Politics cause of next crisis
A NEW WAVE OF CHANGE We cannot escape the impact of decisions made by politicians on our daily lives.
It has been another year in which SA’s political and economic weakness has stuck out like a nail our leaders struggle to hammer down as we and the world observe. As the year unfolded, early optimism and admiration of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s “new dawn” turned into knowing sighs – there is no noteworthy change.
As we head into a crucial election year, the political parties that will be contending for our votes are found to be lacking and have exposed themselves as a bickering lot trying to outdo each other.
There’s a cacophony within the ANC in dealing with the Zuma administration after-effects.
It seems that amid it all, government is the biggest victim. I mean its central feature – the ability to make collective decisions and enforce them – has been suspended to deal with internal clashes. There have been fallouts since the Nasrec congress, a realignment and reconfiguring of power and allegiances are ever-changing. Opposition parties aren’t impervious. The Democratic Alliance faces its own power struggle with leadership that (a) is no longer able to check the ambitions of those who want to reclaim their party, and (b) can’t endure the dilution by those who intend to make it more diverse.
However, the Ecpnomic Freedom Fighters is experiencing far worse publicity. It fashions itself as a crusader against corruption, but allegations of corrupt dealings could lead to its demise. The EFF’s problems are many. It needs to understand that populist inclination can only get it so far and that, in time, its success will depend on how long the audience stays captivated by its rhetoric and ideological beliefs. One foot wrong and the spell will break.
Considering the selfish emptiness and inadequacy of some of our politicians, the further exposure of their countless misdeeds should enable you to carefully consider who to choose to govern us.
We have an obligation to participate in our democracy, keep politicians answerable and ensure they operate within a framework of checks and confines that ensures government authority isn’t abused.
Next year, vote and remind politicians that power can be given and taken from them if it’s not used to unite and grow SA. The economy has had another difficult year, with the recession and being exposed to the risk of being an emerging market in an unpredictable world economy. This was exacerbated by ingrained joblessness and government’s indecision on key concerns.
For the average worker and the poor, it means the economy hasn’t worked well for them and is dooming their circumstances. The middle class has also been affected: most are in unserviceable debt.
If this year is a precursor of what’s to come, then any crisis in our economy and, therefore, society will be political in origin. The politicians have shown this year that they aren’t able to resuscitate the economy or move forward beyond their rhetoric and party differences.
I hope their actions in 2019 prove the above statement wrong.
Mamokgethi Molopyane is a mining and labour analyst