Unrepresentivity of Parliament a serious problem
17 May 2016
Congress of the People is shocked at the regularity with which South Africans are resorting to violence and arson. What happened at the University of Joburg, where damage of R100-million was caused when the Sanlam Auditorium was gutted, should compel South African society to ask why university students are resorting to burning things down to get themselves heard. After all, they are educated and have the capability of setting out their grievances on paper and resolving their problems in peaceful manner.
Congress of the People is certain that violent protests are occurring because there are no MPs and MPLs to speak up for them or for any other segment of society. Although the parliamentary calendar reflects many days and sometimes weeks for constituency work no one really knows who represents whom in the national and provincial legislatures.
Our democracy has morphed very quickly into a regnant democracy where those who reign unchallenged and supreme exercise power for the good of the party only, not the good of the citizens who are abandoned to their own devices. Every South African can see that narcissistic relationship of ruling party members to the ruling party. Loyalty matters, mediocrity not at all. Representatives of the people in our country sadly represent a nebulous entity, not people on the ground.
The stalled project of negotiating a new electoral system has left South Africa in a state of growing crisis. Ruling party MPs are nothing more than bum suckers masquerading as the peoples’ representatives. The electoral system has to provide a direct link between an MP and a constituency and the President / Deputy President / Premiers and Mayors and the people. The so-called Premier League highlights how a handful of people can call all the shots and take South Africa ever closer to the precipitous edge.
Ruling party politicians are able to wield enormous power for the betterment of themselves, their families and their friends. Nepotism, corruption and cadre deployment have become a cancer in our society because citizens are no longer empowered and no longer in control. The fact that the National Treasury was very nearly captured and Minister Nene thrown out for no good reason whatsoever, must show to all the danger of leaving the electoral system as it is.
On May 30, 2012, Mosiuoa Lekota made the following far-sighted observation: "Speaker, the rights enshrined in our Constitution are beginning to have a fading utility under the present government. The process of expunging some fundamental rights is occurring before our own eyes. If we do not stand up in protection of those rights, we too will have no protection either”.
MPs feel a sense of helplessness. Citizens feel betrayed and despondent. Others are made so mad that they have taken to destroying priceless infrastructure regardless of both cost and consequence. A parliament of faded utility is of no service to our democracy. Electoral reforms must occur expeditiously if we are to avert a revolution. Parliament has to be more visibly and inherently representative of the people so that the rule of law obtains, democracy succeeds and people can use parliament creatively as "a national forum for public consideration of issues" rather than taking matters into their own hands and destroying what we have.
Issued by Dennis Bloem, COPE Spokesperson, 17 May 2016
