22 August 2001
Programme Director of SALSA, Mr Mike Coetze,
Presidents,
Secretaries to the Legislature,
Mr Jeremy Meadows and the staff from NCSL,
The Facilitators.
Firstly, I hereby expressed our profound gratitude for choosing Mpumalanga as the Province to host such an important event. Secondly I am grateful to be afforded the opportunity to deliver the keynote address.
The idea of conveying the workshop was coined at the NCSL Annual Conference held in 1999 where a delegation of Speakers and Secretaries form all nine Legislatures attended. Unfortunately the Workshop could not be held in 1999 or on an earlier date due to the second general elections which were held in June 1999, and other pressing issues we had to attend to as Legislatures after the election.
I am pleased that eventually such a Workshop is held in the South African soil, in Mpumalanga.
As a South African delegation which attended the NCSL Annual Conference we learnt a lot. Many of the Speakers and Secretaries who attended the said conference made mention that there is a lot to be gained through interactions, and exchange programmes between the NCSL Staff and our Staff.
I am equally pleased that there is commitment from the SALSA and NCSL to commit themselves into concrete programmes, this is evident by the fact that almost all the Secretaries and Senior Staff Members form NCSL and Legislatures agreed that such a Workshop be held. I do not have the slightest doubt that at the end of this Workshop when you do the evaluation, you will realise that it was worthwhile to hold such an important event.
The focus on my address will be the role of SALSA in the Speaker's Forum. Since we all know that a position was taken to discontinue with NiPS, the only formal structure recognized by the Speaker's Forum is SALSA and the various forums be it Finance, Public Participation, I T Managers, Legal etc.
When one analysis the situation, one tempts I am fully convinced that the officials under the leadership of the Secretaries should be given a leeway to find ways and means of improving the administrative efficiency of our young and growing institutions, thus, SALSA has an important role to play.
The Legislature institutions as machinery for our young and thriving democracy are new. Due to the legacy of apartheid the skills base was confined to few. SALSA has a role to build the capacity and skills of our institutions through the following:
Exchange Programme are organised
We should turn our organisations into learning organisations. The learning process is not only confined through attending classes. In South Africa there are no formal learning institutions, which can offer training that is relevant to our requirements. Therefore, we are compelled to learn from each other, hence the exchange programme can be used to that effect.
In order for the exchange programme to be effective, it will be better if Legislature through SALSA can design programme for the year. This will help in minimising disruptions to the hosting institution. We have seen in the past where Gauteng receive staff and MPL's from the different Legislature one week after the other. Quite often the learning areas were the same.
Appropriate training developed
As I have alluded above, there are no institutions that can offer training that can cater some of our needs e.g. Parliamentary Procedural, Committees, Hansard.
Therefore, we are compelled to developed appropriate training programme.
Establishing of Networks
To my understanding SALSA, and the various forum established under it, can play a vital role in networking to share information, practices and experience, we can learn a lot through such networks.
The different Legislatures have strong and weak points. It is through collaboration and co-operation that we can build institutions with a capacity to deliver on the mandate bestowed on us.
Programme director, once again may I take this opportunity to welcome you to this beautiful Province. I am positive that your interaction and co-operation with the NCSL will grow form strength to strength.
I will conclude by quoting from the old Mexican proverb which states that "an ant on the move does more than a dozing ox".
I thank you.
Issued by: Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature