Further metro interests, not party politics

SADLY, over the last few months we have often witnessed how petty party politics and narrow agendas from opposition parties have compromised the city.

Last year, the opposition failed to support budget amendments aimed at ensuring that Nelson Mandela Bay spent all grant funding in the financial year for which it was allocated.

Even worse was the recent failure of opposition parties to properly consider the adjustments budget, notwithstanding the fact that it contained numerous budget adjustments made at the request of these same opposition parties.

This bizarre position severely comprised the city as tens of millions of rands of grant funding could now be lost to the city should the adjustments budget not be adopted.

Mayor Athol Trollip has re-tabled the adjustments budget for today’s council meeting and one can only hope that sanity will prevail.

This council is also likely to vote on another motion of no confidence in Trollip.

Sadly, this motion was instigated by the national leader of the EFF as a move to “punish” the DA for its national position on land reform which, in itself, has nothing to do with either local government or the performance of Trollip.

While I am confident that Trollip and the coalition government will survive the latest onslaught, it is perhaps Trollip’s attitude towards the possibility of returning to the opposition benches that is most telling of his intentions.

A few days after the announcement of the latest no confidence motion, Trollip instructed me to invite the ANC to take part in the budget sessions with the respective directorates to ensure that there would be a smooth transition in respect of the finances of the city in the event that there was a change in government. Sadly, this offer was not taken up.

Trollip also indicated that should his government be removed, he would ensure that the council proceed to comply with its legislative obligations to note a draft Integrated Development Plan and 2018-19 budget and adopting the draft oversight report in response to the auditor-general’s report.

Perhaps this mature way of approaching opposition politics is exactly what has been missing from council over the past 20 months.

Opposition politics in local government is all about ensuring that you keep the governing party accountable for the purpose of furthering the interests of a city and its citizens.

What it is not is the continuous furthering of party political objectives and a hunger for power at any cost.

Retief Odendaal, coalition caucus chair and former leader of the opposition, NMB