Voters need to make ethical political choices if we want to achieve genuine social justice

THE road to hell is paved with good intentions. In The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare wrote: “The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.”

I have written before and will write again, “politics is the art of deception”. That is why it is tough but not impossible to remain ethical or dignified in a milieu that attracts the deceitful and corrupt.

After university, I spent 10 years steeped in community politics, before another 20 years in formal politics. Direct experience has taught me that, like the quote from

The Merchant of Venice, politicians generally cannot be trusted as many will say and do almost anything when the situation requires.

Why am I stating the obvious?

Since both the governing party (ANC) and the official opposition (DA) are caught up in leadership messes entirely of their own creation, voters must consider if this is healthy for our democracy. Ironically, I think the mess is good.

Internal party conflicts allow a reality-check distant from the slogans of “One South Africa for all” or “A better life for all”. Claims of racism and corruption and counterclaims are needed, as they stir a vital narrative and a required debate that politicians ignore until they need to use it when it serves them.

For example: the former mayor of Cape Town, like the former mayor of Johannesburg, defended the DA with great fury for many years, until things did not go their way and then came the claims of racism.

Internal party conflict also allows for the realignment of political thought, as new parties are born and voters have choices. Ironically, some politicians can reinvent themselves as required. For example, some folk think that all politicians who served under apartheid have gone.

That is untrue, as many have reinvented themselves and hold high office but voters have simply forgotten their political history.

So what if the ANC serves the black elite or the DA serves the white elite or the IFP serves the Zulus as is alleged?

So what if Patricia de Lille of the Good Party and Ganief Hendricks of

Al Jama-ah “may decide” to covertly work with the ANC to take over Cape Town? In 2021, the voter will ultimately decide.

Also, if you are genuine and serious, you can develop a fresh, ethical, value-based alternative political outlook like I am struggling to do. If gangsters and the uneducated sit in Parliament, then a faithful and thinking person who wants to see genuine social justice must be able to achieve.

People will insult and ridicule you, then again democracy is not free or cheap or easy to achieve.

So make an ethical choice or not, but do something.