|
South Africa on trial
2007-12-24 09:26:32
By Edit
Plato, who was among the founding fathers of democracy, believed in guided democracy. The same applies to one of the founders of American democracy, George Washington.
Practically speaking, in all places where multi-party democracy is enshrined, it is the elites who tune, sieve and sanction the process, much as the voting population chooses the winner.
The concept of direct democracy, much as it is novel, has, in no small way, not really worked in the past, due to fears of the `ignorant` masses voting for radical change and shaking up the whole system.
However, the advent of the Electronic Republic, specifically television, has drastically changed the scenario, as popular democracy, whose wave is ridden by populists, has started gaining ground. This has been more apparent in South America.
In Africa, the oldest political party, the African National Congress, has also been swept by a wave, known there as the Zunami, referring to ANC President Jacob Zuma’s political tsunami, which has thrown President Mbeki, his state deputy president, defence minister and other top brass out of the party top hierarchy.
At the national congress, the ANC party delegates` choice upset the tables and provoked fears of South Africa heading into uncertainty.
At the core of Jacob Zuma`s election are grievances on the share of the national cake, poverty, and-don`t dare mention-the land issue.
Much as he has been popularly elected, Mr Zuma
is likely to be charged in court over bribery charges.
If convicted, political turmoil has been predicted both for Zuma and the African National Congress; due to the fact that Mr Zuma is widely expected to take over as state president from Mr Mbeki after general elections are held in April, 2009.
The intensity of the political battle between the two, and the fact that both of them are iron-willed, have aroused fears of the emergence of two centres of power.
Nevertheless, both Mr Mbeki and Mr Zuma have gone public and stated that they will work harmoniously for the best interests of South Africa.
It is interesting though, to note that these assurances are given precisely at a time when the judicial Sword of Damocles is hanging over Mr Zuma`s head.
On his part, Mr Zuma has tried to assure the business and diplomatic community that there will be no change in economic policies, and has made lightning trips to the US and UK to make the point.
However, it remains to be seen whether Mr Zuma`s eventual ascendancy to state presidency will simply result in change of style rather than substance.
This may put Mr Zuma in a difficult situation given the big expectations of his followers, whose dancing and singing to the tune `Give Me My Machine Gun` sent a message that they want change and nothing short of that.
There is also the question as to what will happen if Mr Zuma chooses to oppose some major aspect of government policy while Mr Mbeki is the state president.
This boils down to the question of who is going to call the shots. Another question that has resulted from the tug of war is: What is the required calibre of a state leader?
All these questions manifest the reality that South Africa-and the rest of Africa-are on trial.
We pray that South Africa passes through the transition period peacefully. We all hope that the dust will eventually settle.
|
