Vote will trump court

It was expected that the court would have reservations over the constitutionality of the government’s decision to withdraw its participation from the International Criminal Court. What ought to be carefully considered, however, is that the court was limited to ruling on the rationality of the decision. It rebuked the process followed to arrive at the decision, and that was fair, but this simply compels the government to go back to Parliament and debate the obvious.

We all know that the outcome of a policy debate always favours the majority. Soon the motion would be upheld by majority vote. Invariably, those with narrow political interests driven by a visionless obsession with the courts will be left with egg on their faces. For they are populists desperately seeking attention on policy matters that fall within the jurisdiction of the legislature. The worst thing about this cheap point-scoring politicking is that it not only creates a storm in a teacup that scares off investors, but merely postpones the inevitable.

All of us really need to channel our energies in a constructive manner and put the country first. The reality is that the architects of our civil liberties often did not live long enough to cherish the freedom they fought for, because their struggle was for us to live better lives. We, therefore, owe it to our liberators to carry forward their legacies for the sake of the future of this country.

Morgan Phaahla

Ekurhuleni