Last week
and this coming week I have had the privilege of attending Parliament for
hearings on the Sexual Offences Amendment Bill. I had no idea I was even going
to be attending until I arrived at work on Tuesday- it's safe to say that the
day was extremely exciting for me. I was never extremely interested in politics
before coming here because I honestly didn’t think that I had the knowledge to
fully comprehend the problems being discussed. However after sitting in the
hearing I realized that although some people in Parliament might have high
titles- we are all human. Contrary to my belief, it wasn’t hard to understand
the issues being discussed and the point of views from the various
organizations. While taking notes on the various organizations (religious
groups, NGOs, gender equality organizations, childs rights organizations) I
admired the fact that Parliament offered these organizations to come in and
voice their opinion with a respected audience. Although these views might not
be supported by society as a whole, it was nice to hear of other opinions and
their reasoning. We often only criticize the many moves of government worldwide
rather than giving credit where it is needed. Although I still have a lot to
learn about politics and policies of South Africa, I was so impressed at the
amount of people who dedicate their lives to help make their country a better
place. Many of the people in these organizations will never be able to benefit
from the bills they are discussing- they are not doing their jobs for personal
satisfaction- rather they are doing it to bridge the gaps of macro level
inequality. To me that is so honorable. I’m seeing and breathing Ubuntu more
and more everyday.
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| Onna outside Parliament |
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