Does this expression still have any meaning? Government around the world is generally by proxy, often on behalf of the people hardly ever for them. Once in a while there is real interest in the politics and the politicians and then the people go out in greater than usual numbers, to vote. Generally, the voters are less than 40% of the population or hover around that. This statistic gets even more interesting if you look at how many of those who are eligible to vote, do register to vote and actually vote, come election day.
But that is only the beginning of the story as it were, more so in relation to our own political system. Of course we had a large turnout for the last elections – people love a good drama, especially when they can become part of it. There was excitement around the elections and some optimism that there will be some change. Will we have the same excitement 4 years from now? Or will it be the case of “the ANC always wins and they will win again then? What will be the draw-card then?
Whichever way I look at it, it seems to me that the majority generally impose their political will and their political candidates on the minority, more so under the proportional representation election system. Like most compromises (the national anthem comes to mind here), proportional representation was meant to leave everyone equally unhappy. By everyone I mean those who would have preferred winner takes all versus those who did not want to be overrun by a black government and therefore sought to have a way of keeping some seats in parliament. Some argued that “winner takes all” electoral system would have polarised the nation and would not be in line with the Madiba nation-healing magic. Proportional representation on the other hand would ensure that there will be a place for everyone under the parliamentary sun. I am not sure whether proportional representation did not result in the very polarisation that the peace negotiators attempted to avoid. That however is a subject of another post.
Consider this if you will: Once elected, members of the legislature go about the business of electing the president who then goes about the business of appointing the executive. Firstly, the legislature is the legislature of the Republic of South Africa and all its people regardless of their errant and somewhat irresponsible voting habits. Similarly, the president and the executive are all ours, warts and all. But this is not so under proportional representation. Each politician is answerable and accountable to the party that put her name on the list. Each politician can (and many have been), be removed from parliament and stripped of her title should the party believe it appropriate. What about the people, I ask. The party is in charge and what the party says goes. Does it mean that the Minister of Justice is in his position to carry out the policies and dictates of the party? I will need to go back and read the oath of office that the president, the members of the executive and members of the legislature take when they assume their respective honourable offices. Maybe there is something in there that allows them to heed the call of the party rather than that of the people, I don’t know.
Do they not swear to serve, protect and to uphold the constitution of the Republic of South Africa – without fear, favour, prejudice or political affiliation consideration? This of course goes back to the party list. The people may have whoever political representative they want; as long as such representative is on the list. I don’t know.
Consider the position of the president of the Republic. As soon as he is elected by the legislature, he then gives up his membership of the legislature and he then occupies the presidency. This I am told is because he now belongs to all of us regardless of his party political affiliation. Now, we all remember the last president and how he “was recalled”. Of course that is not technically true. The constitution only provides for the resignation and the impeachment of the president. We of course know that he chose to resign. Had he not, that would have been some dramatic development in the country’s history – that was not to be though. The man facilitated his own recall as it were. All of this is pretty confusing to me.
I do not know when it will be appropriate for this nation to get out of the meantime of nation-building and step into robust constitutional democracy, where the people say who, say when, say how and say how long. I don’t know when that time will be and whether such would necessarily be the right thing to do.
What I do know and believe is that government should only be of, for and by the people. I am also beginning to lean towards a belief that proportional representation gets in the way of the people and their right and duty to govern.
Is it not so that politics is too serious a matter to be left to the politicians and their parties?
I don’t know.
But that is only the beginning of the story as it were, more so in relation to our own political system. Of course we had a large turnout for the last elections – people love a good drama, especially when they can become part of it. There was excitement around the elections and some optimism that there will be some change. Will we have the same excitement 4 years from now? Or will it be the case of “the ANC always wins and they will win again then? What will be the draw-card then?
Whichever way I look at it, it seems to me that the majority generally impose their political will and their political candidates on the minority, more so under the proportional representation election system. Like most compromises (the national anthem comes to mind here), proportional representation was meant to leave everyone equally unhappy. By everyone I mean those who would have preferred winner takes all versus those who did not want to be overrun by a black government and therefore sought to have a way of keeping some seats in parliament. Some argued that “winner takes all” electoral system would have polarised the nation and would not be in line with the Madiba nation-healing magic. Proportional representation on the other hand would ensure that there will be a place for everyone under the parliamentary sun. I am not sure whether proportional representation did not result in the very polarisation that the peace negotiators attempted to avoid. That however is a subject of another post.
Consider this if you will: Once elected, members of the legislature go about the business of electing the president who then goes about the business of appointing the executive. Firstly, the legislature is the legislature of the Republic of South Africa and all its people regardless of their errant and somewhat irresponsible voting habits. Similarly, the president and the executive are all ours, warts and all. But this is not so under proportional representation. Each politician is answerable and accountable to the party that put her name on the list. Each politician can (and many have been), be removed from parliament and stripped of her title should the party believe it appropriate. What about the people, I ask. The party is in charge and what the party says goes. Does it mean that the Minister of Justice is in his position to carry out the policies and dictates of the party? I will need to go back and read the oath of office that the president, the members of the executive and members of the legislature take when they assume their respective honourable offices. Maybe there is something in there that allows them to heed the call of the party rather than that of the people, I don’t know.
Do they not swear to serve, protect and to uphold the constitution of the Republic of South Africa – without fear, favour, prejudice or political affiliation consideration? This of course goes back to the party list. The people may have whoever political representative they want; as long as such representative is on the list. I don’t know.
Consider the position of the president of the Republic. As soon as he is elected by the legislature, he then gives up his membership of the legislature and he then occupies the presidency. This I am told is because he now belongs to all of us regardless of his party political affiliation. Now, we all remember the last president and how he “was recalled”. Of course that is not technically true. The constitution only provides for the resignation and the impeachment of the president. We of course know that he chose to resign. Had he not, that would have been some dramatic development in the country’s history – that was not to be though. The man facilitated his own recall as it were. All of this is pretty confusing to me.
I do not know when it will be appropriate for this nation to get out of the meantime of nation-building and step into robust constitutional democracy, where the people say who, say when, say how and say how long. I don’t know when that time will be and whether such would necessarily be the right thing to do.
What I do know and believe is that government should only be of, for and by the people. I am also beginning to lean towards a belief that proportional representation gets in the way of the people and their right and duty to govern.
Is it not so that politics is too serious a matter to be left to the politicians and their parties?
I don’t know.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment