citizen engagements its committee oversight visits and initiatives like “Taking Parliament to the People”, the annual National Council of Provinces visit to a particular province.
However, the past year’s rollicking scenes in the national legislature clearly have raised questions within the ANC on the role and function of Parliament within the broader body politic, and in the contested sphere of electoral politicking.
ANC members had to be “more vigilant and assertive” and “guard against the erosion of dignity and the high levels of confidence our society has in the legislatures”, according to the “Legislature and Governance” discussion document.
“A key task of the ANC is to focus on turning Parliament into a real activist Parliament with a major emphasis on its developmental role.”
In the ANC assessment, Parliament “has been characterised by unity of the opposition with the intention of destabilising” the national legislature.
“This has been demonstrated through the attempted motions of no confidence targeting ANC leadership in Parliament, the unruly and disobedient behaviour, walkouts, and flagrant disregard of electoral doctrines that underpin the role and character of the democratic Parliament,” the discussion document says.
Disruptions in Parliament, together with other social and community protests, are described as being aimed at “undermining the legitimacy of the ANC, of the government and ultimately of the state” in the “Balance of Forces” discussion document.
“The obvious intention of these forces is to improve their electoral prospects and, by democratic means, to displace the ANC as government across the spheres,” it argues. “This is rough, clumsy and distasteful; but it is legal political engagement all the same. It behoves the ANC to develop tactics that obviate the impact and attractiveness of these trickeries.”
Parliament had become a site where opposition parties, buoyed by election results, test their muscle in the broader body politic, which the ANC argues is marked by “lawfare”, or the “worrying trend… to seek judicial resolution for matters that can be managed through other channels”, and “flammable social tinder” induced by poverty and inequality.
Within this context - the ANC bluntly acknowledges its declining electoral fortunes even as it remains over the 60 percent support threshold - opposition parties have sensed shifting popular confidence in the governing party.
“The opposition parties - particularly the EFF and DA - believe they have drawn blood and can inflict further blows to undermine the ANC.
“The disruptions in Parliament and some legislatures, campaigns to occupy land and others that border on illegality, are all meant to, or do in fact, have the effect of undermining the legitimacy of the ANC, of the government and ultimately of the state,” says the “Balance of Forces” document.
The discussion documents indicate that in the parliamentary sphere, the ANC would like to see more done, more effectively and efficiently to ensure its policies are turned into law in a drive to continue the party’s transformation efforts.
The aim was to ensure “the consolidation and rationalisation of ANC policy, recognising that policy must be simple, clear and implementable”, according to the “Legislature and Governance” document.
The document highlights co-ordination in a push to ensure policy translates into law: already in place are, for example, the submission of bills to the relevant ANC national executive committee (NEC) subcommittee before being tabled in Parliament, and that ANC parliamentarians’ study groups submit regular reports and action plans regarding their work to the NEC subcommittees.
On the communication front, the “Battle of Ideas” discussion document raises the need for a communication “war room” in the ANC parliamentary caucus.
The aim is to have the requisite skills “to counter the onslaught” against the governing party in such war rooms which, the ANC said, paid off in its 2014 election campaign.
The ANC head office, government and legislature spokespersons, parliamentary caucus and communications would form part of a clearing of its house, it added.
Political Bureau