Remarks by Mamphela Ramphele, Leader of Agang SA, to the Roundtable Seminar, University of South Africa, Thursday, April 11 2013

TALKING POINTS ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND ELECTORAL REFORM

1.1. Why accountability is needed in our electoral system

The issue of accountability has been at the core of the debate about the current electoral system in South Africa. The Van Zyl Slabbert Commission, established in 2002, concluded that of the four core values (fairness, inclusiveness, simplicity and accountability) that underpinned its review process, accountability was the issue that raised the most concern in the Commission's discussions and consultations.

The Commission's review process established firm consensus among South Africans on the need to introduce greater accountability into democratic politics in South Africa; and consensus that the electoral system can play an important role in this regard.

Among the specific findings of the review process were:

• There was a desire among voters for the electoral system to provide greater accountability to political parties, their members and voters at large.
• Voters would prefer a shift towards a mixed electoral system that provides a stronger link between voters and elected officials.

It is now common knowledge that the Commission recommended an electoral system in which multi-member constituencies elect 300 members of the National Assembly, with a compensatory close national list providing a further 100 members. The latter would restore overall proportionality.

The necessity for accountability in our electoral system was also underscored by the Democratic Alliance (DA) recently.

On 4 March 2013, the DA submitted an Electoral Amendment Bill to Parliament's home affairs committee.

The proposed Bill aims to replace the current proportional list system with a mixed system that combines proportional representation and a constituency-based system. The DA has stressed that the proposal for electoral reform combines the best elements of both systems.

The DA argues that the introduction of a constituency-based system will ensure that Members of Parliament (MPs) are directly accountable to the electorate by ensuring a direct link between MPs and voters. In essence, it is designed to ensure that Parliament is tied more directly to constituencies across South Africa.

1.2. Will changing the electoral system improve political accountability?

The African National Congress (ANC) argues that changing the current electoral system will not guarantee MPs become more accountable to voters. The party states that changing the electoral system is not a panacea to the "complex challenge of accountability." Although it concedes that improved accountability is a vital element of democracy, the ANC points out that it is not dependent solely on an electoral system.

The ANC argues that it adopted the current proportional representative (PR) system after 1994 because it "wanted an inclusive system that is representative of minority views, in the interest of an inclusive transition." The party also states that the PR system has "facilitated representative institutions with a special focus on women, rural communities and other targeted groups such as people living with disabilities, the elderly and youth."

Furthermore, it argues that the PR system is "accommodative of even smaller parties, thereby ensuring participatory democracy," and has warned that changing to a constituency-based system will "result in the replacement of the current multiparty system with a two-party system."

It is worth noting that the ANC's views have been echoed by some political commentators. For example, in an op-ed piece published last weekend Professor Roger Southall mused that "the introduction of electoral reform will not in itself ensure the accountability of politicians. At most it will help - but only if voters, you and I, do our bit to make the politicians work hard to represent local communities."

1.3. Agang's view: changing South Africa's political culture is key to promoting meaningful accountability

Agang's view is that electoral reform must not be merely about accountability, but about accountability that has meaning for citizens.

For at the heart of the problem in our country is a political culture - found among all political parties - which privileges men at the expense of other social groups (such as women, children, the disabled etc.) and which privileges political parties at the expense of individuals. This is an underlying problem the present political discourse in our country is failing to address.

In our male-dominated and party-oriented democracy, the link between political parties and citizens is extremely weak and in some instances non-existent. The needs of interest groups trump those of individuals. Authoritarianism thrives at the expense of individual expression. Political loyalty supersedes individual/human rights.

The loyalty problem is complicated by factors such as race, ethnicity and religion. This explains why it was possible for our Parliament to even contemplate tabling and passing the Traditional Courts Bill, which blatantly violates human and gender rights.

It is, therefore, only when there is a fundamental change to our political culture that we will be able to build meaningful accountability in our political system. Such change must incorporate different values to those that currently permeate our political culture.

Embracing feminine values (such as openness, connectedness, empathy, sharing, communication and cooperation) could go a long way towards promoting enlightened leadership and transforming South Africa's political culture.

A recently published book: The Athena Doctrine1, by John Gerzema and Michael D'Antonio, based on case studies of political cultures across the globe post the 2008 financial crisis, concludes that: "In our surveys, people around the world challenge the incumbency of masculine structures and the ways of men in restoring trust and resolving the most intractable problems we face today. As you lead you need to think of your own style and how much you are willing to adapt. We'd encourage you to take confidence in this emerging style of Athena leadership." p257

Here are a few of the skills and approaches entailed in Athenian (feminine) leadership:

- Nurture and empathize - leadership is about being expressive and empathetic. The capacity to listen and relate to others is critical to all human relationships

- Put yourself before others - in this era of mistrust the leader must dismantle the ego, and focus on contributing value3 to society

- Promote a positive culture - innovation, problem solving and creativity thrive on the foundations of a strong supportive culture

- Practice inclusive decision-making - management has to be transparent inviting every level of society into participating in expressing their views that then shape the refined decision-making process

- Be patient and see farther - people place the strongest premium on patience and the ability to plan for the future. Athena leaders often express their vision in terms of long-term time frame, serving the future rather than simply custodians of the present.

Conclusion

South Africa inherited a very strong authoritarian unaccountable masculine political culture from all the strands that came together in 1994 at the birth of our democracy: indigenous African, European traditional, Middle and Eastern traditional cultures all have this common thread.

Post-apartheid South Africa has not made much progress in creating a more accountable political culture. We have relied too heavily on litigating our way out of disputes about accountability and those in government and public service have been protected by the overwhelming majority voter support they have enjoyed thus far.

We need to turn the page on our history of unaccountable governance and public service and return to the ideals of the democracy we fought for and so many people have died fighting for. As we commemorate the 20th anniversary of Chris Hani's death let us renew our vows to uphold the dignity and human rights of all citizens.

 A greater show of respect one cannot find beyond listening to the voices of the least amongst us. In our listening tours across the country, Agang SA is struck by just how consistent ordinary people's refrain is about feeling forgotten and disrespected. They do not believe that their voices count. They believe that leaders are all about themselves and the interests of those close to them.

Agang SA is committed to Athena leadership. There are many men in our society who share the views expressed here that are backed by case studies across the globe. We have to leverage the feminine in both men and women to create a more just society than the one we have today. At the heart of social justice is accountability.

The current electoral laws and practices and the political culture that privileges loyalty to parties and their leaders undermines the ideals of our struggle for freedom. We can and must change the current electoral laws and practices to stop the betrayal of the ideals of our democracy.

Changing the electoral clause of our Constitution is long overdue. Agang SA is determined to pursue this electoral clause change in order to transform the politics of South Africa into a caring political culture which puts the country and its people ahead of leaders.

Issued by Agang SA, April 11 2013

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