Forget ‘window dressing’

TO Mr Wright and the BackChatter with reference to racism within the ANC and “window dressing”: did Trevor Manuel change his race or have “Indian” ancestry? Thanks for the update.

All parties look at their demographics (race, religion and gender ratios) and their target votes and appoint people accordingly, otherwise you would end up like the Freedom Front Plus or Minority Front.

Whether such appointments deliver votes is another story, and such examples are not difficult to identify, politically speaking.

The election results in their residential or contested wards will tell you the full story.

Appointing candidates with no track record in an area just before the election is the worst form of insult to the local voters. For example, a Toti resident representing a KwaMashu ward in council.

This explains why political parties will never make headway in their “non-traditional” support base – and that is “window dressing”.

Zuma appointed Tony Leon and Susan Botha as ambassadors – was that “window dressing”?

Look at Marthinus van Schalkwyk, Renier Schoeman, Ina Cronje, Mike Sutcliffe, Ben Turok, Ronnie Kasrils, Arthur Chaskalson and Joe Slovo. FW de Klerk was Madiba’s deputy president until the NP (sadly) walked out. Pik Botha served in Mandela’s cabinet.

The essence is that it is unfair to accuse just one party of racism (on race, religion and gender grounds) and, further, race and religion are tinderboxes which should remain out of the ambit of politicians’ speeches. Our constitution can handle the above.

Raise issues on governance and accountability – that’s where the focus of our politics lies. Point made, I presume.

MI OMAR Durban North