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PR-DA-SA-IRAN SAPA PR --WHY IS SOUTH AFRICA'S PARLIAMENT COURTING IRAN? |
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Feb 07, 2010 at 12:34 PM |
ISSUED BY: DA
ATTENTION: NEWS EDITORS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
07 FEBRUARY 2010
WHY IS SOUTH AFRICA'S PARLIAMENT COURTING IRAN?
STATEMENT BY IAN DAVIDSON MP DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE CHIEF WHIP
The Democratic Alliance can confirm that the Speaker of
Parliament, Max Sisulu, visited the Islamic Republic of Iran last
week, at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart Ali Larijani.
The visit coincided almost exactly with Iran's execution of two
opposition activists, convicted of "trying to topple the Islamic
establishment" after they were linked to protests that took place
last June, following the disputed Iranian presidential election.
The two executed were among 11 people sentenced to death.
The question is: Why is the Speaker of South Africa's Parliament
visiting a country with such an appalling human rights record and,
instead of speaking out against the obvious abuses, using it as a
platform to attack the West? The answer is: because the ANC, from
Zimbabwe through to Iran, has always placed a country's historic
ties with its liberation cause above any other consideration; and
so principle has been subverted by political solidarity and our
international reputation on human rights, reduced to nothing more
than empty rhetoric and meaningless gestures.
It is disgraceful and I will be submitting a parliamentary
question to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, to determine what
exactly our position on Iran is, its human rights record and,
particularly, the appropriateness of the Speaker's visit at a time
when opposition members are being executed.
I will also bring up this matter at the next meeting of the
Parliamentary Oversight Authority; because if Mr Sisulu was
claiming to represent the South African parliament, he certainly
didn't consult anyone before doing so. And if his purpose was to
extend parliamentary democracy, he picked the wrong country to do
that, because Iran is neither a constitutional state nor a genuine
parliamentary democracy.
Among other things, as punishment, the Iranian state carries out
executions by hanging, stoning and decapitation, as well as
flagellation and even amputation, for crimes that include things
like adultery, alcohol consumption and petty theft. These
punishments are often carried out in public. Further, many aspects
of Iranian legislation do not afford the same rights to women as to
men. For instance: a woman's life is valued at half that of a
man's; a woman needs a husband's permission to work outside the
home and a woman's evidence given in court is considered only worth
half that given by a man.
I will be asking the Minister and the Speaker what South
Africa's position is on all these issues.
It is reported that, among other things discussed between the
two parties, was Iran's nuclear programme, about which Mr. Sisulu
criticised the United States for applying double standards. It was
also emphasised by both parties that Iran and South Africa have
much in common because both have overcome a legacy of repression.
This also raises the question of what capacity Mr Sisulu was
visiting in, because the ANC's political history has nothing to do
with Parliament's mandate.
What Mr Sisulu seems to have forgotten is that, in South Africa,
we have a Constitution which ensures that all citizens are equal
and, through a Bill of Human Rights, guarantees that people are not
subjected to torture or cruel and unusual punishment. It is a sad
day indeed, when someone like Mr Sisulu, whose family was so
central to the fight to secure those rights, is willing to overlook
them in favour of some warped sense of political solidarity.
The Economist recently noted that Iran was making a concerted
effort to shore up its relations with Africa:
Zimbabwe's president, Robert Mugabe, has been courted too, along
with sub-Saharan Africa's diplomatic and economic giant, South
Africa, whose ruling African National Congress has long shared
Iran's support for thePalestinians against Israel. Iran has for
many years supplied South Africa with a lot of oil. But economic
ties have tightened. Private South African companies are investing
heavily in Iran. For instance, MTN, a mobile-phone company invested
$1.5 billion-plus in Iran in 2007-08 to provide coverage for more
than 40% of Iranians. In return, South Africa has been one of
Iran's doughtiest supporters at the UN, abstaining on a resolution
to condemn Iran's human-rights violations and arguing against
further embargoes and sanctions over Iran's nuclear plans.
For many years, former President Thabo Mbeki ensured that South
Africa's international reputation as a champion of human rights was
fundamentally tarnished by its approach to Zimbabwe and its conduct
in the United Nations. It appears that Jacob Zuma's administration
has picked up exactly where Mbeki left off and that, as has been
the case for years, party political consideration trump our
legislated commitment to human rights. If President Zuma wants to
put clear blue water between his own government and the legacy he
inherited he needs to start instilling a culture that promotes and
protects human rights and speaks out against those that violate
them. He should start with this visit and speak up now.
MEDIA OFFICE:
Jo Lennox: 082 780 0242
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