Kin Bentley: The problems raised by Eusebius McKaiser can be partially ascribed to our political system of proportional representation.

If there is one thing the "old South Africa" was good at, it was debates in parliament. Who will ever forget the courageous one-woman stand of Helen Suzman against apartheid? And when the Progressive Federal Party was formed, people like Van Zyl Slabbert and Alex Boraine joined her in exposing the worst excesses of that system.

The bottom line was that each MP first had to win election by a specific constituency.

Imagine an election based entirely on constituencies. You might even get people interested in politics again, with meetings held in halls in each constituency as candidates try to woo voters. You may even see your candidate walking the streets and knocking on doors, canvassing for support. Today all we have are those stage-managed tours of the country before each election by the party leadership.

I'm not hankering for the past. But I do think that the old system of direct representation gave our politics more character and meaning. The debates in parliament today are pretty much charades, as the ANC, with its huge majority, steamrollers legislation through while ignoring, if not openly disparaging, the opposition. How else does one interpret minister of defence Lindiwe Sisulu's treatment of COPE leader Mvume Dandala when he tabled a motion of no confidence?

While McKaiser says her attitude shows "either a basic lack of understanding about the rules of parliament, or a pernicious attempt to ignore them", I believe at heart our proportional representation political system is to blame.

There is something reassuringly humbling about the old way in which MPs were identified as "the member for Durban North", or whatever. It gave the debates a sense of context.

Sisulu may be a minister, but she should also have a constituency, where voters can actually vote her out of office if they are dissatisfied with how she performs. And, given her treatment of Dandala - a gracious, caring man - I believe most people, even in the heart of Soweto, are downright unhappy with how she has used her position to disparage him and his party.