Publication: Business Day
Issued:
Date: 2007-01-30
Reporter: Lesego Sechaba Mogotsi
The
energy that is being used by those who honestly believe that Jacob Zuma is still
fit to become the state president is being wasted and misdirected. It is also
being accompanied by lot of negativity, mistrust and narrow, individual
interests instead of what is in the best interest of South African citizens.
The amount of energy, time, resources and effort that has been spent in
the past months on the volatile succession debate has indeed taken this country
backwards. I am terribly disturbed and disappointed by the fact that some people
within the ruling alliance still find it difficult to distinguish between the
state president and the political party president.
I also do not buy the
story that Zuma is a friend of the working class and therefore his appointment
as a successor to President Thabo Mbeki would move SA towards a socialist state
unless Zuma’s supporters want to tell us that he will disregard the ruling
party’s policies, which have often been criticised by various political
organisations, independent commentators, civil society and nongovernmental
organisations as being procapitalist.
I maintain that the man’s image
has been severely dented by the rape trial and his alleged
“mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship” *1 with Schabir
Shaik.
Some people may say it is too early to review our electoral system
in so far as electing the state president is concerned, but I think that, given
the callousness of the succession debate within the ruling alliance, it may be
the right time to think about introducing presidential, premier and mayoral
elections in this country.
This will allow those of us outside the
ruling alliance to have a direct say and to determine who becomes the next state
president, premier and mayor rather than leaving it to elected political party
representatives.
Lesego Sechaba Mogotsi
Tshwane
With ackowledgements to Lesego Sechaba
Mogotsi and Business Day.
*1 Alleged?, Why
alledged?
This is the real thing: them white judges they said so, plus a
black judge.