It will take a revolution to dislodge ANC

THE PROFOUND article by Business Report editor Ellis Mnyandu titled SA just wants to make you say ‘Cry, the Beloved Country’ (Business Report, November 17) follows.

The chances of any new or established political party unseating the ANC are extremely remote. The ANC is a corrupt political juggernaut, that completely dominates the political landscape. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely as Lord Acton famously observed.

The multiple scandals amply demonstrate the abuses of power that result from a divided opposition, a culture of mediocrity in government, the bankruptcy of the policy process and ultimately the disengagement of citizens.

We as South Africans should be concerned about perpetual government by one party. There are at least five interrelated reasons: the tendency of unchallenged authority 1) to abuse its power; 2) to develop a culture of mediocrity leading to decline; 3) to sink into a paralysis or bankruptcy of policy; 4) to rule by clique; and as a consequence of the above, 5) to lead citizens to conclude that there is little point in their engagement in the political process.

The chief danger of such omnipotence is abuse of office.

This corruption of the mind has been described as the arrogance of power. The myriad of less visible abuses of government authority that happen every day in South Africa, and against which the victims have no effective recourse whatsoever, should concern every citizen who believes in freedom and the rule of law.

The devastating examples of our country’s decline under this government are the drop in our relative purchasing power and our standard of living, and the deterioration of our health-care system. In the absence of serious opposition, the ANC has no incentive to excellence or innovation.

The real danger is paralysis of policy. In the absence of new people with new ideas, policy generation becomes unimaginative and stagnant. The ANC at this point in time is politically impregnable. It took a revolution to bring it into power, it will take a revolution to dislodge it from power.