The ANC has dismissed the DA’s request for US President Barack Obama to address Parliament as a “cynical publicity stunt”.
|||Cape Town - The ANC has dismissed the DA’s request for US President Barack Obama to address both houses of Parliament when he arrives in the country later this month, as nothing but a “cynical publicity stunt”.
The party was reacting to DA parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko’s statement earlier this week that she had written to National Assembly Speaker Max Sisulu and chairman of the National Council of Provinces Mninwa Mahlangu to request that they convene a special joint-sitting, in terms of Rule 7(2), to allow Obama to address a joint sitting of Parliament on his official visit.
This is the second spat between the parties involving Obama, after the Western Cape ANC called on Obama and his wife Michelle not to accept the City of Cape Town’s Freedom of the City award.
Mazibuko said this week that the “successful reconvening” of the two houses of Parliament for the address by the Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan was a perfect example of why Obama should be allowed the same opportunity to “cement” South Africa’s bilateral relations with the country.
“There can be no doubt that President Obama’s first state visit to South Africa constitutes a significant enough milestone for Parliament to accommodate a special parliamentary session.
“It is also worth remembering that when President Obama visited Ghana in 2009... he delivered a keynote address to the Ghanaian parliament as part of his state visit,” said Mazibuko.
But ANC chief whip Mathole Motshekga dismissed this as “logically flawed”.
“It is important to note that in terms of international protocols, Parliament cannot invite a foreign head of state to address it. President Obama is visiting this country as the guest of the South African government, and not as a guest of Parliament.
The programme of his visit therefore is determined jointly by the two governments. Parliament may therefore not hijack him, as suggested by the DA’s request,” said Motshekga.
Motshekga said the addressing of joint sittings of Parliament occur only as a result of a joint arrangement between the host head of state and their visiting counterpart.
Political Bureau