Honourable Members,
Our theme of the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s 128th Assembly in Ecuador is “From unrelenting growth to purposeful development – ‘Buen Vivir’: New approaches, new solutions.”
“Buen Vivir” is the Spanish words used in Latin America to describe alternatives to development focused on the good life in a broad sense. The term is actively used by social movements, and it has become a popular term in some government programs and has even reached its way into two new Constitutions in Ecuador and Bolivia.
This Parliamentary Union Assembly provides an important opportunity to reflect on holistic development which will bring tangible improvements to the living standards of our respective peoples. Here in South Africa, we have been living and exercising the “Buen Vivir” principle. We call it “Batho Pele” which is a Sotho term meaning, “People first”.
The Batho Pele principle has formed the cornerstone of our government’s approach towards governing and in so doing our government is striving for development which results in a good life for our people. This is what Buen Vivir is all about; it is about a people-centred approach towards governance and development.
In short, “buen vivir” denotes a holistic approach, meaning the approach that prioritises the broad social and human needs of the collective and that recognises the critical importance of protecting the environment.
The “buen vivir” approach provokes us to question our own economic decisions and structures in particular. It points to the importance of ensuring that growth serves our people, and not something we seek for its own sake.
The concept of “buen vivir” arises out of the values of indigenous peoples in the Andes. It builds on the need to strengthen communities and solidarity and to respect the natural environment.
On the basis of “buen vivir, economic growth is a means to improving people’s lives, not something we seek for its own sake or to serve the needs of a selected few at the expense of the collective.
The concept of “buen vivir” demands that we should not see the economy as the only overriding consideration, but rather as a peace in a larger puzzle with other important pieces such as the environment, social cohesion, the eradication of sexual violence, the equal protection of human rights, the promotion of sound ethical values, eradicating corruption and many other social ills.
Clearly, this is a revolutionary concept, which challenges many of our liberal assumptions about economic growth and development. Instead, “buen vivir” argues that ensuring everyone has enough to live on, is necessary, but not sufficient for ensuring a better life for all. It suggests, too, that neither the environment nor society as a whole can afford to let a few people indulge in selfish and conscious consumption.
“Buen vivir” is linked to the idea that given the limits on growth and the human need for social cohesion, we must think more carefully about what constitutes a good life in social and emotional terms, and recognise that consumption and the amassing of wealth cannot become our main goal as individuals, as a country, as a continent, as the global community or as humanity at large.
In short, the concept of buen vivir essentially aims to provide an alternative to the economist’s narrow pursuit of growth at all costs.
As many of you are aware that South African was once an oppressive state where being black meant being a second class citizen and being subservient to whites. Stories of black people being arrested for riding a bicycle without a license, or for walking in the streets after dark during the Apartheid system are enshrined in our past.
While the South African economy under Apartheid was relatively stable, the “buen vivir” principle was totally non-existent. Whites faired blacks and vice versa and the overall mood in the country were tense and uncomfortable.
Apartheid is the most glaring reminder that unless people feel valued and free, economic growth alone is simply insufficient and unless the “beun vivir” or “Batho Pele” principle of governance is embraced, economic growth will be totally in vain. “Buen virvir” therefore demands that growth must benefit our people broadly, and not just a few individuals and that it must harmonise with the environment.
From this holistic perspective, material well-being is not the only determinant of a good life. Other values and aims have greater meaning: knowledge and discovery, respect, enjoyment of natural surroundings and human solidarity, creativity and the ability to contribute to society, security and freedom.
Honourable members,
Probably no country in the Parliamentary Union, or indeed in the world, has greater first-hand knowledge of why growth in itself is not a panacea than South Africa’s.
The forebearers of the history and tradition of the liberation movement of this country held a view that we need to transform the character of economic growth. The Freedom Charter does not simply say we must grow the economy, but rather that we must transform it. It starts with the affirmation that: “Our country will never be prosperous or free until all our people live in sisterhood, enjoy equal rights and opportunities.”
Today, during this phase of our transformation agenda, both the National Development Plan (NDP) and the National Growth Path (NGP) are premised on a view that if economic growth continues to reproduce the deep social divisions and inequality created under apartheid, we would not be able to build a cohesive society, the one where we would. And if South Africa continues as a disproportionate source of global-warming emissions, we will face major disruptions in the future.
Our responsibility is to seek transformation, not only within our country, but across our continent and the globe. Increasingly, we see the rest of Africa and the BRICS as important partners, not just for trade, but also for shifting the global balance of power in ways that make it possible to achieve a better life for the majority across the globe. We are surviving revolutionaries with a moral mission.
We know from our complex and bitter experiences that the unemployed, the poor, the wrenched of the earth do not have a good life. But that does not mean the converse is true – that consuming selfishly will by itself create a good life or is conducive to one’s well-being and happiness.
As the theme of the Inter-Parliamentary Union assembly underscores, the challenge is to rethink our paradigms, our basic assumptions. We have to re-learn the fundamentals of our liberation strategies and tactics. We need to review the quality and throughput of our education. Our skills revolutionary agenda has to be appropriate for the development needs, to foster a deeper sensitivity to the needs of our natural environment, and to build a culture of solidarity and patriotism.
Our commitment to opening youth employment opportunities, indeed demonstrate the resolve and commitment to sustainable growth and the future. When young people are unemployed, their challenge is not only material poverty.
For many, unemployment excludes them from key social processes, from the chance to serve society, to determine the future of the country, and grow into responsible citizens–being in defence of their inheritance, by preserving water, committed to gender equality, human rights, social justice taking leadership in their communities, being carriers of values and principles which restored the dignity of the country.
That is why our efforts around the youth accord focus, not simply on increasing youth employment, but also on building youth brigades and expanding internships. We need to ensure that young people are well equipped to serve their communities and become part of a broader social movement of champions of democracy and peace.
Such a noble course requires strategies that are participatory and democratic, harnessing the skills and potential of communities. We need to ensure that our strategies empower people to take collective action that they are provided with resources, knowledge and technology which will enable them to overcome access barriers and empower them to be masters of their development and destiny.
Honourable Members, we are obliged to meet the expectations of our people, through building communities that are dynamic, resilient and cohesive. We have to end the deep divisions that Apartheid naturalized in our society based on geography, gender, religion, race, education and economic positions.
It is about building solidarity and mutual respect across our country in all the dimensions of our lives – from the economy to the state and government, to protection of the natural environment, to cultural development.
Parliament is a strategic point of leverage. Parliaments are crucial centres of democracy. It is through Parliament that our people have a voice, oversee government, and influence legislation.
The question is how can we ensure that our debates contribute more to a reasoned discourse, a realistic and objective discussion of options, which can help our people understand and influence governance?
How can we make sure that we enrich laws and regulations in ways that ensure that our policies impact the lives of the people in a positive way? How can we improve our oversight to make sure that government systems enable every South African to feel empowered and respected? How do we ensure that we remain vigilant at all times for the common good?
The use of Parliament as a site of solidarity and struggle is particularly important for South Africans. We remember how in the 1980s, the Association of West European Parliamentarians for Action against Apartheid, or AWEPAA, mobilised a thousand Parliamentarians across Europe in support of our resolve to dismantle Apartheid.
This is the kind of Parliamentary activism that drives change which we should at all times aspire for. It is the dedication to people driven social transformation that participation in the Inter-Parliamentary Union should aim at.
Honourable Members,
During the coming Inter-Parliamentary Union assembly, we as South Africa must be visible and eloquently raise our voice in enriching discussions on “Buen vivir,” by citing the values of our vision 2030 National Development Plan and the New Growth Path, our today’s government strategy.
We should at all times in solidarity with our allies stay together in defending our values and collectively name and dismantle ideological approaches which entrench individual interests, privileges and undermines wealth distribution amongst all who are in the land. Our motto is: People first, the people shall govern and power to the people.
