Letter: No respect shown for parliament

WHAT I saw on the television during the state of the nation address (Sona) on Thursday leaves much to be desired and I was left wondering about the future of our country. I had questions ringing in my mind and I was trying to figure them out.

If we think that what we saw in parliament that night is called democracy, let us think again. To me the meaning of that was unruliness and disrespectfulness by the members of the parliament.

I am not going to adjudicate on the matter, but we should remember that you earn the respect and you do not command it. Our country has reached the lowest point on political tolerance, and my only worry is that you cannot groom the young and upcoming politicians in that kind of environment.

On Thursday we were expecting to hear a full report about our country from the president, as he usually gives, but instead we were shown that kind of behaviour. I had to put myself in the shoes of the two poor speakers of parliament, Baleka Mbete and Thandi Modise – I would have drowned my sorrows in booze after the Sona because it was the busiest night in their political careers.

In future members of parliament should treat parliament with the due respect it deserves because they represent their constituencies. We cannot correct a wrong by a wrong.

If we have something against somebody, we should follow the right protocol and explore every available avenue to find the right solution. By doing that we will be protecting our democracy and not abusing it.