ACDP Parliamentary newsletter - 24 September 2003
In this issue:
1. Outrage over backtracking on overseas vote
2. ACDP does not support prescription of gun-free zones
3. Heritage Day and Children's Rights
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1. Outrage over backtracking on overseas vote
African Christian Democratic Party MP Steve Swart
A proposed last-minute amendment to the Electoral Laws Amendment Bill by the ANC to disenfranchise South African citizens abroad may result in the Bill being unconstitutional, says ACDP spokesperson on home affairs Steve Swart.
A motion accepted in Parliament this afternoon referred clause 9 of the Bill pertaining to overseas voting rights, back to the Home Affairs Portfolio Committee for further consideration after the Bill was finalised in the committee last week.
"In view of these developments, and should the ANC persist in removing the clause, the ACDP will consider an application to the Constitutional Court to ensure that the voting rights of citizens overseas are protected.
"The exclusion of overseas voters will be in direct contravention of section 19 of the Constitution, which guarantees adult citizens the right to vote in elections in South Africa," Mr Swart said.
"It is unacceptable that the hundreds of thousands of South African citizens overseas may not be allowed to vote while prisoners will be permitted to vote. We have received numerous petitions from South Africans overseas who wish to vote. These people will be bitterly disappointed following last week's announcement that they would be entitled to vote.
"It is our view that the Electoral Commission should be given the power to prescribe additional categories of persons eligible to apply for special votes, such as those who are compelled by work or studies to be absent from the country during the election," Mr Swart said.
For more information: Steve Swart MP at 083 285 6290
Media Liaison: Charmaine Horne at 084 370 3550 or 021 403 3307
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2. ACDP does not support declaration of gun-free zones
The Firearms Control Amendment Bill which empowers the Minister of Safety and Security to prescribe measures that will notify the public which premises have been declared gun-free zones will not make South African citizens feel safe, says ACDP MP Rhoda Southgate.
The ACDP did not support the Bill, which was passed in Parliament on Tuesday.
"Law-abiding citizens do not feel safe in their homes, workplaces, schools, churches and on the road. Once gun-free zones are demarcated and become known as such, people in these areas will become a soft target for criminals and will have no means of protecting themselves or their families," Mrs Southgate said.
"The focus of the government should be on apprehending criminals in possession of illegal firearms and not to disarm and disqualify law-abiding citizens.
"Gun dealers have complained that the Central Firearms Registry is refusing to grant licences to many people who are eligible for a firearm licence for arbitrary reasons. There have been no published guidelines in order for this process to be transparent and accountable and this leaves many unanswered questions about why the government is disarming law-abiding citizens," Mrs Southgate said.
For more information: Rhoda Southgate MP at 082 875 8294
Media Liaison: Charmaine Horne at 084 370 3550 or 021 403 3307
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3. Heritage Day and Children's Rights
African Christian Democratic Party MP Cheryllyn Dudley
23 September 2003
The ACDP celebrates Heritage Day conscious of Christian character, sacrificial giving and faith, which inspired ordinary people to leave behind an extra-ordinary heritage, ACDP MP Cheryllyn Dudley said during a commemoration discussion at Parliament on Tuesday.
"This is a good time to consider exactly what heritage or legacy we will pass on to future generations.
"As human rights issues have taken centre stage internationally, international law has become increasingly hostile to long-standing notions of marriage, the natural family and the rearing of children, presenting marriage, motherhood, fatherhood and childhood as cultural and economic problems that demand immediate solutions.
"Legislation currently being considered at parliament in South Africa promises to accelerate this international agenda. Firstly, the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Amendment Bill, which surreptitiously lowers the age of consent for heterosexual and homosexual sexual acts, and secondly the proposed Children's Bill, which will make anyone who refuses to give condoms to 12 year olds a criminal and outlaws parental corporal punishment.
"In South Africa homosexual rights do not only have protection over and above the rights of other citizens through the constitution, legislation and now court judgments, but homosexual lifestyles are also promoted with taxpayers money. New legislation, giving relationships of all descriptions the same status as marriage, is presently being dealt with by the SA Law Commission and will proceed to parliament in due course," Mrs Dudley said.
Mrs Dudley went on to say that research has confirmed that natural family structures benefit nearly every aspect of a child's well-being, including greater educational opportunities, better emotional and physical health, less substance abuse, lower incidences of early sexual activity for girls, less delinquency for boys and reduced poverty.
"If we want our children and our children's children to celebrate Heritage Day in years to come, we must refute and resist the lies that undermine family and marriage," Mrs Dudley said.
"In South Africa this will necessitate a government uncompromisingly based on biblical principles to untangle the legislative mess we are in. South Africa's humanist constitution, which places itself above God's Law, has taken over from the apartheid system in successfully undermining family, and is responsible for the accelerated decline in moral values. It is time for change!
For more information: Cheryllyn Dudley MP at 082 890 6520
Media Liaison: Charmaine Horne at 084 370 3550 or 021 403 3307 National Media Director: Rev. Selby Khumalo at 082 476 4990
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