Date: 13/09/2010
Source: The Democratic Alliance
Title: DA: James: Extract of speech by federal chairperson, at a public meeting in the West-Durban Constituency Pinetown Civic


The word is out. President Jacob Zuma has no backbone. Some people in the African National Congress (ANC) hoped that he would find his backbone in China but there was nothing to find because there was none.

From the opposition benches we have repeatedly listened in disbelief at President Zuma's unconvincing waffle on all manner of issues of great national importance. Recently in Parliament we had to endure an unprincipled, non-analytical and superficial defense of his fudging on the proposal for a media tribunal. As I surveyed the ANC frontbenches the few Ministers who were there visibly cringed in silent embarrassment at his pathetic effort to be presidential.

The benchmark of global opinion The Economist had in its 4 September edition, after giving him a chance to lay some foundations in his first year as President, declared President Zuma to be ‘weak' for failing to stand up to trade union demands for more money we cannot afford to give. His first error of judgment was to be absent during a devastating strike. His second error of judgment was to not face down trade union demands that would add billions to state expenditure we cannot afford, caving in to ‘threats of even bigger strikes. Overgenerous pay settlements will jeopardise economic recovery. Moreover, the money goes to workers who are already relatively well off, rather than to the 40% of South Africans who are without a job, many of them living in dire poverty' the editorial went. Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan it seems convinced everyone except President Zuma that we needed to achieve an annual growth rate of 7 per cent and low levels of debt to grow sustainably out of the recession and make a dent on reducing poverty levels.

As any negotiator knows we will pay a bitter price for this when the next round of strikes looms in 2011.

The Economist was also very critical about President Zuma's pusillanimous prevarication on the media tribunal and the definition of what is a state secret or not. The Economist editorial reads: ‘He has not publicly supported the bill, yet he has not killed it; but when he says the press should be promoting the country's ‘human rights' culture as well as its ‘prosperity, stability and the well-being of its people', he sounds depressingly like the leader of Eritrea or Myanmar.'

Higher Education & Training Minister Blade Nzimande was quoted as saying that the reason why people dislike President Zuma is that he is a unifier keeping the Congress Alliance together. I suppose he has to say that, but Nzimande is fooling no one. No less a figure than the keeper of former President Nelson Mandela's brand, Professor Jakes Gerwel, describes the ANC in the Rapport (12 September) as chaotic, disorganised and bereft of ideology, consisting of cliques and brigands (my words not his) out to do nothing more than simply line their own pockets and satisfy short-term greed.

Gerwel goes on to say that the only organisation left with a semblance of organised thought and vision is the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU). It is a wistful effort to find some modicum of vision left in the Congress Alliance. There are many issues to support in COSATU's ideology such as the basic income grant, its stance on corruption and distaste for the fleecing of taxpayers money by what its leaders rightly call a parasitic elite hell-bent on consuming us fast into bankruptcy.

However, the performance of COSATU in the recent strike, the annual above inflation wage demands of the past few years, the willingness of its affiliate the South African Democratic Trade Union (SADTU) to sacrifice the education of our nation's poorest children on the altar of the crassest expression of power, provides little comfort.

I was also taken aback by Gerwel's dismissal of the opposition parties to contribute to finding a solution to our crisis. Here are five reasons why we matter and should be taken more seriously: (1) we have a record of upholding the precepts of our Constitution which remains the only statement of principle of who we are, what we stand for and what we wish to achieve as a nation; (2) we are the only party that offers a philosophically persuasive and clear ideological alternative - the Open Opportunity Society for All - to the ANCs bankrupt policies; (3) we have a demonstrable record of clean, honest and efficient government in the Western Cape and in the City of Cape Town. Anyone may have sight of our accumulated record of unqualified audits; and (4) we have a record of municipal and provincial projects to reduce poverty and we will up this nationally in a manner that will define us as a party for the poor.

The fact is that all the ANC has to offer poor people are handouts and platitudes. What we offer is an opportunity to change lives by respecting the power of, and supporting, individuals to transform their own lives, freed from feelings of inferiority, lack of self-confidence and that enemy of progress - entitlement.

We have a political programme: we are determined to win as many municipalities for which we field candidates in the May 2011 local government elections. In 2014 we are determined to extend our provincial governance from one to three provinces. We are the only party that has systematically gained votes since 1994.

We will escalate the momentum because we can.