SOBAHLANGULA ISSUED BY THE OFFICE OF THE SECRETORY GENERAL (SPOKEPERSON) Mandisi Mrwebi Tel: 0761977505 [email protected] sobahlangula.org Twitter/Facebook: @Sobahlangula 22 August 2014 GOVERNMENT LEGITIMACY AND PEOPLE’S VOICE ON GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS • Right after 1994, all we had as South Africans was a provisional constitution, a massive constituent that had big dreams and hopes ignited by anticipating a new inclusive government. As such at that time one can safely say the legitimacy of our government was built exclusively on those big dreams and hopes of very poor South African citizens. And the legitimacy of South African government was not earned (through performance of public servants) but credited (with a collateral being people’s dreams and hopes) • Now chickens are coming home to roost. South African government is pushed against the wall to earn his legitimacy. • It is dawning that elections and base-institutions are not adequate to legitimize a government. • The credibility and authenticity of every public servant is key in order to legitimize or delegitimize any government. Legitimacy might not be lost overnight, and the snail pace degeneration of legitimacy can easy be taken for granted- and therefore proves to be lethal. • In fact this credibility and authenticity of public servants talks to their performance, accountability and reliability, which subsequently cascades to determine performance rate of base-institutions. • A public servant and base-institution cannot be differentiated. Neither should a legitimate government rely on self-regulation (public servant and base-institution inter-regulatory). • So for government to be legitimate, general public must regulate government including parliament and president of the Republic. Precisely because general public is the one that inform parliamentary composition. • Hence MP’s owe it to the general public to ensue no political party is allowed to promote itself by means of gorilla marketing of any form. Leaders of political parties are morally obligated to focus on delivering or attempt to advance their manifesto, which is their contract with their voters. Failure to do this is a clear indication that they undermine voters of this country and treating voters with contempt. • All political parties (including ANC, DA and EFF) are voted into parliament to perform a duty of ensuring parliament is an institution for collectivity, inclusivity and accountability. Most importantly, accountability mainly to the general public. The reports that suggest certain parliamentary events are censored must not be taken lightly but condemned in strongest terms. Parliament is for the general public not privileged elites. • Parliament is like any organism. It has systems in the form of processes and rules that were never designed with EFF in mind neither to inflict to its MP’s. Yes it they were inherited, evolved and adapted to serve not as a scapegoat from accountability by those who preside over parliament. • To understand the importance of a parliamentary system, one needs to be reminded that general public appoints parliamentary representation. And therefore parliamentary system is accountable to the public. So parliamentary systems are in place not to benefit political parties but to benefit the public. • Over and above, the constituent of South Africa and the constitution of our republic are served by parliament through its systems. And these systems are dynamic and open to improvement. • As the public, we would expect the superiority of public protector’s report not to stop being supreme, nor do we expect mutation of the president questions and answers simply because the parliamentary house waited until all Nkandla investigations were concluded and all reports presented before parliament. In fact by all reasoning possible, waiting can only improve both the quality of questions and quality of expected answers. • It’s important to alert the president that South Africans are following Nkandlagate with enthusiasms that supersede the following of generations (especially after recent reported jobs shedding on generation). We understand you are on your last term and most likely you are prioritizing building your legacy. But as president you also have responsibility to help us shape our future as per pas two decade’s big dreams and hopes. • So your legacy is far less important compered to our future. As such we will never allow anything to be used as a scapegoat from accounting to the public about anything, as this is the only way left to ensure we participate in building the anticipated and desired future. • People are championing a campaign (Mzantsi pamoja) that will definitely strengthen the oversight role (from community to national level) by the people. We appeal to the president to embrace this campaign by ensuring his answers on Nkandlagate and other issues affirm the legitimacy of his presidency and the legitimacy of parliament as an accounting base institution. • Lastly, we commend both ANC and EFF for reactivating the political interest especially among women and youth. This is an important contribution towards our campaign to build a new South African identity. An identity that is determined to realize a culture of Pamoja (“Swahili translation from together) cutting across every divide (politics, gender, religion, class etc.)
Posted on: Fri, 22 Aug 2014 06:52:34 +0000
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