Adjudicating the party leaders
THE various responses in POST, July 13-15, “Can they deliver to the electorate?”, made for interesting reading, and not being aligned to any of the mentioned parties, I made some observations.
In the responses of the political leaders – Shameen Thakur-Rajbansi (MF), Patrick Pillay (DLC) and Narendh Ganesh (Mosa) – ThakurRajbansi shocked me with her response to the question “What can the MF offer in terms of service delivery?”
To suggest that “attending community functions” and “quarterly public participation area meetings for feedback” will ensure service delivery boggles my mind. The councillor in the respective ward should be on the ball in knowing the problems of the area and be effective in solving them. Besides, when has the MF held quarterly meetings for feedback?
Patrick Pillay astounded me with his response of “expecting to get 20 seats” – even at the height of Rajbansi’s reign, of which Pillay was a part, the party could not secure as many seats in the eThekwini municipality.
Further, when asked if the DLC “was an Indian party”, he responded: “The voters see the DLC as a party for all and as an alternative for fearlessly championing their rights”.
What “voters” is he talking about, noting his party has yet to contest an election?
According to Pillay, his party has a “strong, dedicated team of community activists with many decades of community service behind them”.
But we do not vote for a party with community activists, as these activists have no power of delivery at all. How will that help a ratepayer who needs his electrical supply restored?
The response by Narendh Ganesh (Mosa) reflected a leader with pragmatic political acumen and this was evidenced by his responses to the various aspects.
Ganesh impressed me with his response to the service delivery question, dealing with unemployment when he stated, that no political party could create jobs. He is absolutely correct, and this should be the basis on which we judge who of the three leaders can best rise to the challenge of leadership.
The fact that he forwarded tangible solutions suggests his party has plans that can work and I, as an independent observer and undecided voter, can identify with that.
If I were to adjudicate the three leaders’ responses, my scorecard would surely be in favour of Narendh Ganesh and Mosa, simply on the basis of the truisms presented.
I do not doubt the fact that “Mosa has a small party edge”, from what I have read. RIAZ ABDURAHAMAN
Durban