Former Education Minister Kader Asmal says South African citizens should be treated with respect and dignity. Asmal was among the speakers in a public dialogue on 'Batons or Ballots, Pursuing active citizenship and an interactive State' at the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation in Cape Town. He says the constitution belongs to all of us.

Asmal said the most important value in the constitution of the country is the right to dignity. Citizens should be treated with respect and must be consulted, he said. He added that participation goes hand in hand with citizenship and government is not consulting with the public.

Asmal said: “What we need is accountability and accessibility. The greater the values for citizens, institutions are accountable. Oversight there must be conducted in such a way that individuals are organised to ensure that government does things that satisfies the needs of people. The delivery is not about water and sanitation, its a sense of whatever they say, do and approve. The peaceful prosperous society is unleashing the energy of all citizens. No development can be sustainable unless it involves all those stands to benefit.”

Public participation

Public Service Commission Chairperson Ralph Mgijima says apart from putting in place effective participation mechanisms a critical step would be to develop the necessary skills for facilitating public participation. He says government departments have involved public participation.

Mgijima said: “Parliament and various legislatures have involved the general public in the legislative process. Public hearings have not become a critical step in consideration to drafting of public legislative however for the public to participate in policy development to be meaningful the citizens must first participate from an informed perspective."

Mgijima said among five national and eleven departments studied by the commission, 38% have no budgets allocated towards public service participation.