Steenhuisen adamant DA is SA’s defence against EFF and MK Party
The DA has accused the EFF and the Jacob Zuma-led MK Party of seeking to implement destructive policies and ideals.
Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen says his party remains the country’s defence against anti-constitutionalist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party.
The DA which has been the official opposition in Parliament since 1999 is part of the Government of National Unity (GNU) as no political party achieved an outright majority in the recently held National and Provincial Elections.
JOHN STEENHUISEN SAYS EFF AND MK PARTY WANTED TO IMPLEMENT DESTRUCTIVE POLICIES
Steenhuisen said he has led the DA into the GNU to keep a promise they made to South African voters during our election campaign: to rescue South Africa from the radical and anti-constitutionalist forces that threaten the very foundations of our democracy.
“Nowhere is this more evident than in the utterances and behaviour of the EFF and MK Party, which would seek to implement destructive policies and ideals such as the abolition of the constitution and parliamentary sovereignty – a proposal which harks back to the dark days of our past,” he said.
“Where the EFF and MK Party seek to break our country, the DA wants to build it. And where the EFF and MK seek to undo the progress made by a free and prosperous South Africa, the DA will fight to advance it.
“The forces now seated across the aisle of the GNU in Parliament are led by the likes of impeached high court judge, John Hlophe, and VBS theft-accused, Julius Malema, whose parties are the very antithesis to what we as South Africa hope to achieve. The DA remains the only bulwark against these radical and anti-constitutionalist forces, and our role in the GNU is to prevent MK and the EFF from ever getting their hands on the levers of executive power,” Steenhuisen said.
As part of the GNU, the DA has taken up six positions in the national cabinet, six deputy minister positions, five parliamentary portfolio chairperson positions, and three committee chairperson positions.
PARTY AIMS TO DEMONSTRATE ITS CAPABILITIES
Steenhuisen said these new roles will demonstrate to South Africans what the DA can do at a national level when given an opportunity to govern, and in Parliament, they will show South Africans how the legislatures can and should work as effective oversight bodies that keep the executive in check.
He said while their new role may have evolved, their dedication to the people of South Africa has not wavered.
“The DA is still here; we have not changed, and we are primed to position ourselves within this new paradigm, where we can offer our unique vision for the future of our country.
“This means that we will continue to fight against problematic national policies and legislation such as the National Health Insurance Act (NHI), the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill, and any proposal that is anti-constitutional or seeks to divide and regress South Africans,” he reiterated.