Part of the problem with comprehending COPE as a political party is that most of what we know about what the party stands for is a product of hollow "mass media enthusiasm" with the destruction of the ANC. In fact, many of its party members seem not to know its fundamental identity, and proceed to make up ideological positions along the way, as evidenced by the regular "progressivism" claptrap by some quasi-philosophical party hacks.
This explains why COPE is continuously struggling to differentiate itself from much of the clutter on the ballot paper, and more so, why the establishment of party branches at ground level seems pretty much an elusive adventure. Of fundamental importance here, is that the required policies positions for South Africa's developmental programme play themselves out daily on the ground, and not on some cyber community devoid of any grass root organisational capacity.If the saying that "first impressions last" is anything to go by, then COPE's much vaunted impact on the political landscape is all but wishful thinking and the party's political obituary can no longer a matter of speculation. I would refer here to three incidents from personal experience, if only to portray a true picture about COPE's trail of blunders on the ground.
Blunder number 1 - the anti-ANC foundation
For one, I had been approached by a member of a COPE with a view to win over my membership. This was in the period prior to the 2009 national elections. I would have assumed that such a presentation would have included some level of policy articulation, but to no avail. My understanding of COPE after this particular incident was that all it stood for was a means to create a new vehicle to contest power against the ANC. Simply put, my willingness to join or not, would have been determined by my feelings towards the ANC after Polokwane, and not the platform COPE would create in contributing towards a successful developmental state.
Blunder number 2 - opportunism
A member of COPE - who had been distributing COPE T-shirts to all and sundry during the elections period - boasted to me that his "friend" is very high on the party's provincial list, and if the friend gets to parliament, then he would be guaranteed a job in the public sector. I'm tempted to believe that it is this kind of opportunism, which informed many an individual to wear a COPE logo on their chest.
Blunder number 3 - lack of effective tactics on the ground
A senior member of the party - who was once an ANC ward councilor - engaged a friend of mine - in my presence - around forming a COPE branch in his area. He started by condemning the ANC, and then went on to outline his party's strategic approach for the 2011 local elections. Two things came to mind in this situation: 1) the lack of tactical acumen and 2) the fundamental flaws in this so-called "strategic approach" - some kind of a "follow an individual" operation, which cannot amount to a "branch". But I'm not exactly surprised by this kind of an approach because it is consistent with many party members' position on Thabo Mbeki, and the recruitment of both Lynda Odendaal and Mvume Dandala. Nonetheless, there is a risk that COPE will create "demigods" across voting stations, rather than individuals who have internalised the party's policies (if any).
In conclusion, these have been some of my impressions of COPE on the ground, and I have no doubt that many ordinary people like me are exposed to these realities. No amount of pontification on "progressivism" would alter the course of such a doomed party. It is a destiny they picked for themselves from the onset.
Setumo Stone is a writer, social commentator and youth activist
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