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The press has reported on a statement issued by the ANC Parliamentary
Caucus styling the court application on the Dalai Lama's visa as
"astonishing silliness".

The court application was launched on Monday jointly by COPE
President, Mr Mosiuoa Lekota, and IFP President, Prince Mangosuthu
Buthelezi. The core of the ANC's argument is that we should have
raised the issue in Parliament, rather than through the court system.
Obviously the ANC bears no memory of the past and pays no attention to
what happens in Parliament.

In reaction to the first refusal of a visa to the Dalai Lama, the
entire Opposition came to Parliament wearing white Tibetan scarves and
raised a barrage of issues, motions and Members' statements, which
were met with absolute silence and lack of comment from anyone in the
ANC benches, including Members of the Executive.

On that occasion, Parliament displayed its complete incapability of
dealing with sensitive issues. The ANC went so far as to stop the
publication of the motion of condemnation, in favour of Tibet, which
our member, Dr MGR Oriani-Ambrosini, read in Parliament.

This is unprecedented and against procedure, because once a motion is
read and nobody objects to it in the House, parliamentary staff has no
authority to prevent its publication in the record of what was said
and done in Parliament. But this shows how the ANC Parliamentary
Caucus has no backbone when dealing with this issue.

It has taken no steps whatsoever to redress the first occurrence. This
is proven by the fact that the second time around the Executive
repeated the same wrongful and illegitimate conduct by ducking and
diving to deny a visa to the Dalai Lama without ever making a decision
on the matter. This is outrageous.

This issue has created domestic and international outrage. If the ANC
Parliamentary Caucus believes that it is "astonishingly silly" to take
it to court where redress can be found, it obviously shows that on
this occasion, as in respect of the Secrecy Bill, the ANC could not
give a damn about what the people of South Africa actually think and
want. Shame on them.