Chairperson,
The ACDP has taken note of this report and the names nominated, and whilst we do not wish to cast any aspersions on the IEC, it does raise the question as to why so many former and present IEC commissioners or staff have now been nominated, given the large number of experts available in the country, such as Mike Atkins, Lawson Naidoo, and others. When one sees the insertion of an advocate who has no electoral experience and other such members then it does bear the question as to whether this is the best Electoral Reform Consultation Panel available, and the ACDP questions this.
We are also concerned, given the fact that this panel will be hard pressed to complete its work within 12 months of this month’s elections, one would then expect that the best possible people will be nominated for the position.
When one also considers that it appears this is largely a duplication of work previously done and that the ANC government did not make use of the ideal opportunity for real electoral reform as recommended by its own Ministerial Advisory Committee on Electoral Reform when the Electoral Amendment Act was passed, then this raises a number of questions.
The ACDP believes that this is a duplication of various processes, including the Electoral Reform Report of the Van Zyl Slabbert Commission, as well as parts of the Motlanthe High Level Panel Commission, parts of the Zondo Commission Report and, of course, the Ministerial Advisory Committee on the Electoral Reform itself.
So, in our view, firstly, the nominees to the Electoral Reform Consultation Panel leave much to be desired, and secondly, we believe this is a duplication and a waste of money.
Although it is required by the statute, the ACDP will not support this report.
I thank you.
