If society is rotten, democracy cannot miraculously save it

MONDLI Makhanya is quite right in saying that Independent Electoral Commission head Pansy Tlakula was one of those who enjoyed far more public confidence than the average deployed cadre, “Tlakula needs to apply her wisdom to this moment of truth” (September 1). Yet I find that I was disappointed, rather than surprised, at the findings of the public protector. It has come to the point where I regard any appointee of the ruling party as a person who either has a record of dishonesty or doesn’t have such a record simply because he or she hasn’t yet been caught out.

We need to face up to the fact that we are intrinsically a dishonest people pretending to be honest because we are able to parade just a handful of good guys. (Even then, we don’t know just how long it will be before our icons of honesty are also exposed as not so honest after all.)

It starts with the voters, who choose the ruling party, which chooses the leaders, who choose the office-bearers. In short, democracy, which offers many possibilities for good governance, also offers exactly the same possibilities for bad governance.

So please can we stop singing the praises of democracy as if it were automatically a wonderful thing. Let us rather face up to the reality that democracy is nothing more than a machine. Like any machine, it can deliver quality goods if properly operated. However, if left to unqualified and unsupervised operators, it can be downright dangerous. That is the position right now.— Ron McGregor, Cape Town