And the winner is democracy

IT WILL go down in the annals of our history that on the eighth day of the eighth month of this year the eighth motion of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma failed.

With 177 members of Parliament voting in the affirmative, 198 against and nine abstaining, the president and his cabinet lived to rule South Africa another day.

Something unprecedented occurred this time. Members of the ruling ANC voted in numbers previously unseen in favour of getting rid of their own president. Also, strikingly, for the first time our elected lawmakers voted in secret in this umpteenth attempt to oust Zuma.

Zuma and his supporters are celebrating their “great victory” against this “dangerous” attempted “coup d’etat” or “regime change”.

Some opposition parties are also celebrating their edging closer to unseating Zuma – and rejoicing at the precedent set by the Speaker for MPS to be able to vote in secret as well as the serious “warning” sent to Zuma.

Almost everyone from left, right and centre is claiming victory. All things considered, however, the true victor is democracy.

Last week we warned it would be undermining democracy for any MP to vote against their party directive on such a crucial matter.

The ruling party, we argued, having obtained its power and mandate from the electorate in a democratic, free and fair election, had a right to rule and determine the country’s national executive leadership. Any short cuts would have been undemocratic.

Fortunately, democracy prevailed. Now, since our deep and glaring problems are still with us, where do we go from here?

The fresh attempts by the official opposition to have Parliament dissolved and the EFF’S talk of Zuma’s impeachment have the same likelihood of success as the last motion of no confidence. And these will also require the assistance of rogue ANC MPS to succeed.

The constitution allows for the routes these parties are now talking about. It is also true that such moves may endanger stability and take the country where it has never been.

Is it not safer and more prudent to work towards winning the hearts, minds and votes of the people?

With 18 months left for another safe window of opportunity for regular, peaceful, less costly and disruptive regime change, are these opposition parties simply making a grab for power at all costs?