South Africa needs its own Venequelan Moment now
8 December 2015
Congress of the People is certain that the time for political change in our country has come.
South Africans who are concerned about their economic future, wellbeing and safety, must raise a deafening din to demand visible economic growth. For the past seven years the ruling party has lived a blatant lie. On the one hand, it publicly disparages capitalism but on the other hand quietly rewards itself better than most of the capitalist countries in the world.
The German cabinet members took no pay hike from 2000 to 2012. Only after twelve years did they give themselves a pay rise of under 6%. When is such a thing ever going to happen with those, in our country's cabinet, who bash capitalism but relish its rewards and lifestyle? What the ruling party ostensibly hates is exactly what its members are growing very rich on. This shameless hypocrisy must end.
South African Ministers earn about as much as and possibly even more than their German colleagues. Germany, however, has only 14 ministers. South Africa, by contrast, has a plethora of ministers and deputy ministers who do not know what they are doing at the best of times. In Germany, Economic Affairs and Energy cleverly go together, as do Justice and Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture, Transport and Digital Infrastructure and very importantly, Education and Research. This binary arrangement is how ministries should and must be structured. No wonder Germany is the economic power it is.
The ruling party has got it all wrong. In prioritising the welfare and success of comrades, the ruling party of the present time has forgotten about growing the economy to its full potential for the benefit of citizens. It clearly exists for itself and not for the people.
The ruling party has the NDP but is severely constrained from implementing it aggressively and in every aspect of the plan. It therefore gives only token approval to the NDP and nothing more. The ruling party decries capitalism and so frightens away investments. At the same time, it takes scarce resources of the nation and squanders that on consumption side expenditure. It spends massively on itself and then borrows massively to keep government afloat. When loans become due it kicks the can down the road and extends the payment period. This is certainly not how a responsive and caring government treats the economy and the people of our country.
The time has certainly come for South Africans to demand accelerated growth and substantially improved GDP figures. If the ruling party cannot deliver growth as well as the public goods that citizens are demanding, South Africans must vote tactically as the Venezuelans did and kick out the incompetents and leeches in society from government. South Africa needs a Venezuela moment very desperately.
It is either that the South African nation delivers a big shock to the ruling party as the voters of Venezuela did or it accepts to take the biggest shock and suffering itself. Only shock will improve the situation for the better. South Africa needs its own Venezuelan moment now!
Issued by Dennis Bloem, Spokesperson, COPE, 8 December 2015
