Hanging by a thread

SIR — There is only a very thin thread preventing SA from falling into the pit of banana republics. This thread is the ruling party conforming to decisions of the courts. It is made progressively thinner as we witness attacks on Chapter Nine institutions and the judiciary. The only decency of which the country can still boast is in the judiciary. This section, especially the Constitutional Court, acts with integrity and is unfailing in upholding the constitution.

It is, however, ironic that the ruling party claims to have brought us the constitution but frequently tramples on it for reasons that have nothing to do with the interests of the country. Mostly it is for personal interest, as a result of which it has had to stomach recurrent humiliation in the courts. You have to wonder what constitution they pledged to uphold when they were sworn in.

A constitution is supposed to be rules governing how we are going to give each space in the shared space we live in as a country. Therefore, it should be something agreed to by all. This is obviously impractical in reality, but we have to work on the assumption that the constitution, whatever flaws there were in how it was arrived at, has by and large been accepted by the majority. Now if everyone allows himself to be guided by the constitution, there is very little chance of clashes among citizens, let alone political parties.

We are experiencing the converse of this. From some quarters, the expectation (or should I say assumption) of the limitlessness of the power acquired by being voted into office is that your position can overrule the constitution. We are in other words to be guided by the whims of those we elected to power, never mind that even their election was within constitutional provisions.

There can be no doubt that if the African National Congress loses an election, there will be hell to pay for this country.

Dr Kenosi Mosalakae

Houghton