A message to the opposition

I wrote, but never posted, a little piece about COPE doing an idiotic thing. It is now history that COPE’s “no confidence” vote on Zuma was defeated – as was expected. Why does the opposition bump their heads against a rock? Why can’t they pick the fights that are not so obvious they are going to lose?

In this current ANC cock-up, the people of South Africa hunger for political leadership especially from credible Black people. I think the climate is fertile for a voice of reason and an emergent leader or leadership.

The current ANC is trampling on the freedoms of most South Africans. The Zuma Mob acts like they are the law unto themselves. They violate the Constitution with impunity and they loot the State coffers with no shame and conscience.

Here’s a message for COPE, other opposition parties and concerned South Africans (if someone can pass it along to them):

• Forget parliament as a battle ground. The sycophantic ANC majority will defeat any motion, no matter the substance.

• Organize rallies (should not wait for election time) to extol the virtues of Members of Parliament being elected by the people. In other words, the vote should not be for the party but for individuals. That way, MPs and other elected officials would be accountable to their constituencies rather than to party leaders.

• With Zuma as an example of how not to be a President of a country like South Africa, and with the ANC Mob acting the way they do – doing idiotic things and then getting their spokespeople to deny thus insinuating the people of South Africa are fools – there can be no better time to rally the exploited masses around the need to elect individual representatives and not rely on party leadership to impose their choices on them.

• They should avoid a direct attack on the ANC or any of its leaders, but rather engage on efforts to inculcate in the people the values of democracy. They should tie such teaching with raising an awareness that the power of the people to elect their own representatives is not only the essence of freedom by also to means to attain and keep that very freedom. Of course, they should be made aware that freedom and responsibility that comes with it, is itself a power to transform their socio-economic milieu.

• Our schools and universities hunger for an alternative voice from that of Malema.

The time has come to fully liberate our people. Make them aware that they own the power to change their lives around. By the time election comes, they will have a populace that is ready to use their heads and not their hearts in matters of vote.