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Date : 14/02/2004
Source: Democratic Alliance
Title: Leon: DA Candidates Launch


DEMCORATIC ALLIANCE CANDIDATES LAUNCH

Friends, democrats, fellow South Africans:

The people before you today are the men and women who will lead the Democratic Alliance forward in this election. They will be on the front lines of our campaign for real change in South Africa.

They are proud members of our party. But they will not just represent the Democratic Alliance. They will represent the people of South Africa-all of the people.

When they take their seats in Parliament, each and every one will be the living, breathing embodiment of the peoples will.

Let us reflect, for a moment, on what it means to be a public representative.

Every single thing you do must be done on behalf of the people who elected you, the people of your province, and the people of South Africa as a whole.

Yours must be the ear that listens-not just to some, but to all.

Yours must be the voice that speaks-for the DA, but also for all South Africans.

I say this because there is a tendency in our country for public servants to put their own interests before the interests of the people.

South Africa deserves better-better commitment and better leadership from our public representatives.

My friends, that is what these men and women offer you. And they have pledged not just to give South Africa "better", but to give our country their absolute best!

Today we have heard many of them speak about their lives, their beliefs and their goals. We have seen that they come from all communities, from all walks of life.

In the Democratic Alliance, we do not say to one person or another: "This one will represent this group of people, and that one will represent that group of people."

Instead we say: "You, and you, and you, and I-we each represent all of South Africa. Each and every one of us serves all of the people."

For though we come from many diverse backgrounds, we share a common identity as South Africans.

We share a common belief in the principles of the Democratic Alliance and its programme of action that will create real jobs, fight crime, reduce poverty, stamp out corruption and treat HIV/Aids.

We share a common belief that South Africa needs real change, right now, and that South Africa deserves better.

We share the common passion for making this country better for the many, and not just for the few.

We share a common hope that South Africa can take its place among the winning nations of the world, and that together we can build our country and our continent.

I want to share a word or two with you about how these candidates were chosen.

When it comes to selecting candidates, the Democratic Alliance is the most open and the most democratic of South Africas political parties.

The DAs criteria for candidates include merit, first and foremost; integrity; diversity; and commitment to the party.

As I said here in Durban six months ago, in addressing the DA Federal Council: our procedures have a clear purpose: to achieve a list of candidates that is both effective and diverse.

We asked our electoral colleges to be bold in their choices. We told them to choose leaders who would best be able to take our party forward.

In the process of selecting our candidates, The DA introduced two new programmes that are unique in South African politics: first, a system for interviewing potential candidates; and second, a training programme that each and every candidate, new and old, had to complete.

These programmes made sure that we would choose candidates who would hit the ground running once they took office after the election.

Today, at the culmination of our selection process, the DA has produced a group of candidates that includes many of our most experienced and dedicated incumbents, as well as fresh faces that are new to the DA and to South African politics.

This is a list that proves that the DA is winning support throughout every corner of South Africa.

The candidates on our list, many of whom are here before us today, know that they have a mission. They are the protectors of South African democracy. They are the champions of change.

The DAs champions include several new candidates at the national and provincial levels:
Lebohang Mahoko - Lebohang is a dynamic young leader from Mangaung in the Free State. He is active in the arts, and serves as a member of the National Arts Council. With his energy and outside experience, he has quickly become one of the most exciting leaders within our party.

Sherry Chen - You have already met Sherry today. She will be the first Chinese-South African to hold national office in South Africa. She is active in many local and international business organisations.

Anthony Benadie - Anthony is 24 years of age and is serving as a DA councillor in Middelburg, Mpumalanga. He is also chairman of the Mpumalanga association of DA councillors. In addition to being involved in politics, he is also an emerging entrepreneur. At Pretoria Technikon, where he studied, he was selected to represent the DA Youth in Ireland.

Isaac Julies - Isaac is from Klawer, in the West Coast region of the Western Cape. He runs a soup kitchen in his community. He is a former NNP councillor, and today he is very involved in helping small-scale and emerging farmers.

Sipho Mthetwa - Sipho is 26 years old and is Chairperson of the DA Youth. He is also serving as a DA councillor for Wyebank-KwaDabeka in the Ethekwini Metropolitan Unicity Council. He has played a key role as a community activist in KwaZulu-Natal, setting up an advice centre and pushing for strong development policies that will benefit the poor.

Sheikh Shahid Esau - Sheikh Esau was a founder member of the Mitchells Plain Islamic Welfare Association and is a prominent member of the Muslim Judicial Council in Cape Town. He is a proud addition to our list of provincial candidates in the Western Cape.

Fatima Motsoahae - Fatima is the DAs sole Councillor in Mafikeng. She is a former teacher, nursing assistant and university administrator. She is a single mother who has managed to earn multiple degrees and to remain actively involved in the community and in issues relating to women and senior citizens.

Gareth Morgan - Gareth is a recently returned Rhodes Scholar who has been active in the DA in KwaZulu-Natal for nearly a decade. He is an expert on environmental change and sustainable energy resources. He has run two Comrades marathons and is working hard on our national campaign.

Moulana Mohammed Rafeek Shah - Moulana is Chief Imam of one of the largest mosques in South Africa, the Raza Jummah Mosque, in Phoenix. He has worked with and served in various religious, cultural and civic organizations-both Muslim and non-Muslim, local and international.

These are just a few of the DAs champions of change. They, and all the DAs candidates, will be in the forefront of pushing for the DAs programme of change:

Economic growth of 6 percent and a million real jobs by 2009

A basic income grant of R110 per month so that millions of poor people can enter the cash economy
150 000 new police officers on the street in the by 2007 so that we can win the war against crime
Free Aids drugs to all who need them, so that millions of lives can be saved
A Road Map to Democracy in Zimbabwe, and a foreign policy that stands up for human rights

To all the candidates, I say: we are going to campaign together in this election, and we are going to campaign hard. But we must remember: we are not just campaigning for ourselves. We are campaigning for South Africa.

Because the future of democracy in South Africa may very well depend on our success.

And to the people of South Africa I say: you deserve better than what the ANC has given you. You deserve strong leaders who are caring and committed to standing up for you in the halls of power.

That is why the people of South Africa are going to flock to the DA in record numbers. That is why the DA will take back the Western Cape. That is why the DA and the IFP will co-govern again in KwaZulu-Natal.

That is why we will make historic gains in every single province and return to Parliament with a huge delegation.

We have said to the South African people: "Vote DA for real change, because South Africa deserves better".

Now it is up to us-to our candidates, to our activists, and to our supporters-to show South Africa what we can achieve! February 14, 2004

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