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Sep 18
2008
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ANC will prevail if it listens to its constituencyPosted by admin in Untagged   |
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Thursday, September 18, 2008
ANC will prevail if it listens to its constituency
Thabang Motsohi.
STRATEGY CONSULTANT.
It is ironic that as we approach election time again, people increasingly begin to reflect on, and in many ways question, the performance of the ruling party and its accountability to its constituency.
The leadership battle that has dominated party activities, pre and post Polokwane, threatens to tear it apart as we prepare for the next election. If the widespread and violent contestations for nomination on the party list are an indicator of the deteriorating crisis, then the ANC voters have legitimate reasons to look for alternative beneficiaries of their precious votes.
In so many constituencies, people of high integrity and who command respect and support in their communities, are threatened with violence and even death for seeking to be nominated on to the party list. This is the preserve of those that are close to the party leadership. They are motivated by self-enrichment and seek political power to distribute patronage and control.
The situation begs the question: Does the electoral system and the ANC governance structure and practice serve the democratic mandate and interests of its voting constituency?
Last Sunday on Interface, J Duarte stated that the ANC is assured of at least 60% voter support. This was so presumptuous, it could have been laughable were it not naïve. We need to show more respect for the intelligence of the voting public.
Many voters are increasingly voicing frustration and disillusionment at what is happening within the party. Zubeida Jaffer in her recent article, Star 15th Sep, proposes formation of a direct representation party as an option.
Some people believe that this is a very attractive option. It would have a very high potential for success provided it is a mirror image of the ANC and it adopts its principle and policy strategies with the exclusion of the following:
• Nomination on the electoral list must be decided by the constituency on the basis of the most preferred candidate,
• Participation in the decision making of the party must be by members only. Any alliance partners shall be excluded from this role.
Clearly if the ANC adopts constituency based electoral system and limits its relationship with the alliance partners, the need for such a party will fall away.
STRATEGY CONSULTANT.
It is ironic that as we approach election time again, people increasingly begin to reflect on, and in many ways question, the performance of the ruling party and its accountability to its constituency.
The leadership battle that has dominated party activities, pre and post Polokwane, threatens to tear it apart as we prepare for the next election. If the widespread and violent contestations for nomination on the party list are an indicator of the deteriorating crisis, then the ANC voters have legitimate reasons to look for alternative beneficiaries of their precious votes.
In so many constituencies, people of high integrity and who command respect and support in their communities, are threatened with violence and even death for seeking to be nominated on to the party list. This is the preserve of those that are close to the party leadership. They are motivated by self-enrichment and seek political power to distribute patronage and control.
The situation begs the question: Does the electoral system and the ANC governance structure and practice serve the democratic mandate and interests of its voting constituency?
Last Sunday on Interface, J Duarte stated that the ANC is assured of at least 60% voter support. This was so presumptuous, it could have been laughable were it not naïve. We need to show more respect for the intelligence of the voting public.
Many voters are increasingly voicing frustration and disillusionment at what is happening within the party. Zubeida Jaffer in her recent article, Star 15th Sep, proposes formation of a direct representation party as an option.
Some people believe that this is a very attractive option. It would have a very high potential for success provided it is a mirror image of the ANC and it adopts its principle and policy strategies with the exclusion of the following:
• Nomination on the electoral list must be decided by the constituency on the basis of the most preferred candidate,
• Participation in the decision making of the party must be by members only. Any alliance partners shall be excluded from this role.
Clearly if the ANC adopts constituency based electoral system and limits its relationship with the alliance partners, the need for such a party will fall away.
Dear Zubeida Jaffer,
I am interested in your good column "Disaffected voters….." in today's Cape Times. This is because there is one other single "burning" issue which will qualify for inclusion in any burgeoning new party manifesto. It is to address the land question in a fresh and simple way so as to finally put an end to the disgraceful levels of poverty and unemployment which rack this country. Here is how the South African Constitutional Property Rights Foundation [SACPRIF] describes how the tax system has to be changed:-
A New Free-Land Tax Haven: South Africa's Double Dividend
When an apple fell on Sir Isaac Newton's head he founded the law of gravity, an algebraic formula which describes the force with which objects hit the ground.
This law impacts not only on all things that fly through the air but to ageing body parts, sport, and industry and to all things bright and beautiful in between.
There are also natural laws of human behaviour which are governed by algebraic formulae. For instance the law which defines the best conditions for creating new jobs is, ironically, to stop taxing work, profits, interest or value added tax because they raise the cost of employment, capital and trade. They destroy jobs.
A further negative of these personal taxes is that they generate high unused land prices which are unaffordable to most. It is trite to say that the poor must have land to survive if they have no job. Yet in SA today the average price of an urban plot is, incredibly, R400 000 and for a rural small–holding R750 000.
So the best way to create jobs, either in the towns or country, is to cancel all taxes on work, savings and trade and replace them with a single land tax. This is the natural law of job creation. It is an orthodox fiscal intervention and endorsed by Nobel Laureates in economics
A free-land and tax-haven can be South Africa's double dividend.
Details of how one can support this are available on our website www.sacprif.org in the booklet "A Creative Solution to Unemployment and Poverty."
Regards, Peter Meakin
Registered Professional Valuer
Chairman SACPRIF Management Committee
I am interested in your good column "Disaffected voters….." in today's Cape Times. This is because there is one other single "burning" issue which will qualify for inclusion in any burgeoning new party manifesto. It is to address the land question in a fresh and simple way so as to finally put an end to the disgraceful levels of poverty and unemployment which rack this country. Here is how the South African Constitutional Property Rights Foundation [SACPRIF] describes how the tax system has to be changed:-
A New Free-Land Tax Haven: South Africa's Double Dividend
When an apple fell on Sir Isaac Newton's head he founded the law of gravity, an algebraic formula which describes the force with which objects hit the ground.
This law impacts not only on all things that fly through the air but to ageing body parts, sport, and industry and to all things bright and beautiful in between.
There are also natural laws of human behaviour which are governed by algebraic formulae. For instance the law which defines the best conditions for creating new jobs is, ironically, to stop taxing work, profits, interest or value added tax because they raise the cost of employment, capital and trade. They destroy jobs.
A further negative of these personal taxes is that they generate high unused land prices which are unaffordable to most. It is trite to say that the poor must have land to survive if they have no job. Yet in SA today the average price of an urban plot is, incredibly, R400 000 and for a rural small–holding R750 000.
So the best way to create jobs, either in the towns or country, is to cancel all taxes on work, savings and trade and replace them with a single land tax. This is the natural law of job creation. It is an orthodox fiscal intervention and endorsed by Nobel Laureates in economics
A free-land and tax-haven can be South Africa's double dividend.
Details of how one can support this are available on our website www.sacprif.org in the booklet "A Creative Solution to Unemployment and Poverty."
Regards, Peter Meakin
Registered Professional Valuer
Chairman SACPRIF Management Committee
