Madam House Chair, Minister, let us try to have a
serene and a man to man discussion on an issue on which the whole country is
trying to have some sanity and pragmatism. Common sense would dictate that
you do not put a trade unionist in charge of economic development. I always
felt different and I do because our Minister is a man who has brought a gift
of intellect and has her heart in the right place.

Let us call a spade a spade. Yes, the youth wage subsidy will introduce
greater flexibility in the labour market and it will hurt some people. The
very flexibility of the labour market that President Mbeki tasked the then
Deputy President Zuma to bring about with amendments to the Labour Relations
Act, and Deputy President Zuma failed - as he did with the campaign on moral
regeneration of the country. Why is that necessary? Because it is essential
to achieve the very goals of the National Planning Commission tabled here
less than 24 hours ago.

There has been a wave of empowerment of people who are not necessarily the
most apt, the most capable and the best educated. It happened in the past 15
years with a necessity of history and the social necessity. There is a
second wave of people, just behind them, who are better trained, well
educated and better motivated all around, possibly better people. They can
address the very shortcomings of the National Planning Commission, that
Minister Manuel identified yesterday, but they have nowhere to go because
you, Minister, do not want to take some pain. You do not want your
constituency to take some pain.

This is not the time in which one can govern by consensus. This is a time of
accepting that if you need to make an omelette you need to break a few eggs.
The Minister is walking on eggshells. This is the time of leadership; the
tragedy of today is that the Minister has set rules which this House does
not govern. It is Cosatu that governs by means of a veto power. In fact, you
may just have put the first nail in the coffin of the very aspirations and
hopes, which were tabled here by Minister Trevor Manuel less than 24 hours
ago. This is tragic; the country needs decision-makers. I do accept that
simply decisions are not necessarily the right decisions, but history has
simple turning points, as seen in the benefit of history as missed
opportunities. The issue here is simple; we need greater flexibility on the
labour market. We need to empower the youth.

Make no mistake, Minister, if there is a second democratic revolution it
will swipe you and all of us around. That second democratic revolution will
be conducted not by peaceful means but by the very people who we are now
trying to give jobs to, and against the very people who are less competent,
less efficient and less productive. You are trying to protect a trade union
concern and place it above the interests of the country and the interest of
South Africa ... [Time expired.] [Applause.]