By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
ActionSA says it has made a number of key observations about the work of Parliament and the need for urgent reforms to improve its functions as the bastion of democracy.
ActionSA held its inaugural parliamentary press briefing to deliver updates on the government of national unity and the party’s role.
The party said, it will continue to ensure that they’re active participants in both Parliament’s Programming Committee and Rules Committee.
ActionSA, which has six seats in the National Assembly, rejected an invitation to join the Government of National Unity (GNU).
At least 10 out of the 18 parties represented in Parliament are signatories of the ANC’s co-governing agreement.
ActionSA Chairperson, Michael Beaumont announced a delivery tracker website to monitor the GNU.
ActionSA’s GNU Performance Tracker is a comprehensive index designed to monitor and hold accountable South Africa’s Coalition Government, combining a range of key economic, social, and infrastructure-related performance indicators to measure the governing coalition’s progress on its promises.
“What we are growing increasingly concerned about which has led us to the point where we believe a tracker government performance is necessary because it looks like we have an Instagram government that has emerged in South Africa. A government that tends to make announcements in tweets more than does in terms of policy and legislative reforms in a real way.”
“South Africans have grown tired of empty promises, an aversion borne out of genuine frustration that, over the past 30 years, the South African Dream of opportunity and progress for all has yet to be realised.”
“As we mark 100 days since the formation of the government, ActionSA has taken up the fight to ensure that, at every turn, the governing coalition is held accountable.”
Beaumont gave the GNU an “e” rating on its scorecard and questioned why its July policy lekgotla had produced nothing in 100 days.
“I think the biggest concern that we are seeing right now is the silence around the July policy lekgotla. We were told that this grand coalition was going to a lekgotla in July to announce policy reforms and ever since then it’s been radio silence,” said Beaumont.
Parliamentary caucus leader Athol Trollip said ActionSA committed to South Africans that the party would occupy the “opposition void” left by the Democratic Alliance and would hold its position as the “rational centre”.
“ActionSA committed to South Africans that we would occupy the opposition void and hold our position as the rational centre, where, despite our relative size, we intended to punch above our weight and serve the South African people as a constructive opposition in a way that ensures our presence is felt, said Trollip.”