Zuma must explain comment
I HAVE been following the recent developments in parliament where the president of the country, Jacob Zuma, made a bold, interesting and challenging statement that “there’s poverty of politics in the opposition”.
For some MPs this statement arouses anger, in particular the EFF with its commander-in-chief Julius Malema making an indirect reference to it, saying that Zuma was not taking parliament seriously. Instead he made reckless statements.
I might not be certain of Zuma’s assertion. However if I was a member of parliament representing the opposition I would request through a motion that:
ý The statement be engaged separately in a sitting of parliament;
ý The president be more relevant, contextual and elaborative of his meaning of the poverty of politics;
ý The opposition parties be afforded an opportunity to challenge the president.
I make this plea to clarify for the people of the country, continent and the world whether there’s indeed a lack of intellectual political depth or not in the parties who aspire to lead South Africa. I would, second, do this because South Africa is one of the most respected countries in Africa and the world due to its role in sponsoring solutions to the most complex challenges that confront most African states such as Lesotho, Sudan and Zimbabwe, and its significant member affiliation in Brics.
It must be remembered that not only South African people watch the deliberations in parliament. The people in the continent and the world are watching as to how the deliberations are unfolding in our country as part of learning and observing how individual political leaders are appreciating and harnessing the hard-earned democracy we’ve attained.
They are also seeing how we improve investor confidence.
However most people watch the live broadcast of the sitting of parliament to enjoy the melodramatic point of orders, counter point of orders and degenerating state of affairs that help to pass the day. I am observing that people have started to write about this comically on social networks and musicians are composing songs about the unfolding of events in parliament.
This is the only way of condemning it.
I think there must be change in the way of doing things in parliament. Frankness, robust and radical debates must not be substituted by stifling of engagements through points of orders and rudeness.