The astonishing political phenomenon that COPE is, retains its importance. This is all the more so as the ANC struggles to manage itself. The ANC respects and is irritated by other political parties but it fears COPE. Sadly, in many, but not all areas, COPE has demonstrated an inability adequately to deliver on what is required to build up, what it rightly likes to call itself - a modern political party. COPE, after the excitement of its launch at the end 2008 and its huge political achievement in starting from a zero base and winning over 7% of the vote in April 2009, has been a huge disappointment. It doesn't have to remain that. Things change quickly in politics and COPE has huge reservoirs of goodwill amongst South African voters.
COPE is looking ahead to its first elective congress where the members and branches will send representatives to formally elect its leaders, both new and old. As a modern political party and not a liberation movement this is absolutely the right thing to do. COPE has often affirmed that it does not want to mimic the ANC, where the culture of the Byzantine politics of a pre-Gorbachev liberation movement still seems to hang about. Serofo Motshekga of the ANC Youth League has just had a quick lesson from his Mommy and Daddy in how that non-democratic culture still persists.
Suggesting names and vigorous, peaceful lobbying for support is healthy democracy, welcome and completely legitimate. COPE, however, does not need to have a rigid "slate" of candidates leaders for people to vote for as the Eastern Cape and others have already announced. What COPE needs is to do an assessment of the record of delivery of each of those leaders and particularly of the members of the CWC (Congress Working Committee). Those people who want leadership positions should be voted for on an individual basis and because they can demonstrate to ordinary members of COPE, a record of delivery within the party. They are after all the people directly responsible for leading COPE since December 2008.
The CNC (COPE National Committee) know well who the members of the CWC are who do not perform in the area of delivery. As only five examples, and there are others, of those who have worked effectively, Smuts Ngonyama on policy, Philip Dexter on communications, Mvume Dandala in Parliament, Lyndall Mafole-Shope in the Gauteng Legislature and Thozamile Botha on local government, should be mentioned. Some for reasons of experience, eminence, regional, ethnic, racial and gender representivity must be elected to positions. A "slate" of candidates can result in this happening. A National Chairman is necessary for COPE because the President cannot fill both roles.
COPE is rightly determined to reflect the rainbow nation. Representivity is important for any political party anywhere. That form of necessary affirmative action is not always easy to achieve. But the symbolism is important and reflecting diversity is comforting to South African voters, who are moderates and want parties with representatives who are not exclusively from one ethnic or race group nor overwhelmingly male. Diversity does not have to be tied to demographic mathematics.
At a primary and fundamental level each human being has equal rights and different competencies. These rights are not determined by the accident of their skin colour, physical appearance or their gender and should not be the basis for discrimination. On gender COPE has simply adopted the ANC position which is a crude demographic quota system for female representation. In a South Africa over 50% of the students enrolled in our tertiary institutions are female, women are clearly proving their abilities and successfully competing equally in society. Discriminatory legal obstacles have been removed. COPE has already reaped the results of this gender quota policy inherited from the ANC. The Linda Odendaal debacle was caused because she was elected, not because she was the best representative of one of the minority groups but because she was female, in the first place, and white, in the second place.
Party political leaders in democracies, like the coaches, players and captains of sporting teams, can only be sure of their positions if they keep delivering successful results. As COPE members go to what will be very important elections for the party but also for South Africa, they must exercise their votes in the full knowledge that COPE is a modern political party which holds the hopes of not only its members and supporters of South Africa and indeed the watching international community. We must pursue excellence as we hold our leaders accountable.
Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter
