Which party to trust?
In his recent statement DA spokesperson Cilliers Brink demonstrated the difficult relationship the DA has with the truth (“DA accuses ActionSA of ‘setting up its mayors to fail’“, November 15). This is especially true when it comes to defending the many deficiencies it has revealed as the party “leading” coalitions.
In response to ActionSA’s departure from the coalition in Ekurhuleni arising from shocking findings about service delivery failure, Brink’s approach is to argue that ActionSA’s strategy is to undermine DA mayors. He offers no argument in defence of the fact that nearly two-thirds of Ekurhuleni residents believe Tania Campbell is failing to deliver change, or that only 16% of residents believe things have improved, or that she appears reluctant to appear in any township in her municipality. For this and other DA failures of governance, the DA expects ActionSA to provide unconditional support and adoration, cheerleading its failures of governance.
The notion that the DA governs well is a myth — a fact no resident of Ekurhuleni will argue against. It arises from the bar being set so low in government in SA. However, should ANC governance be the benchmark against which to gauge government performance?
Further to this, the DA’s public demonstration of an inability to work in coalition — when coalition governments are the future — makes the party as useful in SA politics as an official opposition that cannot win ANC votes. Coalitions around the world have demonstrated the need for the anchor party to demonstrate a level of maturity and magnanimity that does not exist in the DA since the return of Helen Zille. In the next elections, voters will need to ask which party they trust to lead coalitions and this, by any objective measure, does not bode well for the DA.
Cracks are now emerging in the DA’s dam wall of support that threaten the last selling point of the party as the beacon of good governance. This is emerging because for the first time, the DA has a coalition partner that will hold it to account when it falls short of the standard committed to by the coalition.
If the DA wants the accolades from leading coalition governments, it needs to accept the accountability that comes with it. If it is unwilling to be held accountable in the way it preaches from the opposition benches, it has the option of stepping out of the way and handing the reins to another party with some backbone.
Michael Beaumont ActionSA national chair